Summertime is in full swing and this patriotic-themed sensory bin is a festive way to celebrate July 4th. You probably have most of the supplies on hand as well!
Filled with colorful sensory filler, mini stars, pom poms, and striped straws, this patriotic sensory activity is simple to set up but keeps kids busy for surprisingly long stretches of time. Itās bright, festive, and packed with opportunities for scooping, pouring, sorting, and imaginative play.
The best part? Kids are instantly drawn to the bold colors and fun textures.
Materials
- White sensory bin or tray
- Dyed chickpeas or dried beans
- Red, white, and blue paint
- Ziplock bags
- Mini pom poms
- Foam stars
- Paper straws
- Sparkly pom poms or tinsel balls
- Scoops, cups, or spoons
Optional:
- Tweezers
- Small containers
- Star cookie cutters
- Mini flags
How to Make a Patriotic Sensory Bin
- To create the colorful base, divide dried chickpeas or beans into three ziplock bags. Add several dollops of either red, white or blue paint to each bag. Seal and then shake the beans until coated. Spread onto trays and allow them to dry completely.
- Pour the sensory filler into the tray in three separate sections of red, white and blue. This creates a bold patriotic look that kids immediately want to dig into.
- Scatter patriotic-themed loose parts throughout the bin, foam stars, Pom Poms, and striped paper straws. These extra pieces encourage sorting, scooping, counting, and pretend play.
- Place scoops, spoons, cups, or tweezers nearby for exploring. Toddlers may enjoy simple pouring while preschoolers often love sorting colors and transferring materials between containers.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. Thatās over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they wonāt even know theyāre getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic successāand it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: Whatās an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kidsāHave hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles thatāll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skillsāRiddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their workāKids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
Iām so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
