INSIDE: Plant the Trees Sensory Bin is a fun and easy sensory bin activity for toddlers and preschoolers! Teach young kids the importance of trees for Earth Day with this amazing sensory bin!
Plant a Tree
I love trees. I live in a neighborhood full of really tall ones. Our backyard is lined with them and they fill the park across the street from us. They provide shade, food, oxygen and so much more. Naturally my young toddlers love trees as well. My eldest used to hug trees constantly on our walks to the park. Teaching them why trees are important is a great lesson to import every day but especially during Earth Day. Use this fun and easy sensory bin planting trees activity to start the conversation.
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How to Make Mini Trees
Head outside and gather up a bunch of small sticks and twigs. I found the thicker sticks planted better in the cloud dough.
Cut tree shapes out of the green foam sheets. Use a hot glue gun to attached the green foam sheets to the sticks.
How to Make Cloud Dough
Cloud dough is not edible. Raw flour should not be ingested. Adult supervision is required.
Makes about 8 cups amount (about 1.2 kg) cloud dough
- Large mixing bowl
- 8 cups (1 kg) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (55 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, or more as needed (optional, for brown cloud dough)
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
- In the mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder (if using) and vegetable oil.
- Mix together until the cloud dough becomes moldable. Add more oil if it’s too dry or more flour if it’s too wet, as needed.
- Cloud dough is ready when you can shape it into a ball with your hands. Add more cocoa if you want to make the color of the cloud dough darker.
How to Play with Plant the Trees Sensory Bin
Invite your little one to plant the trees in the soil. My three year olds, dug in the cloud dough with their hands and shovel trying to make holes to plant the mini trees. We talked about the things tree give us: food and oxygen.
Questions to ask or things to say
- What kinds of foods come from trees?
- What animals live in trees?
- Can you name the parts of a tree?
- Did you know ______ is made from a tree?
- Trees help to keep our air clean. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. We’re perfect for each other!
Looking for more Fun Earth Day Crafts & Activities and more? Check out these fun ideas:
My kids are 3 years old (twins) and 6 years old.
Supplies
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- Sensory Bin or Sensory Table
- Cloud Dough (recipe above)
- Sticks
- Green foam sheets
- Hot glue Gun
- Scissors
- Small shovel or spoon
WILL YOU TRY PLANT THE TREES SENSORY BIN WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER? PIN IT FOR LATER!
