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July 30, 2013

Open Ended Ocean Themed Sensory Bin


If your toddler is anything like mine then you probably hear "I do it!" or "me do it" quite a bit. By using Montessori principles in my house, I'm able to reply "sure" a lot more often. It's not about giving Henry free reign, but it's about letting him exercise his independence by making a few small adjustments. 

While I strive to do this as much as I can, I don't generally give him freedom with his sensory bins. I choose the contents, the setting, and any tools. While the play is open ended, the setting is not. Until now. 

This week, Henry has an "I Do It" sensory bin with a little more freedom. He gets to pick the medium {water, water beads, shells, or glass bead} to make the bin exactly how he wants it. I also provided as basket of different tools and some ocean themed Toobs animals to add to the fun. 


toddlers, shells, water beads


With this system Henry has an empty bin that he can truly make his own as we learn about the ocean and the letter O at tot school this week. I'm excited to see all the possibilities that he comes up with!



Have you ever tried a more open ended sensory bin? How did it go? I'll share Henry's reaction in this week's tot school post!

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Comments

the naptown organizer
Your photography skills are amazing lady. Just wanted to say that. Your pictures have been consistently beautiful recently!
Unknown
Unknown said…
I love this idea! :)
Nicole @ The Kavanaugh Report
Thank you so much! I'm glad you noticed, I've been working really hard to get better pictures. Andplusalso, the new room has way better light!
Deb Chitwood
Deb Chitwood said…
This is awesome, Nicole ... so appealing and inviting! I pinned your post to my Ocean Unit Studies Pinterest Board: http://pinterest.com/debchitwood/ocean-unit-study/
Jen @ the mama years
So adorable! It's great that you are following his lead!
Kirstylee @ Moms Have Questions Too
This is the most amazing idea! I am definitely doing this for my toddler's next sensory bin. He already loves sensory bins, but if he created it himself, I know he would love it even more. Thank you so much for this idea.
Lindsey
Lindsey said…
Very cute. I'm going to give this a try! We did a polar bear themed bin like this with ice and the kids loved it.

Lindsey @ Growing Kids Ministry
Nicolette
Nicolette said…
I really need to do more sensory activities with my girls. This is a great one. Thanks for sharing and joining the Mommy-Brain mixer.
David
David said…
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