This Earth Day sensory bin uses blue and green colored rice, along with some natural wooden elements to create a fun and engaging bin for play and learning.
Sensory bins are excellent for early learning, and great for children with sensory-seeking behaviors. They provide opportunities for rich learning for kids as children are engaged and using many of their senses during play. This Earth Day sensory bin provides a wonderful opportunity for talking about this important day with kids!
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Colored Rice Earth Day Sensory Bin
I like to use different trays and pans for sensory play depending on what we are doing. This blue metal pan is one of my favorites for small play, and I thought it went really nicely with the earth day colored rice!
What you need:
white rice
vinegar or hand sanitizer
ziplock bags
plastic container or bin
birch wood rounds (I got my pack at a craft store, but you can get similar ones here)
sharpie
fine motor tools or scoops
What to do:
Make the colored rice.
First, color the rice by separating the amount you are using into two ziplock bags.
Add the tempera paint to the bags (blue in one and green in another) along with a pump of hand sanitizer or a splash of vinegar.
Shake the bags until all of the rice has been colored and let dry. It dries quicker if you lay it out on a baking sheet.
Create the Earth Day sensory bin.
Add the colored rice to the container but first making a few small piles of green rice, and then adding the blue rice around it to create an earth with the rice.
Add peg dolls and wooden rounds to the bin along with a container to scoop into. We like to use these a compostable pot in this bin that we drew a recycling sign on it for this bin. (optional)
To Use this Sensory Bin with Toddlers:
Toddlers love to scoop and transfer! Colored rice is a wonderful sensory medium for this. Place some spoons, funnels and pots into the bin for fun scooping practice!
Stacking and balancing are also excellent skills for toddlers to work on with the wooden rounds included.
To Use this Sensory Bin with Preschoolers:
This is a wonderful age to discuss the importance of recycling, planting trees and caring for the planet. Kids can pretend to plant trees with the birch rounds, and the wooden dolls can be people caring for the Earth. Begin the conversation, and see just how far preschoolers can take this! It’s a beautiful thing to witness 🙂
To Use this Sensory Bin with Elementary Ages:
For my oldest learner, I wrote letters on the wood rounds to spell ‘Earth Day’. This was a great way for him to practice spelling both of these words, and my preschooler was able to work with them on her letter recognition as well.
Whichever way you decide to use this Earth Day sensory bin, I know the kids will love it! Enjoy!
Check out some of these Earth Day books for kids to read alongside your play!
More Earth Day Activities to Try:
- 15+ Earth Day Crafts for Kids
- Earth Day Science Experiments and Sensory Activities for Kids
- Earth Day Coloring Page for Kids or Adults: Free Printable
Head over to our entire collection of sensory bins to see more.
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