Sensory Bin / Discovery Box: Gardening (with optional water station)

The weather has been glorious here in the West of England for the last week or so and all my attentions have turned outdoors.  I have a small stockpile of posts to write about some of the ways I've been making my tiny garden a haven for outside exploration and play.  I'll try to get a few more posts up in the next week to compensate for my bloglessness over the past couple of weeks (we've been sick here.  repeatedly.  annoyingly.) However, first I wanted to share the new gardening sensory box.  

After the Spring Birds sensory box, the contents of this one aren't particularly spectacular: compost, seed packets (fantastic fine motor skills practise - learning to tear delicately so as not to spill the seeds!), small recycled plastic pots, child-sized gardening tools, gloves and a watering can.  Great for kids of all ages. The baby likes to get his hands in the compost and explore the tools and pots and the older kids figured out how to plant the seeds in the pots with no adult instruction needed simply by looking at the materials available and figuring it out.  Love it when that happens!

This is a great one on it's own.  However, the addition of the 'water station' has seriously extended the scope of play with this sensory bin and I really recommend it. 

I don't have an outside water tap in my garden (don't get me started, it is the biggest gripe I've got about this house).  Rather than live without a water source this summer or let the kids run in and fill endless watering cans spilling through the house with every step, I've simply bought a portable water carrier.  It folds flat when not in use (crucial for those of us with no storage space) and holds 15 litres when full.  I specifically looked for one with a turning mechanism rather than a button to push in and hold.  I felt that a push button may be too difficult for the kids to use independently (particularly when filling bottles), whilst the turning mechanism is a great way to build up those hand and wrist muscles.  The downside is that the kids have to learn to turn off the water or it all drains out.  Next to the water jug, I've placed a spray bottle and another watering can.  On the other side of the sensory table (not pictured) is a shelf full of other items including scoops and containers which are always available for use.  I deliberately only put out a few items so that there isn't too much choice*.  

This combination kept them all busy and entertained for hours, which is a very long time indeed.

*It is my belief and experience that too much choice leads to overwhelmed kids who don't play deeply, but throw things around and bicker over ownership.  Life is too short to set myself up for this.  I'm too lazy to sort out all the wars over stuff.  They still argue with less stuff, just not as much.  And they are less likely to throw.  I can't stand the throwing.  Because then I feel compelled to tell them not to throw and to pick up the thrown things.  Sometimes they don't want to do this and whining commences.  I can't bear the whining.  Or the thrown things.  Or myself sounding like my mother.  So, I just put a few things out. 

Sensory Bin / Discovery Box: Birds

I am a HUGE fan of the sensory bin / discovery box and always have one out for the kids.  I do change them every 4-6 weeks or so, depending on interest and season.  This week I've put one together around a bird theme as the birds have all come out and are chirping away in my back garden (unfortunately it won't be long before my cat starts leaving them as 'presents' for us, upcoming talks about the circle of life me thinks).

I've included lots of different sensory elements: the lentils for pouring and sound, smooth cool rocks, both wooden and feather birds, feathers and wool for building nests, different size eggs and egg cups.  I've also included a pond / bird bath area where I've re-purposed the glitter bag from my squishy bag table. 

The lentils were meant to be of the green variety, but my on-line order keeps getting delayed and the kids were badgering me about when they were getting their new sensory box.  So I've put aside my adult ideals of aesthetics and just used the yellow lentils I had already.  The kids don't mind and, let's be honest, it is all going to end up on the floor anyway!

With each box I try to change up the utensils and containers included to facilitate different types of play.  For the Bird Box I've included the utensils below.  The little 'melon baller' type scoop came from a little bug specimen kit I bought from Homebase.  They are really cheap and one has already needed gluing, but the kids  LOVE them.  If anyone knows where I can get better quality ones please share!

As an extra treat I've included a secret element to this box.  When I introduce this box I will initiate a conversation about birds: bird homes, birds fly, water birds, bird babies and nest building, and bird food.  Where do birds look for food?  What do they eat?  Where do we find bugs?  Oh!  Under rocks you say?  Well let's have a look!

Oh yes, gummy worms and chocolate covered raisin 'bugs' hiding in crushed cookie 'dirt' for them to dig for and pick up with their tweezer 'bird beaks'.  Taste!*

After the novelty of the sensory bin wears off a bit I'll add some other bits to extend the play.  I am working on some clothes pin birds to clip onto nests.  You may also have noticed that there are no trees in this box - we'll be hunting for suitable trees together in some woods behind my house next week.  I'll also be looking for some suitable branches to cut into tree blocks, but that's another post.

*I am not insane enough to leave this out - this bit of the box is for limited supervised use.  After meals.  I don't want sugar-crazed kids running around my house with tweezers.  Just sayin'.  

UPDATE:

We've gotten hours of play out of this Bird Sensory Bin.  The 'mellon baller' grabber toy is a favourite by far.

Also of note - the 'dirt' box was not as popular as I expected.  I don't think the kids really understood what it represented.  E did enjoy getting his hands in it and eating it, of course.  However, on a walk over the weekend we found some real bugs under a log and he tried to pick one up and eat it.  I still think the 'dirt' box is a fun idea, but probably with older kids who aren't so literal!