My boys created this water sensory bin idea all by themselves. First, they requested non-colored water, some dinosaurs, and some basketballs, which might seem a bit unusual, but less so when you know that the book Dino-Basketball exists...a book they really like!
And it ended up being a really cute way to work on fine motor skills and engage in some imaginative play. Plus, we can make some connections to the book that inspired it all.
So, sensory, fine motor, literacy skills, and imaginative play are all rolled into one with this cute dinosaur basketball sensory bin with water.
What You'll Need for this Dinosaur Basketball Sensory Bin
I know what you're thinking...dinosaurs and basketballs seems like an odd combination. But the inspiration for this activity was the book Dino-Basketball by Lisa Wheeler. It's a fun colorful book that features dinosaurs playing basketball and my boys love it! They love it so much that they ended up creating this sensory bin themselves.
My boys also really love sensory soups (aka sensory bins with water, paired with spoons and other kitchen materials). So, dinos + basketball + water = this activity.
So, to make this dinosaur basketball themed sensory soup, we used:
- Water - How much you'll need depends on the size of your sensory bin container.
- Dinosaur toys - A special thanks to Safari Ltd. for sending us a Dinosaur Mega TOOB to play with.
- Foam basketball stickers or similar - I found these at the dollar store.
- Kitchen utensils - We always use a big bowl, a ladle, a large spoon, and a whisk, but feel free to add whatever you'd like.
- Dino-Basketball by Lisa Wheeler - To read before or after playing.
To set up the sensory bin, simply add the water, dinosaurs, foam basketballs, and kitchen utensils to a large plastic container. Then it's ready to go!
Playing with the Dino-Basketball Sensory Bin
The addition of scoops and spoons to water sensory bins like this always allows for lots of fine motor practice. My boys enjoy scooping up the water (or whatever items we add to the water!) and dumping them into the bowl. Scoop, pour, repeat. Over and over.
This particular sensory soup encouraged a lot of storytelling for K, who became particularly fond of a brontosaurus. He even came up with a super cute squeaky voice for the brontosaurus and spent lots of time playing with it one on one. You can see his little connection with it in the photos below. (PS: This brings back memories of grade two where I got to adopt a long-necked dinosaur. I, of course, named it Little Foot like the good 80s child that I am.)
This activity kept both of my boys busy and playing for quite some time. Unsurprising, given how much they love water sensory play ideas!
This Dino-Basketball inspired water sensory soup is part of a water play for kids blog hop, which was organized by Heather from Crayon Box Chronicles. Unfortunately, she couldn't participate at the last minute, so instead, I've included one of her water play ideas below, alongside the other ideas from this blog hop.
Tutti Fruity Watercolors from Crayon Box Chronicles
LEGO Water Bin from Mamas Like Me
Rose Petal Water Play from Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Bird Bath Pretend Play from My Nearest and Dearest
Glowing Galaxy Water Bin from Fun-A-Day!
Will you be giving this dinosaur basketball sensory bin a try? And have you read the book that inspired it?
