Two things most kids seem to love are dinosaurs and water. So, I combined the two into a super simple sensory soup, which, if you've never tried a sensory soup before, then you're going to get hooked on them!
Sensory soups require little or no prep and are super engaging. Seriously, my kids always happily play with sensory soups like this one for hours and sometimes even days!
Now, this particular dinosaur water play sensory bin falls under the "played with for days" category and eventually spawned into this dinosaur basketball sensory bin.
So, if you're looking for a quick and fun activity that's perfect for a hot summer day, then give this dinosaur themed sensory bin a try!
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
Dinosaur Water Play Sensory Bin: What You'll Need
For this activity, we used:
- Water - How much you'll need depends on the size of your sensory bin container.
- Dinosaur toys - We used the Dinosaur TOOB that was sent to us by Safari Ltd.
- Liquid watercolors or food coloring - I combined green and black liquid watercolors to make a murky green swamp-like color. A few drops will do the trick.
- 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.
Add the water and some liquid watercolors to a large plastic container and mix well. Then add the dinosaurs and kitchen utensils. Then, it's ready for play!
Toddlers & Preschoolers Will Love this Dinosaur Sensory Bin with Water!
My boys always enjoy water sensory soup bins like this. They find them so calming and soothing. Seriously, there's just something about water sensory play and swishing your hands around in the water. (Plus, they're a great way to cool off on hot summer days.)
Including kitchen utensils is a great way to encourage some fine motor skills practice, as well as for exploring concepts like volume and measurement. They're also great for giving dinosaurs showers and baths, as my kids informed me.
Plus, this activity was really great for imaginative play and storytelling. I mean the stories my boys were telling me were absolutely delightful. My three year old was particularly attached to a brontosaurus and created an adorable high-pitched, squeaky voice for it while narrating all sorts of fun adventures. He did a similar thing with this dino-basketball sensory bin too. Here are some action shots of him narrating some stories:
What kind of stories do you think your kids will tell while playing with this dinosaur water play sensory bin? And, which dinosaur will be their favorite?
