Citrus Water Sensory Bin
This summer I decided to try themed days to help keep the kids entertained and give me motivation to try new things, get out of the house, and spend dedicated time with them. Far too often I find myself saying, “Give me a minute” or “Maybe later”. We can easily end up in a cycle of them wanting attention and me trying to cram in chores and work into every spare second I can find. That usually leads to boredom on their end and guild on my end and I wanted things to change.
So far, the themes have been helping. I’ll update you on our adventures so far in the next few posts.
This activity was EASY to set up and EASY to clean up. They were entertained for an hour. AN ENTIRE HOUR I tell you! I interrupted so we could make it to an outdoor story time hosted by the local library, but they loved this activity. I really can’t think of anything better! We used this for a Water Wednesday, if you are keeping track of the themed days.
Here’s what you need
Sensory bin- I use 15 L storage containers. I bought these on a whim and it was a great investment. We use these nearly every day.
Scoops/spoons/tongs- I usually just pick from our utensil stock at home, making sure to include different shapes and sizes to work on some fine motor skills and problem solving. I often give them at least one tool that wouldn’t normally make sense and see what they do with it. Today I gave them a slotted spatula.
Citrus- in my mind we were going to make lemonade, but I only had one lemon in the refrigerator. So we improvised and used a grapefruit, a clementine, and a few limes.
Pom poms- these are always fun! Today they served as “ice cubes” and “sugar”. We put them in a mesh bag and toss in the dryer after they are used for water play, but I might have to wash them to get the sticky juice off first this time.
Cups- Pull out whatever old plastic cups you have. My husband likes to keep a collection from concerts we attended well before we were parents, so don’t judge the logos. We also have the cups linked that nest in a pitcher and use them all of the time! They are the perfect size for little hands and I like that they are clear so kids can see color mixing and filling practice.
Sensory Bins // Spoons // Cups // Ladel // Pom poms // Mixing bowls and storage containers // Lemon juicer // Knife (we didn’t practice cutting skills today, but I use these knives when we do.
Set up
5 minutes
Fill bin with water. It wasn’t particularly hot yet because we did this in the morning, so I made the water not freezing. If you are doing this inside, I usually put a shower curtain liner or several beach towels down to catch the water.
Cut fruit. I made wedges, slices, spirals, and left some whole.
Let them explore and have fun!
Clean up
5 minutes
Separate out pom poms if you are saving them. I had the kids do this while I got lunch ready.
Throw away the fruit. I actually kept the whole lime and we used it for dinner.
Clean utensils (dishwasher for ease if available) and bin (soap and water in the sink works best for me).
Collect pom poms in a mesh laundry bag, wash on delicate and then toss in the dryer.
They loved squeezing the citrus (great for hand strength) and got to practice pouring, scooping, carrying, serving, and mixing. They filled up cups and set up a tea party for all of us! I popped back and forth between some cleaning, catching up on emails, and actively playing with them/drinking my tea. I have been aiming for 10-15 minutes of no distraction participation and then letting go of the guilt if they want to keep playing while I get my own work done. It takes practice to quiet that inner voice that says I need to spend all day engaged with them. I’m definitely still working on it and some days are easier than others.
Hopefully you enjoy this activity. Drop a comment if you try this with your littles- I’d love to hear!
