Sensory bins are a fun way to combine play and learning! And if you create it around a topic that your child enjoys you just might get their attention and help them learn something! I made this sensory bin as a fun way to play and learn to recognize the letter A as well as the /a/ sound! I was going to call it the A is for Astronauts and Aliens Sensory Bin but that title is too long, so I’m calling it the Fizzy Alien Planet Sensory Play bin instead.
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Fizzy Alien Planet Sensory Play
This Fizzy Alien Planet Sensory Play bin was inspired by my son’s interest in Space and this great book I received for Christmas by Asia Citro of Fun at Home with Kids called 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids. This book is full of inspiring play ideas and sensory activities for kids of all ages! You can use the activities as is or use the recipes to create activities based on your children’s interests!
Supplies Needed for Fizzy Alien Planet Sensory Play:
- baking soda
- white vinegar
- water
- condiment squirt bottles
- rocks and glass gems
- letter As
- Imaginext Astronauts and aliens
To create the Fizzy Alien Planet I first made rocks with letter As and alien creatures hidden in them. I used the same method shown here on Fun at Home with Kids. Then I created the Alien Planet using a layer of baking soda, some rocks and large glass gems. I mixed up two bottles of lime green vinegar (this creates the fizzing action!). I used a squirt of yellow and green tempera paints for color!
Then I invited Caden to find the letter As and hidden aliens by squirting the colored vinegar and playing in the Fizzy Alien Planet. Caden really enjoyed this activity! He loved squirting the vinegar all around the bin searching for the letter As and aliens. Although it was a little difficult because I froze the “rocks” before hand. I would recommend not freezing them, you can chill them in the fridge if you wish, but they will hold together fine at room temperature.
Caden enjoyed this activity so much that I had to refill our squirt bottles with vinegar a couple of times and in the end I just added warm water to help the frozen rocks dissolve.
Full Disclosure: This was a really fun activity that combined some learning with sensory play, but to be completely honest, it was a little difficult to clean up. Because it is winter here, we had to do the activity inside and even though it didn’t make a mess outside the container, I had to bring the container and all its fizzy contents upstairs to the bathtub to rinse out. I wish I had thought of that before creating such a large sensory play activity. It would have been easier to hose off outside or rinse a smaller container in the kitchen sink.
Other Space Themed Activities:
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Oh this looks like great fun! Pinned and stumbled and hoping to give it a try soon!