An insect sensory bin is a great way to explore and learn about bugs from the comfort of your home. In this simple sensory bin I used black beans for the base, then added in plastic insects and bug hunter tools such as a net, magnifying glass, and magnified bug container.
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Insect Sensory Bin
Materials Needed for Insect Sensory Bin
- Black beans
- Bug Hunter Tools (Ours are from Dollar Tree)
- Safari Ltd Insect Toob
Caden loved just playing with the insects and black beans in the bin. As he explored the black beans he put some in a small container, added some to the bug net and explored how the beans will hop on the ground when he pushes down on them with his finger. We also explore the insect sensory bin with some extension activities.
Extension Activities
To encourage more learning with the sensory bin we did a couple of extension activities. The first activity we did with the insect sensory bin is very simple. While Caden played with the beans and bugs I read a nonfiction book about different types of insects. Then we would search the sensory bin to see if we had a plastic version of that bug and we would match the bug to the pictures in the book.
The second activity is a sensory matching game. I printed out a vocabulary card with different pictures of insects from 1+1+1=1. We then dug in the sensory bin to find the bugs that matched the pictures. Fantastic Fun & Learning has a great post with a long list of sensory bin extension activities. You should definitely check it out!
For more wonderful insect and bug activities check out my Pinterest board.
Follow Samantha @Stir the Wonder’s board Insect Theme on Pinterest.
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This is great! I love your extension activities. Pinning now!
Thanks!
I love this bin!!! I think the black beans just look so great 🙂 I will have to get those Toobs.
Very cool insect sensory bin – we made one like this a while back when we were studying bugs and my kid still play with it =)
Thanks for sharing and linking up to TGIF =-)
Have a great week!
Beth
The black beans make a great base for the sensory bin. I love the extension activities too!
What a wonderful idea! Boys just love bugs. Thanks so much for sharing at Mom’s Library this week. You are featured at Pounds4Pennies. I look forward to your posts for this week!
I love your activity ideas! What a great hands-on way to learn about bugs. Thanks for sharing your post on my facebook page.
Hi! My 4 yr old son is terrified of bugs. I thought maybe using this sensory bin might be a good, non-frightening way to expose him to bugs in a safe environment and learn more about them, in hopes he might feel more comfortable around them. I really like the bug book you have pictured above. May I have the title and author name to it? I can’t seem to figure out which book it is! Any help is appreciated! Thank you!