Here is yet another sensory bin from apple week back in September 2016. Check out our Apple Oatmeal Sensory Bins from the same week, which includes literacy, fine motor, and math concepts. I put this sensory bin together in the sensory table I designed, which is in our homeschool room. This table is better than the living room sensory table because it’s translucent and has lights. There is also a utility sink nearby, which makes putting it together and taking it apart is super easy and catastrophe free.
Material & Manipulatives
This caramel apple water sensory bin came about when I found caramel apple and apple pie body wash by Crayola at Target. I would never use this soap to wash my kid. He’s been a Burt’s Baby Bee since birth. But the smell was SO good, I couldn’t resist. Not only was the soap the perfect amount of fragrant (I’m hypersensitive to smell), the bubbles lasted forever! This sensory bin got me thinking about how easy and fun it would be to use other scented soaps in the future. Next, I added red sponge letters, which I found at a yard sale but can be found on Amazon and many craft stores. I threw in bobbing apple containers, which I purchased from Oriental Trading Company and can also be found on Amazon. From here, I added a mini water wheel and whisk.
How We Played
Hand-Writing Warm-Ups
This sensory bin was less facilitated and more independent play. When he first sat down and got his hands wet, I explained what everything was and gave him ideas of how he could use it. Because we are constantly working on speech, even during independent play I encouraged him to say what he found and what he was doing out loud. This is an opportunity for me to expand his vocabulary and correct grammar without him feeling so pressured. He squeezed the letters over the water wheel as he identified the letter and made its sound.
Liam has dyspraxia so playing at this table, squeezing and manipulating the sponges and apples, was a fun and constructive handwriting warm up. He washed the apples with the sponge letters and hid them inside. He scooped and poured water from the open apple containers and whisked up more bubbles. It looks like the water is colored but it is the LED lights. I originally had the lights set to white but Liam insisted he wanted red and green (like apples).