How to make a Halloween sensory bin

So I’ll admit, I never thought that making a sensory bin would be worth the effort. I’ve been so annoyed with Pinterest crafts that required two hours of prep and $20 of stuff only to watch my kiddo lose interest in four minutes. But this isn’t one of those things!

Both Arthur (age 4) and Ulysses (age 1) played with this nonstop for 45 minutes the first time I got it out, and Arthur kept going for another 20 minutes! By the time I published this post, it’s been a week and they both play with it daily.

I definitely gave them ideas of what to do while they played, but for the most part they were super independent. The best part is that the base is all-natural and non-toxic (if ingested only in small amounts) so when Ulysses kept sneaking beans, I knew he’d be ok (though I wasn’t happy about it! lol).

One of the biggest wins of this activity was all fine motor play that Arthur happily engaged in. He’s been slightly delayed with his pincher and pencil grasp, so activities that strengthen these skills are really important for him. And with his sensory defensiveness, he doesn’t like “mess,” but by the end of the activity, he was grabbing the beans and rice by the handfuls to fill up the large pumpkin pail. A couple days later he even sat in the bin and we covered up his feet!

I found some of these ideas on Busy Toddler and then improvised to make it my own. I tried to focus on natural materials but got a little carried away at the dollar store. The extras we didn’t use in the bin I added to our candy bowl for the trick or treaters.

It’s such a great activity for all ages, and I also found it very relaxing to play with!

Halloween Sensory Bin Materials

• Plastic bin with lid (mine was 23” x 16” x 6”)
• 4 bags of dried black beans
• 1 extra large bag of white rice
• Red and yellow coloring (to make orange rice) OR orange gel food coloring
• Funnels
• Measuring cups
• Mini pumpkin pails
• Small pumpkins and gourds
• Fine motor-skills tool set
• Large pumpkin pails or other buckets to put the “treasure”
• Treasures of various fall and halloween toys of different sizes and textures. Wooden Halloween stickers and a wind-up monster were a big hit!
• LED flicking candles (BUTTON BATTERY SAFETY: Tape the bottom and don’t leave out unsupervised if the batteries are not secured with a screw)

How to assemble the sensory bin:

1. Arrange your mini pails, pumpkins and gourds, treasures, and candles in the plastic bin.
2. Pour in the dried beans. 
3. Add the 4-5 cups of colored rice in swirls on top of the beans. The rice is finer than the beans, so putting it on top adds visual interest before it sinks to the bottom.
4. Add a couple of the digging and grabbing tools to encourage use.
5. Display the additional tools and large buckets on the side of the bin. 

How to make non-toxic colored rice:

1. Pour one cup of rice in a plastic or glass container with a lid.
2. Add 1/2 Tsp of white vinegar
3. Add 2 parts red food coloring to 1 part yellow. For a medium orange, I used 10 drops red to 5 drops yellow. For bright vivid orange, I used 20 red/10 yellow. 
4. Put the lid on the container and shake vigorously. 
5. Remove the lid and stir with a spatula to check the evenness of the dye. Shake more if needed.
6. Pour rice onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil to let it dry. Rice should be dry to the touch within about 30 minutes or less. 
7. Repeat four to five times depending on how much rice you’d like for your bin.

How to play with the sensory bin:

• Encourage your child to find treasures to collect in their bucket.
• Ask your child to test what will fit through the funnels.
• Try covering the lights with different things to see what allows light through.
• Ask them to use their tools to grab the treasures.
• Questions like “do you think you could hide the ______?”
• “Oh I wonder if ____ will fit in _____?”
• “What is the fastest way to move beans into the ______?”
• And so much more!

Do you make sensory bins for your kiddos or have other favorite sensory activities? I have a couple more for you coming soon but I’d love more ideas! Try this one out and let me know how it goes!