I don't understand the whole "sensory bin" thing?

[Anonymous]

My toddler eats yogurt with his hands. Is that a sensory bin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My toddler eats yogurt with his hands. Is that a sensory bin?

It's a sensory experience.

Not sure why people are hung up on the bins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My toddler eats yogurt with his hands. Is that a sensory bin?

No. Read the thread. If you don't want to make a sensory bin, that is fine. But please don't embarrass yourself by feigning ignorance.

[Anonymous]

Preschool teacher here. Sensory play is one good thing for kids to do. Sensory bins are one way to give children different sensory experiences (smooth. wet. round, granular, etc). SO play dough is a sensory experience, as is squishing yogurt in your hands, or splashing in the bath.

In a preschool classroom, we have a sensory bin and fill it with new things each week: sand, soil, water, pebbles, dried corn, dried beans, feathers, leaves, cotton balls, hay, snow, etc. We give the kids cups and spoons and funnels to scoop and pour with, or fake flowers to plant, or dump trucks to drive around in the sensory bin. The hands-on sensory play can be very soothing to young children, and it is good open ended exploration and touching of safe objects. We can also incorporate play tied in to a lesson plan theme: If we are doing construction, we'll have dirt and rocks and shovels and trucks, if we are doing sea animals, we'll have water and toy fish or frogs.

You don't have to do a "sensory bin" at home, but if your child gets to touch the leaves, pour water in the pool, squeeze playdough, crumple paper, etc, they are getting a range of sensory experiences, which is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. Sensory play is one good thing for kids to do. Sensory bins are one way to give children different sensory experiences (smooth. wet. round, granular, etc). SO play dough is a sensory experience, as is squishing yogurt in your hands, or splashing in the bath.

In a preschool classroom, we have a sensory bin and fill it with new things each week: sand, soil, water, pebbles, dried corn, dried beans, feathers, leaves, cotton balls, hay, snow, etc. We give the kids cups and spoons and funnels to scoop and pour with, or fake flowers to plant, or dump trucks to drive around in the sensory bin. The hands-on sensory play can be very soothing to young children, and it is good open ended exploration and touching of safe objects. We can also incorporate play tied in to a lesson plan theme: If we are doing construction, we'll have dirt and rocks and shovels and trucks, if we are doing sea animals, we'll have water and toy fish or frogs.

You don't have to do a "sensory bin" at home, but if your child gets to touch the leaves, pour water in the pool, squeeze playdough, crumple paper, etc, they are getting a range of sensory experiences, which is good.

Not OP but thank you for your explanation. Wish I did this when DD was younger. She has issues with textures and she's 1.5 now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My toddler eats yogurt with his hands. Is that a sensory bin?

No. Read the thread. If you don't want to make a sensory bin, that is fine. But please don't embarrass yourself by feigning ignorance.

I did read the thread, and I'm embarrassed for these people who need to purchase plastic tubs and fill them with plastic and vermin attractors in some misguided parenting substitute. How about taking your kid outside? Too hot outside? Read books, build with blocks, do a puzzle, have a tea party and have your kid pour, do a craft together and get sticky, color, do laundry together, wash dishes together, cook food with different texture, have your child help prepare food, knead dough. But please stop talking about these stupid bins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My toddler eats yogurt with his hands. Is that a sensory bin?

No. Read the thread. If you don't want to make a sensory bin, that is fine. But please don't embarrass yourself by feigning ignorance.

I did read the thread, and I'm embarrassed for these people who need to purchase plastic tubs and fill them with plastic and vermin attractors in some misguided parenting substitute. How about taking your kid outside? Too hot outside? Read books, build with blocks, do a puzzle, have a tea party and have your kid pour, do a craft together and get sticky, color, do laundry together, wash dishes together, cook food with different texture, have your child help prepare food, knead dough. But please stop talking about these stupid bins.

Go away, PP. we get it - this is not something you want to do with your child. I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. Sensory play is one good thing for kids to do. Sensory bins are one way to give children different sensory experiences (smooth. wet. round, granular, etc). SO play dough is a sensory experience, as is squishing yogurt in your hands, or splashing in the bath.

In a preschool classroom, we have a sensory bin and fill it with new things each week: sand, soil, water, pebbles, dried corn, dried beans, feathers, leaves, cotton balls, hay, snow, etc. We give the kids cups and spoons and funnels to scoop and pour with, or fake flowers to plant, or dump trucks to drive around in the sensory bin. The hands-on sensory play can be very soothing to young children, and it is good open ended exploration and touching of safe objects. We can also incorporate play tied in to a lesson plan theme: If we are doing construction, we'll have dirt and rocks and shovels and trucks, if we are doing sea animals, we'll have water and toy fish or frogs.

You don't have to do a "sensory bin" at home, but if your child gets to touch the leaves, pour water in the pool, squeeze playdough, crumple paper, etc, they are getting a range of sensory experiences, which is good.

Not OP but thank you for your explanation. Wish I did this when DD was younger. She has issues with textures and she's 1.5 now.

+1. 3.5 yr old has sensory issues, too. I am not making the same mistake with DS2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. Sensory play is one good thing for kids to do. Sensory bins are one way to give children different sensory experiences (smooth. wet. round, granular, etc). SO play dough is a sensory experience, as is squishing yogurt in your hands, or splashing in the bath.

In a preschool classroom, we have a sensory bin and fill it with new things each week: sand, soil, water, pebbles, dried corn, dried beans, feathers, leaves, cotton balls, hay, snow, etc. We give the kids cups and spoons and funnels to scoop and pour with, or fake flowers to plant, or dump trucks to drive around in the sensory bin. The hands-on sensory play can be very soothing to young children, and it is good open ended exploration and touching of safe objects. We can also incorporate play tied in to a lesson plan theme: If we are doing construction, we'll have dirt and rocks and shovels and trucks, if we are doing sea animals, we'll have water and toy fish or frogs.

You don't have to do a "sensory bin" at home, but if your child gets to touch the leaves, pour water in the pool, squeeze playdough, crumple paper, etc, they are getting a range of sensory experiences, which is good.

Not OP but thank you for your explanation. Wish I did this when DD was younger. She has issues with textures and she's 1.5 now.

I don't think this is a result of you not curating sensory bins. She's 1.5.

[Anonymous]

What do PPs mean about kids having sensory or textural issues? Not snark, I'm just not sure what this means. Examples?

[Anonymous]

I could see my DS loving a sensory bin, but I cannot wrap my head around two things:

1. The mess
2. The waste (of rice or beans or pasta)
3. Mess mess mess mess!!!

Okay that was 3. Honestly asking, how do you deal with the mess that it would create INSIDE the house. (I guess I could restrict use of the bin to outside, but then I go back to the wasting food issue too)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. Sensory play is one good thing for kids to do. Sensory bins are one way to give children different sensory experiences (smooth. wet. round, granular, etc). SO play dough is a sensory experience, as is squishing yogurt in your hands, or splashing in the bath.

In a preschool classroom, we have a sensory bin and fill it with new things each week: sand, soil, water, pebbles, dried corn, dried beans, feathers, leaves, cotton balls, hay, snow, etc. We give the kids cups and spoons and funnels to scoop and pour with, or fake flowers to plant, or dump trucks to drive around in the sensory bin. The hands-on sensory play can be very soothing to young children, and it is good open ended exploration and touching of safe objects. We can also incorporate play tied in to a lesson plan theme: If we are doing construction, we'll have dirt and rocks and shovels and trucks, if we are doing sea animals, we'll have water and toy fish or frogs.

You don't have to do a "sensory bin" at home, but if your child gets to touch the leaves, pour water in the pool, squeeze playdough, crumple paper, etc, they are getting a range of sensory experiences, which is good.

Not OP but thank you for your explanation. Wish I did this when DD was younger. She has issues with textures and she's 1.5 now.

+1. 3.5 yr old has sensory issues, too. I am not making the same mistake with DS2.

What mistake did you make? Not filling a sterilize container with beans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could see my DS loving a sensory bin, but I cannot wrap my head around two things:

1. The mess
2. The waste (of rice or beans or pasta)
3. Mess mess mess mess!!!

Okay that was 3. Honestly asking, how do you deal with the mess that it would create INSIDE the house. (I guess I could restrict use of the bin to outside, but then I go back to the wasting food issue too)

As a preschool teacher, we just put the sensory bin over a noncarpeted floor. Afterwards, sweep up. It takes a few minutes, and generally the kinds of kids who love sensory play, also love sweeping so it's a win/win.

I am not a big fan of food in the sensory bin. In a world with so much hunger, I think it sends the wrong lesson. But there are plenty of other things you can put in a bin that work just as well.

[Anonymous]

Re mess--you can put the box over a cookie sheet (if it's a smaller box) or an old blanket if it's a larger box. Or a towel? When you're all done you either pour it back in or toss it. As for wasting food, we have had the same rice/bean box for years (no bugs or vermin because it had a lid with a latch) and my kids have played it with the same ones over and over, I don't feel like it's a waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really because kids don't go outside and play and explore and get dirty and so they are missing out on a lot of sensory experiences involving touch. I don't think the bins provide a huge benefit, but kids do like them.

I think for some special needs kids it may help, I don't know. But yes, when people don't take their kids to the park and let them play in sandboxes or roll in the dirt or whatever, sensory issues happen.