Speaking Of Sensory Bins....

[cheerfuldom]

If you do these, a few questions....

When you put them out, how long do you leave it out? How often do you use yours and do you do a new theme each time? How popular is it with the kids?

[countrymom]

I have colored rice in mine. I need to take a picture of what dh built.

[SilverSabre25]

VERY popular with the kids. They love it and would happily play for a very long time.

I can't leave mine out for long stretches most days because my kids get wound up with them and it gets messy...I often make them take turns of about 10 minutes each with one person at the bin at a time or else it gets crrrazy.

I get ours out a couple times a week but have started gradually doing it more often as they get better with the rules.

I do one theme for a month or two in the bin and then switch it up. I just started it last summer so I'm still building my collection of "stuff". Eventually, I will have all the materials ready in baggies and can switch it out pretty fast.

[spud912]

I try to do a different sensory bin each month. However, I will periodically just let them play with colored rice to mix it up. I use a very large flat bin (like what you would put under your bed), pour in the contents, put it on the floor and let all of the children play with it at the same time. I put a superyard around the bin because it keeps the mess contained and allows me to section off the ones who are not playing with it properly (as in eating the pieces, sticking the pieces in orifices, throwing it, dumping it or not sharing). I feel out how long it takes before they generally start getting bored and the misbehavior starts becoming more (which is usually about 30-45 minutes at a time). I then let the kids out of the superyard, pour the contents into a smaller storage tupperware with a lid, sweep up the floor, put away the superyard and rinse out the big bin. It seems like a lot of work to only have designated play times, but it saves a lot of clean-up later. It also allows me to closely monitor the bad behavior (I sit in the superyard with them when it is out).

Now the outside sensory bin is completely different. I have a sand table that I let them play with whenever they want when we are outside (I don't have to clean up much of a mess and I don't have to monitor for choking hazards for the little ones).

[cheerfuldom]

what do you put in the outside sensory bin versus the inside?

[melskids]

Our sand & water table and sensory bins are out every day, but only in the mornings during our "learning" time...probably about 2 hours total.

The sand table is always the same, I just change up the tools they use inside of it.

The sensory bins change with each "theme", or depending on what we're into at the moment.

It's just too chaotic to leave them out all day. The kids will get up while they are eating and dig their hand in the sand and then sit back down and continue eating. It was driving me nuts.

Sometimes I'll bring them back out in the afternoon depending on what we're doing, if we can't get outside, or which kids are here.

As far as sensory for outside, I let nature take care of that.

There's usually dirt, bugs, pinecones, grasses, flowers, leaves, sand, water, pebbles, and mulch in the water table and mud kitchen. That'll keep them busy for hours!

[Meyou]

I have my messy sensory bins (cloud sand and rice) out once a day for about 1.5 hours when we do open art and table play (sorting, file folder games, playdough, puzzles, coloring, painting, bead lacing etc). I would love to have them out all day but the cloud dough one makes a mess even when they're being careful so I only have it in me to clean up afterwards once per day.

I have a third one with larger pasta, kleenex boxes, paper towel and tp rolls that is out all the time.

[Ariana]

I bring my sensory bin and water table out whenever the kids seem "bored" and are wandering or if it's too cold/hot to go outside. It's definately a special activity here. It seems to focus their energy and when they're done they play better. On avergae it comes out once or twice a week. The more it's out the faster they get bored with it in my house.

I leave it out for as long as they're playing. Could be 10 minutes could be an hour!