Toddler Tuesday: Cheater Sensory Bin

I never intended that froggy sensory bin to last for months but it did. Partly because we kept leaving for a few weeks at a time and it would seem brand new to her each time we returned and partly because I had too much going on to update it. But finally, in January, I replaced it. But I cheated. I didn't do a cute theme with fun little toys and knick-knacks. Nope. This bin had one thing in it - water beads.

Water beads are those transparent polymer beads that hold water for flower arrangements. I wouldn't have ever considered using them as a toy but I saw the idea on several blogs (that I have sadly lost track of since or I would be a nice blogger and link to them). They are made from the same stuff as contact lenses so the material is perfect safe for handling. Ours were fully expanded when we got them although sometimes you have to hydrate them initially.  If left out to dry, they will shrink slightly. But they'll return to their fun smooshy selves once you rehydrate them.

I got two bottles from the dollar store and I don't think you can get much cheaper than a $2 sensory bin. The package will probably say they aren't toys though, just keep in mind they are small and slippery so use common sense - keep an eye on your kid and don't use if you have a mouther. They come in lots of colors but our dollar store only had clear and I'm cheap plus I was concerned about staining. I've since learned that with the possible exception of red, they are not a big stain concern so next time we might search out a few different colors for extra fun.

But even with just clear ones, she had a blast. She played with these daily for over a month. She started by just feeling them with her hands and making them dance by shaking the box. They do feel pretty neat, even Craig and I had to try them out. Then she tried smooshing them with her feet although that resulted in a few bead casualties. My one tip would be to place the bin on a towel. Lucy was good about trying to keep them in the bin but being slippery, some would fly out and land on the carpet. It didn't hurt the carpet but they would bring along cat hair and dirt on their return and that ended up being pretty yucky - although a quick rinse in a colander fixed that. I guess you could also have cleaner floors than me but a towel seemed like an easier solution.

By the end of the month I had also given her a spoon and a few plastic items I had laying around in addition to the empty bottles and lids and she did lots of spooning and pouring. I don't have very many pictures because I used this as a "I feel really really awful so here, play with this while I lay on the floor next to you" activity. These picture are actually from when I tried to secretly clean up the bin while I thought she was distracted. Sshe saw me and insisted on playing some more and if you look closely, there are only a few beads left because I had removed most of them already. After the month, I picked out about a containers worth of good (intact) ones, rinsed them and saved them for next time. She's just playing with the broken leftovers but even those kept her busy for a while.

This is a really fun, easy and cheap activity. Have you tried water beads? If not, what are you waiting for? If so, did you do anything different that we should try next time?