I spent a lot of time looking for a way to entertain my 18 month old and I came across premade sensory bins on Etsy. Each bin was themed and came with some sort of base (e.g. dry rice or beans), toy animals, scenic elements (e.g. blue glass beads for water, little trees, rocks, etc.). I thought these were a fantastic way to entertain my little one.
Sensory bins have small parts and are intended for children ages 3+. I NEVER leave my little one unattended and ALWAYS keep a close eye on him while playing with his sensory bins.
I was going to purchase some of the premade ones, but as I continued researching I realized that for the price of a single premade one (and all the tools), I could make 5 or 6 of my own. So, that’s what I did. Here I describe everything that I purchased and how I created my sensory bins for my little one.
Each set fits inside of a quart-sized plastic bag (I’m still working on a no-plastic replacement).
Shopping List
Hobby Lobby $44.42
- safari animal set $7.99
- farm animal set $7.99
- dinosaur set $5.99
- miniature hay bales $1.99
- miniature trees $7.99 (I don’t recommend getting these - they make a huge mess and don’t stand up to toddler use. I’m still looking for a good replacement.)
- assorted flattened glass marbles $3.99
- small wood tree discs $6.49
- brown river rocks $1.99
Walmart $6.46
- Great Value brown rice, 1lb ~2.5 cups, $0.88
- dried Great Value black beans, 1lb ~3.25 cups, $1.48
- dried Great Value garbanzo beans, 1lb ~3.25 cups, $1.38
- dried Great Value green split peas, 1lb ~3.25 cups, $1.48
- dried Great Value pinto beans, 1lb, ~3.25 cups, $1.24
Safari Sensory Bin
- entire safari animal set
- handful of assorted brown river rocks
- 2 miniature trees
- handful of clear and blue glass marbles
- 1 1/2 cups of rice
- 1 cup of garbanzo beans
Farm Sensory Bin
- farm animal set, excluding moose
- a couple of brown river rocks
- all the miniature hay bales
- handful of clear and blue glass marbles
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 1/2 cups of pinto beans
- 1/4 cups green split peas
Dinosaur Sensory Bin
- entire dinosaur set
- handful of assorted brown river rocks
- 3 miniature trees
- 4-6 wood tree discs
- red, brown and orange glass marbles
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 cup green split peas
- small handful pinto beans
Forest Sensory Bin
- moose from the farm animal set
- handful of assorted brown river rocks
- 5 miniature trees
- 8-10 wood tree discs
- green and yellow glass marbles
- 2 cups green split peas
- 1 1/4 cups black beans
Other Stuff
Tools for all the bins $26.96
Hobby Lobby
- wood tray (I was in store, and they sold these separately. I bought the largest one for about $11.) $23.97 for the set.
- metal oval bucket $2.99