Sensory bags are so neat, and it seems like everybody's doing them these days, but in the kids activities world, when everyone is doing it, it's usually because it's super cool! I found this list of 40 Fun Sensory Bags from Mama OT and loved so many of the sensory bag ideas on there, as well as the site in general!
I decided to try the baby oil sensory bag first. REALLY NEAT results!
(please do also read the caution at the bottom of this post)
The How To's
Just take a ziplock bag and fill it with a bunch of baby oil. Then, add some drops of food coloring.
Lastly, add a bit of water. If you want the "lava lamp" looking results like we got, don't put the water in first. Make sure you add the baby oil first, and that you don't add too much water. You can also add small objects as we did. I put a few floral glass gems and a bit of glitter as well.
Then, get as much of the air out of the bag as you can and close it. This will help prevent it from popping and also makes it more fun to play with.
Use duct tape on the "ziplock" to help prevent leaks.
The baby oil bags are cool because the baby oil causes pools of color which can be "broken up" with touch, but will form together again when they pools touch.
After a whole lot of shaking and exploring
I had a few dollar store Valentine's Day trinkets so I threw those in another bag with
some red food coloring added to the baby oil.
Simple, cheap, and fun sensory play!
Caution
Although sealed, the bags can still leak or break! Baby oil (or any oil) can be harmful if ingested or aspirated. Always use proper vigilance and precaution when younger children are exploring with this sensory material, and use your parental discretion when deciding if this or any activity is right for your child based on their age and developmental abilites.
If you liked Baby Oil Sensory Bags,
check out what else you can make and do with baby oil!
(Click the title link)
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More Ways to Follow the Fun!
These look like a lot of fun. I know my little one would love playing with them. We tried our first sensory bags around Halloween and she loved it. Looking forward to giving this a try soon!
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea. It is cheap and looks like fun. I especially like how you made it for Valentines.
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing! I know my girls would love playing with them!
ReplyDeleteThese look like so much fun and so simple to make. I'm going to have to make some of these this week.
ReplyDeletePinning
Natasha @ www.serenityyou.com
Oh these are cool!!
ReplyDeleteCould I use a cooking oil instead if I don't have baby oil?
ReplyDeleteKristen..Yes absolutely!
ReplyDeleteThis bag is really neat! I just pinned it- I wanted to let you know there is a touch of HTML showing just above the first valentine's photo instead of the text. COOL BAG!
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me know about the HTML!
ReplyDeleteI've never made these... but was wondering, how long do you think something like this would keep? Like say I make it, and then keep it away for a week or until we have an outing and need to keep the littles busy. Or even bringing it out again and again over mnoths period. Would it keep that long or do I have to keep making new ones after its played with once?
ReplyDeleteThat's really cute. I found your tutorial straightforward. All of the pictures you used to illustrate what you wrote really helped, of course, with making your points clear to your readers.
ReplyDeleteI like the embellishments. You know, when I glanced at the pictures before I started reading, I thought the drops/bubbles were on the bag. Cute technique and one that I'm sure will inspire some interesting lessons.
I made this tonight and I put in way too much food coloring and too much water....can you give me a guestament on the proportions....I'm not good at eyeballing stuff...lol
ReplyDeletethanks
I was wondering about the proportions to make this? I'm not good at eyeballing..lol
ReplyDelete