I must confess, I had never made a sensory bottle prior to this year. I kept seeing wonderful photos on Pinterest of these beautiful bottles, filled with a myriad of different items. And I read about their usefulness in helping calm upset children. I became inspired…and set out on my own sensory bottle journey!
Needless to say, I (initially) couldn’t find the plastic bottles that I was looking for (Voss) on my trip to Target. I knew that I would need a plastic bottle with a wide enough mouth to be able to easily pour in different ingredients, so I settled on a Bai Antioxidant Infusion bottle. I enjoyed the beverage, rinsed out the bottle, and set out to make a purple sensory bottle with loads of shimmering glitter. And while I would say that my very first sensory bottle was adequate, it was not a smashing success. I wanted to do better.
I soon found myself on the path where all successful sensory bottle journeys begin…Preschool Inspirations! Katie is the keeper of all sensory bottle knowledge – she knows all the tricks of the trade. Seriously…if you’re going to start making sensory bottles (or if you’ve tried in the past and failed), you’ve got to check out her website (https://preschoolinspirations.com/). She shared the absolute best blog post on “How To Make A Perfect Sensory Bottle,” that you’re definitely going to want to check out (https://preschoolinspirations.com/how-to-make-a-perfect-sensory-bottle/)! Katie drops some serious sensory bottle knowledge in this post, and shares links to several of her other sensory bottle ideas and instructions! Without Katie, my sensory bottle journey would have ended before it ever began (well, that and the fact that I finally found the coveted Voss water bottles at King Soopers).
Luckily for me (and my little nugget), with Katie’s helpful guidance and tips, I created my very first awe-inspiring sensory bottle…this Glittering Shamrocks Sensory Bottle, to be exact! Yes, it was March, and I wanted to create something holiday-themed. Regardless, this glittering jewel of a sensory bottle still remains among my favorites. There’s just something about sitting back and watching the glitter sparkle and swirl, and then slowly cascade to the bottom. It is, indeed, very calming and relaxing!
Glittering Shamrocks Sensory Bottle
Supplies:
- Plastic Bottle with Wide-Mouth (I love using Voss water bottles)
- Elmer’s Washable Clear Glue
- Hot Water (the hottest water from your tap)
- Green GlitterΒ (we use 1/24 sized glitter) Note: It has been brought to my attention that using fine or super fine glitter may result in the glitter sticking to the sides of the sensory bottle.Β
- Confetti Shamrocks (or small shamrock charms)
Instructions:
- Empty the plastic bottle (if it contained a non-water beverage, rinse out the bottle). Remove all labels from the bottle. If you have a hard time getting the sticky residue off, Goo Gone works wonders. I find that if I take my time and peel slowly, I can get the Voss labels off without any fuss.
- Fill approximately 20% of the bottle with the clear glue. Add the confetti shamrocks, along with a good amount of green glitter.
- Next, add the hot water. Do not fill the bottle all the way up, at this point in time. Give yourself a decent amount of space to assess whether you want to add more glue (to make things move slower), more glitter, or more water (to make things flow faster).
- Cap the bottle and shake vigorously, until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Take a minute to watch how the bottle behaves, before deciding how to fill the remainder of the bottle.
- Fill the last bit of the bottle with your ingredient of choice (I typically like to fill my bottles to the brim). Cap it and give it another vigorous shake.
- If you’re happy with the results, let the bottle sit (uncapped) until the contents reach room temperature. Then, add a dab of hot glue around the inside of the cap, and quickly seal the bottle (you don’t want your child unscrewing a bottle full of glitter and glue inside your house). π
And that was all it took…creating this one Glittering Shamrock Sensory Bottle…and I was hooked! I ran to King Soopers and bought the rest of the Voss water bottles that were sitting on the shelf, and I kept churning out new sensory bottles for months to come.
Stay tuned…this is just the beginning of our Sensory Bottle Extravaganza! I will be sharing a new blog post featuring a new sensory bottle, every day for the next 13 days (that’s two full weeks of sensory bottle madness)! Hop on…it’s going to be a crazy ride. π
