Are you sick of sensory bottles yet? π I hope not, because today I’m sharing one of our favorite bottles – an Oil & Water Galaxy Sensory Bottle!
I love this bottle, because it truly shimmers and sparkles when each piece of glitter catches a ray of light (just like the millions of stars that glimmer in a galaxy). The combination of oil and water also makes for some amazing bubbles!
My daughter loves this bottle because its purple, of course. π
I came across this sensory bottle idea over on One Little Project (http://onelittleproject.com/galaxy-in-a-bottle/2/). When Debbie explained the calming effect that this bottle had on her kiddos (and herself), along with the added detail that when the glitter-filled bubbles pop, it looks like fireworks going off inside the bottle – I was sold!
Oil & Water Galaxy Sensory Bottle
Supplies:
- Plastic Bottle with Wide-Mouth (I love using Voss water bottles)
- Baby Oil
- Water
- Purple and Blue Food Coloring (neon set)
- Silver Glitter (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
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 the bottom 1/2 of the bottle with baby oil.
- Top the baby oil with a decent amount of silver glitter – covering the surface of the oil.
- Add water to a glassΒ (I used my 2-cup glass measuring device, because it conveniently has a pour spout)! Stir in approximately 8 drops of purple food coloring, and 5 drops of blue food coloring – or as many drops of each until you’ve created the perfect purple “galaxy” hue.
- Fill the remainderΒ of the bottle with the purple water, leaving just a bit of space under the cap free for the ingredients to move around.
- 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 colored water, glitter, and oil, inside your house). π
I could literally sit and stare at this bottle all day long – I just love it! Of course, I have to wait until my little nugget is finished shaking and swirling…and watching the glitter gracefully fall down into the purple water. Thank goodness for nap time. π
Tomorrow , we will be sharing another glittery sensory bottle, but this one is made using an ingredient that we have yet to see in our Sensory Bottle Extravaganza! Are you excited? Stay tuned…
Thank U πStarted a New Job and I have kids that wnt nap or stay on cots !! πSo I hope this will help them get Sleepy eyes .
Hi Viola! Happy to help! π I know it’s tough when they stop napping and need a quieter activity to keep them busy…my daughter gave up naps all too soon. π There are a bunch of sensory bottles on the blog, if you need more ideas (and most of them are quiet). I also have a post about the quiet time boxes that I put together for my daughter to keep her occupied during nap time…though I’m not sure if the same would work in a daycare/preschool setting or not. Good luck and congrats on the new job!
Hallo Stacey
I hope my message finds you well.
Can I use sunflower oil instead of baby oil?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you for the wonderful idea. I am busy making a few as Christmas presents π€
Many thanks,
Vicki
(South Africa)
Hi Vicki! Thank you so much for your kind words…and all the way from South Africa! Your comment made my day! π
I have never tried to use sunflower oil in a sensory bottle before…but in reality, any oil should work for this Oil & Water Galaxy Sensory Bottle. The only reason that we chose to use baby oil for this particular bottle, is because it is completely clear. Other types of cooking oils typically have a yellowish tint. So the overall color of the bottle might fluctuate a bit with the sunflower oil…and I have no idea how it will look paired with the purple-colored water…but the fascinating interaction between the oil and the water should remain the same. If you give it a try…please let me know how they turn out!
Sensory bottles make wonderful gifts! Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the idea.i work in a nursing home.i am gonna try this idea for my dementia residents.
That’s such a wonderful idea! I hope they enjoy them. There are several more sensory bottles on the blog, if these are a hit with your residents and you need a few more ideas!
Great rainy day project! I was wonder what size Voss bottles did you use for the galaxy sensory bottles?
Thanks in adavance.
Thanks Rosalie! I use the 500ml plastic Voss water bottles for my sensory bottles and they work great!
Thank you for sharing your ideas, as a Montessori teacher these are very helpful for small children
Thanks for your kind words Fatima! I’m so glad that they come in handy. Every child I know loves playing with sensory bottles. π
I was wondering if you could help me I mad a bottle with baby oil, water, look bands, buttons and glitter and some reason all my things stick together and stay on top any suggestions?
Hi Katie! Hmmm…it’s strange that everything would stay all together at the top. With all of the sensory bottles that I used baby oil in, once the bottle is shaken vigorously and set down, all of the glitter, etc. falls to the bottom of the bottle. Do you happen to remember what ratio of baby oil and water you used? I’m also curious…when you flip the bottle over…do the loom bands, buttons, and glitter float up? Or do they remain stuck? Whenever I combine two liquid elements in a sensory bottle, I typically add one (glue, baby oil, etc.) and then drop in my glitter, confetti, beads, etc. before adding the other liquid (which is usually water). I really have no idea if it makes any difference, I’m just trying to troubleshoot a bit. π Also…what type of bottle are you using?
Let me know and we will see if we can figure this out. π
Love the idea. We are still practicing. Cant figure out how to keep the glitter from gathering along the side of the bottle. We will keep trying. Any solutions. Please share
Thx
Hi Tonia! I’m sorry to hear that your glitter keeps collecting on the sides of the bottle. We usually only have a few random specks of glitter that do that, while most of it swirls around and sinks right down. I’m not really sure what would be causing the glitter to stick to the sides. What type/shape of bottle are you using? Did the bottle contain any sugary/sticky drinks prior to being used as a sensory bottle? And in what order did you add the ingredients? I typically add the first liquid (oil, in this case) and then pour the glitter in on top of it, before adding the second liquid (water). It also might have something to do with the amount of glitter – do you know about how much you poured into the bottle? Just trying to think of all the possibilities, so that we can figure this out! π Let me know!
Iβm having this problem as well. I used fine (maybe extra fine) glitter, whereas it looks like the glitter here is larger – maybe that is contributing to the sticking?
Hi Melissa –
I think you may have discovered the cause of the sticking glitter! π I never even considered the size of the glitter, but it makes complete sense. You are correct…the glitter that I use in our sensory bottles is larger – 1/24 to be exact. The fine and extra fine glitter may be a bit too small to move around freely in the bottle. Give the larger glitter a try, and if you still have a sticking issue, please let me know. One way or another, we will figure this out! π
Larger glitter seems to have resolved the sticking issue! I also used much less of it this time, just enough to cover the surface of the oil, whereas the first time I used LOADS and it was just too much. Turned out fantastic this time π
Great! I’m so happy to hear that the larger glitter (in a smaller quantity) was the solution. Thanks for letting me know Melissa. I’ve now added a little note in the blog post for the recommended glitter size. π Have fun with your new Oil & Water Galaxy Sensory Bottle!
Is water cold or warm? Also can it be any baby oil or brand make
Hi Paula! I used cold tap water for this galaxy sensory bottle. And I’m pretty sure that any brand of baby oil will work. I used Target’s generic Up & Up brand and it worked great!
I sure wish I had read the comments before I made my bottle. I added way too much glitter. Oops! Have to redo π
I’m so sorry, Maggie. I never measured out any of the glitter for our sensory bottles – I just eyeballed it every time. Obviously that does not translate very well to recipes/instructions. π I’ve since updated the wording to remove “a hefty amount of glitter” – as I understand that can be taken many different ways and is not very definitive. I hope your “redo” turns out perfect. Also be sure not to use fine or extra fine glitter! Please let me know if you have any more trouble with your sensory bottle. One thing that I’ve learned about making sensory bottles is that it often involves a bit of trial and error. π
My food coloring is coloring the oil. Am I using the wrong kind? Iβve tried gel based color and the traditional drop kind from the cake isle.
Hi Monika. The food coloring should definitely not be coloring the oil…just the water. Standard food coloring is water-based, so it should repel the oil and only color the water. For this bottle, I just used a standard neon food coloring set from the baking aisle of our local grocery store. There are certain types of coloring agents that will dye oil (we used Wilton’s Candy Colors for our “Color-Mixing Sensory Bottle”), but the “traditional drop kind” that you find at your grocery store should not dye the oil. When you shake up the bottle, all of the ingredients should interact…with the entire bottle turning the purple hue…before the water and oil separate again (and the purple water sinks to the bottom of the bottle – with the clear oil returning to the top). It sounds like you’ve tried a couple of different types of food coloring (ones that should not color the oil)…maybe it’s the type of baby oil that you’re using…I’m really not sure what would be causing it…but it might be worth trying a different type/brand of baby oil to see if it makes any difference.
Let me know how it goes…we will figure it out one way or another. π