Sensory bins are containers filled with ingredients that stimulate the senses. Touch and taste are related sensory systems. If your child is able to get their hands messy during play, they are more likely to taste the texture they are exploring. This cloud dough recipe has a soft and wet texture. Children often have aversions to wet textures and prefer dry textures. If your child prefers crunchy and dry snacks, but you’d like them to explore “wetter” foods, such as more fresh fruits and cooked veggies, this would be great activity for your child!
At Feeling Yum, we share recipes for sensory bin recipes with supplies you can find in your kitchen. If your child gets curious and puts some of the materials in their mouth, it will be safe because everything is edible. This recipe suggests to bake the flour prior to playing with it to kill any bacteria that may be present, since there have been some cases where E-coli has been detected in raw flour. In addition, you won’t have to shop for anything extra to create this fun activity! For this activity, we used Inspire My Play Sensory Bin for the container and adapted a recipe from their cloud dough recipe.
If your child is cautious about touching the textures at first, let them watch you mix and interact with the materials first. You can then offer them utensils, such as spoons or cups, so they could interact with the textures without touching them. Once they are more open to touching the materials, offer them a towel they can wipe their hands on so they are more open to exploring.
Moon sand is able to moulded and shaped, so get creative with what materials you’d like to add to the bin. In this example, we offered silicone muffin cups so your child could engage in pretend play and bake some cupcakes for a birthday! We are showing a Valentine themed bin and used dragon fruit powder (you could also use beet powder) to make the material a vibrant pink. Variations could include using cocoa powder (to make pretend mud or chocolate ice cream) or spirulina powder (to make it green for a St. Patrick’s Day theme).
This recipe does get messy, so some tips are to lay a tarp on the floor (such as a sheet, shower curtain, or picnic blanket) or take the activity outside. Also make sure to wear clothes that can get dirty or be washed.
Moon Sand Valentine Sensory Bin Recipe
Age: 3 years+
Messiness: Level 3/3
Ingredients
- 4 cups of flour
- ½ cup of vegetable oil (we used Safflower oil)
- ¼ cup dragon fruit or beet powder (alternatively, you could use powdered food coloring)
Directions
- Spread the flour on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
- Scoop and pour the flour into the sensory bin container.
- Mix the dragon fruit or beet powder with the flour.
- Evenly pour the oil over and flour mixture and stir until combined and the mixture creates small balls.