My newest obsession: Sensory Bins

Many of my "natural mama friends" home school.  While I am not interested in this being my children's only form of education, I certainly intend to educate them at home as well as at school.  So, I've been stealing their ideas.
My newest obsession is the sensory bin.  They are basically large plastic bins filled with a substance (rice, beans, sand, etc) and then a few thematic goodies are added to the mix. Themes can range from animal habitats to letter of the alphabet to specific holidays.

Here's why they are great for kids (adapted from A Purpose Driven Home.)

Fine Motor (placing small objects into small areas, using tongs or tweezers to pick up objects)

Transferring (moving objects from one container to another, i.e. pouring, scooping)

Matching (colors, shapes, objects, etc.)

Patterns (big, small, big, small or flower, butterfly, flower, butterfly, etc.)

Counting

Sorting and Classifying (into other objects such as ice cube trays, small buckets, egg platters)

Specific skill recognition & reinforcement (colors, letters, shapes, themes, etc.)

Sensory bins also provide for lots of imaginative play.

They are almost as fun to design as they are to play with!!!  Here's my kitchen counter with my recent dollar store goodies...

Next, I'm getting the bin and some "filler".  In this case, I've ordered popping corn.  When we are done playing in it, it will feed our local squirrels. 

I'm really excited about using this to keep R entertained while I cook or anytime I need a distraction during these cold Michigan winters.  (These are not baby-proof, so he'll have to play with his sensory bin on the kitchen table).  I'll post pictures before I let little hands dig in!