Nature Sensory Bottle

Want to bring nature discovery to your baby? Check out this nature sensory bottle for inspiration! Discovery sensory bottles are one of the most wonderful early learning tools. I began making sensory bottles for my oldest son when he was about a year old. The materials are accessible and available every day The best part of making sensory bottles is how accessible.

I wanted to bring a bit of our forest into our home to introduce our infant. This Nature Sensory Bottle is the perfect way to lean into his sensitive areas of development (developing the senses) and teach him about our area.

We inter-breath with the rain forests, we drink from the oceans.  They are part of our own body.  Thich Nhat Hanh

Nature Sensory Bottle

Nature Sensory Bottle Materials

• Cedar branches and needles
• Spruce cones
• Small rocks
• Water
• Bottle

Nature Sensory Bottle Approach

• Go outside and collect items from your natural area
• Take out your bottle and fill it with a liquid. I chose water because we live in a rainforest. So, water as a filler for the sensory bottle is perfect.
• Add the contents you’ve collected in your area

Additional Nature Sensory Ideas

• Use different liquid, some more dense than others
• Use different fillers like rice or salt
• With older children talk – compare and contrast – about the items in the bottle. Why do the needles float? Why do the rocks sink? Why do the spruce cones dance in the water (it appears)?
• Prepare Nature Sensory Bottles for other habitats. How would your Nature Sensory Bottle contents change?

Marnie