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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?
I hope we inspired you today!
Marnie
About Marnie Craycroft
Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.
Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.
Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.
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