After a long winter, as soon as my kids finally hear that it is “SPRING!”, they have visions of flowers and gardening and sunny bike rides. Welp, not quite yet, guys. If your weather is anything like ours, Spring brings it’s fair share of rainy and dreary days before finally brightening up. So while we wait on brighter days ahead, I came up with this Spring Garden Sensory Bin to keep them busy!
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Update: Check out our 2021 Garden Dig bin; we added bugs and veggies!
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This simple garden sensory bin is great for imaginative play; my kids bake flower cakes, make bouquets, and of course plant and grow their own gardens. It’s also perfect for a whole range of ages (just supervise the little ones around the beans or choose a different filler!). We are also able to talk about the growing process of flowers, identify parts of flowers, and care of a garden. The best part? It’s mess free! Dig, plant, and repeat without any dirt!
It looks like my little gardeners-in-training will be ready to help me get our hands dirty in the real garden soon!
- Filler (I use garbanzo beans for easy to transfer “dirt”)
- Various sizes of pots, like these plastic planters
- Artificial flowers – The dollar store or Target’s Bullseye’s Playground is usually a great place to find cheap play flowers! A fun alternative would be borrowing some vegetables from their play kitchen
- Garden Tools : shovels, rakes and watering cans! This set is so cute! -Here is another adorable set from Hearth & Hand.
- One Stop Shop : Something like this comes with pots, tools, a watering can, plus a fun gardener outfit! Plus it’s everything you need to let your little ones dig into the actual garden this spring!
Along with the above sensory activity, I love keeping a few of these spring books in the playroom for continued exploration and learning!
tiny, perfect things | The Little Guide to Bugs | Planting a Rainbow
The Little Guide to Butterflies | Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring | Exploring Nature Activity Book
Suzanne
March 20, 2021This is so cute! What a fun way to introduce gardening without all the mess!
jess
March 22, 2021Absolutely! The kids want to dig alllll day long and I’m happy for there to be a way to do it with (relatively 😉 ) less of a mess!
Vanessa
March 20, 2021Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
jess
March 22, 2021I’ve had the same dried beans for 3 years! I just put them in a plastic storage tote when we’re not using them and save them for the next time 🙂
Laura
March 29, 2021Your garden tolls set actually links to garbanzo beans.
Laura
March 29, 2021tools**
jess
April 3, 2021I appreciate you catching that- I fixed it!! Thank you!
Katie
March 7, 2023Are garbanzo beans safe for toddlers? I teach 1 to 3 year olds
jess
March 29, 2023Hi ! I would be cautious of using them with toddlers due to them being a potential choking hazard. I’ve used them in my home when I’m keeping an eye on my youngest, but in a classroom setting it may be tough to make sure no one is sneaking them into their mouths 😉 You could use things like kinetic sand, playdough, cheerios, rice instead 🙂
Marlenny Linda
March 11, 2024What a creative idea and a great post! I will give this a try this spring!
Kathleen
April 9, 2024Love this!!!