Kickstart hands-on learning in your classroom with the Fall Sensory Bin! This activity is the perfect way to introduce sensory-based explorations to your students and encourage open-ended play as they manipulate materials of various sizes, shapes, smells, and textures. Children will love experiencing fall up close as they explore their senses, scoop, and sort the fall-inspired objects in the Fall Sensory Bin.
What is a Fall Sensory Bin?
The Fall Sensory Bin is a center for developmental growth where play coincides with learning! This open-ended sensory experience encourages children to use their senses to explore new textures, colors, and smells on their own terms. The Fall Sensory Bin is the perfect foundation for interdisciplinary learning! When you allow children to engage in sensory play, they are able to learn from hands-on experience, which gives them the opportunity to think creatively, investigate new ideas, and participate in dramatic play.
Why is Sensory Play Important?
Do you support sensory experiences in your classroom? In order for young children to explore and understand new information, they must exercise the use of their senses. Sensory play is an engaging way of stimulating a child's senses through touch, sight, taste, smell, or hearing to naturally facilitate learning. It is important to provide opportunities for sensory play because it fosters cognitive, language, and fine and gross motor development in children. It also empowers young learners to problem solve, think critically, and build skills for positive social and emotional health.
How Can I Use This in My Lesson Plan?
The learning possibilities are endless with the Fall Sensory Bin! Incorporate STEM into this sensory exploration by encouraging children to predict how different textures might feel, make observations about their color, size, and smell, and record what they've found to share as a group. This sensory experience is also the perfect time to encourage dramatic play. Let students take charge as they gather, scoop, sort, and play with the different sensory elements in the Fall Sensory Bin—there's something fun to explore with every new material you add!
Download our FREE printable below!
Required Materials:
- Fun2 Play Activity Station
- Handy Scoops
- Small Bucket
- Dried Corn
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Candy Pumpkins
1Gather Your Materials
Gather fall-inspired objects and materials like dried corn, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon sticks, and candy pumpkins to put in your Fall Sensory Bin. Encourage students to scoop, pour, and place these items into the activity table. They'll love "making a mess" as they prepare their own sensory exploration!
2Explore Your Senses
Let children stage their own open-ended exploration of the materials in the sensory bin. Watch them explore new textures, sights, and smells, as they use scoops and buckets for an engaging hands-on sensory experience.
More to Do: For more sensory fun, incorporate nature-inspired loose parts like leaves and pinecones into the Fall Sensory Bin for more learning.
Fall into learning with fun seasonal activities and experiments! Browse our selection of related seasonal resources to encourage autumn explorations and incorporate engaging activities into your classroom.
