This veggie garden sensory bin comes together so easily to give little ones a chance to play and get excited about their vegetables while working on fine motor skills.
We have a weekly routine in the summer; every Tuesday and Saturday we head to the farmers market. We buy all of the fresh food we will eat that week, plus a little extra to freeze. I love how the offerings change throughout the season. The kids love the sights, the smells and the baked goods. While they might spend most of their visit to the market pleading for cookies, they always jump in the line for our favorite farmer. Who gets to hold the basket and who gets to pick the produce? We always work it out.
Last week while we were in line for our peppers, onions and radishes, the kids were bickering about the basket and the picking job and inspiration hit. I knew right away that I was going to recreate a garden scene for their enjoyment. If they argued about who got to play first, I will never tell.
Supplies:
- One pound of dried black beans
- ½ cup of whole coffee beans
- Leaves from artificial flowers
- Assorted play food; tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, strawberries etc
- Plastic serving tongs
- Sandbox tools
Layer the dry black beans in the box.
Add coffee beans to the mix for a fragrant experience.
Nestle the leaves into the beans (I simply removed the leaves from a few stems of
artificial flowers).
Place the fruits and vegetables in the beans and on the leaves.
Add plastic serving tongs and plastic shovels.
Invite your child to harvest the veggies, to explore the beans and to work on fine motor skills
by picking the veggies and beans up with the tools.
This was so much fun for the kids. Even too cool, 9 year old Rolf got involved and explored this veggie garden sensory bin.
This was fun to smell and touch and it gave Harp a chance to work on her fine motor skills.
When you are all finished playing, you can snap the lid on the bin and store it for playtime in the future.
