Since we went and saw Finding Dory Evie has been all about all things Nemo and Dory. While wandering our local bookstore I lucked out on finding a set of Finding Nemo figurines that came with a board book in clearance. As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted to put together for Evie to play with. I wanted to make a Finding Dory water bead sensory bin.
I was inspired by the many different sensory bins and bath times that Jen of Mama.Papa.Bubba has put together for her daughter. If you are not following her blog or Instagram I highly recommend you do. She always has incredible ideas for activities for kids.
I lucked out because the local mom co-op buy on Facebook for my area had a buy-in for getting water beads, so I was able to get all sorts of colours recently for an incredible deal. I will definitely be buying more the next time that sale comes up, but if needed just pop over to Amazon there are lots of options to purchase on there and I have also seen the clear ones for sale at dollar stores.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- water beads (blue, green, clear)
- Fidning Nemo figurines
- plastic bin
- water
Please note that something like this is meant for children who are past the age of wanting to put everything in their mouth, even then this is an activity that should happen under adult supervision. I know my preschooler will be fine with them, but one thing I did have to remind her about is not crushing them. It gets a bit messy when the beads are squashed, and pop.
A couple hours before I knew I would be letting Evie play with this activity I filled the bin with some water and put the water beads into it. It did not take much for the bin to be filled once the beads started to expand. The water beads go from the size of a pin to the size of a marble. This is fun for kids to see too!
Once the water beads had expanded I tossed in the Finding Nemo figurines. To my surprise Evie spent over and hour playing with this sensory bin. WAHOO! MAMA JUST FOUND SOME DOWN TIME! She loved running her fingers through the water beads and discovering where the fish, sharks, octopus, and turtles were all hiding. We also added more water eventually to the bin and this made the water beads look invisible. It’s a bit of a mind trick when you put your hands into the water and suddenly feel all these bubbles.
This sensory bin was a definitely hit and is already being asked for again. I am so glad that I bought all sorts of different colours because I will be carrying this activity over into the Fall. I’ve got a couple ideas for bins. I am really looking forward to when both girls will be able to play with this type of activity together.
Have your kids ever played with a water beads sensory bin before, what did they think?
This is such a fantastic and easy activity. I can see my kids spending hours together on this. Sharing it with peers
Let me know how it is received. I think kids young and old would love this.
Great idea! Where do you get the water beads?
What a fun idea! I bet the kids love it!
This looks like so much fun for the kiddies!
So cute, I have to share this with all my Dory loving friends!
Share away. Too much fun to keep to yourself 🙂
Water beads are soooo much fun. We do them outside usually, and this is such a cute theme. My kids love Nemo and the gang. Great idea, thanks for sharing!!!
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Omg what a fun sensory bin!!!! My daughter would love this!!!
My daughter is Finding Nemo obsessed – we are watching it as I type this comment. 🙂 I think she would love this sensory bin p. How fun!
That looks awesome. I must find some of these water beads. They look super fun. For the kids, of course. Nemo is our FAVORITE. We have not seen Dory just yet but can’t wait!
This is so clever! My son loves finding Nemo!!
Such an adorable and timely way to play with my daughter. Can’t wait to try it out.