Spring is here! That means all things flowers, green grass and leaf buds on the trees, bunnies, and eggs! But it can also mean rainy weather. If you’re stuck inside this spring, make these DIY spring sensory bottles to bring a bit of spring inside!

Kids will love making these spring sensory bottles, and the cheerful contents will brighten up even the most gloomy of days. Depending on what you put in the bottle, you can use these spring sensory bottles to learn about weather, plants, spring animals, or any other spring theme you can think of! 

A spring sensory bottle is a fun addition to a science center or independent learning center in the classroom. At home, they look pretty sitting in a window letting the light shine through. 

Follow these simple directions to make your own DIY spring sensory bottles for kids!

How to Make DIY Spring Sensory Bottles

What You’ll Need:

• Plastic bottles (small soda bottles make wonderful sensory bottles)
• Waterproof glue
• Spring items (we used seeds, moss, flowers, a carrot, and a toy butterfly in ours)
• Distilled water

 

Tips for Making DIY Sensory Bottles

Before putting your bottle together, think about what theme you want it to have. Our spring sensory bottle theme was spring garden, but you can also have a flower sensory bottle, a rainbow sensory bottle, a weather sensory bottle, an Easter sensory bottle, or an animal sensory bottle. 

I like to use natural things inside my bottles, but they do not last as long and will get moldy after a few days. If you don’t want to deal with mold or mess or want to reuse the bottles from year to year, go ahead and use all water-safe materials inside your bottles. 

If you want the bottles to last, you’ll also want to use distilled water as this will prevent discoloration and mold growth over time. 

Pick a theme and stick with it for your bottle. 4-5 different items are enough for each theme.

If you add more than that, your bottle may become too cluttered. Use items of different densities so that some will float and some will sink. This will give your sensory bottle more interest. 

How to Make Spring Sensory Bottles

Place your items in your bottle. Start with the heaviest item and add in lighter and lighter things. Kids can fill the bottles on their own with a little supervision. Let the kids pick what they want to put in their spring sensory bottles. 

After placing your items in the bottles, fill them with distilled water. 

Apply a line of waterproof glue around the inside edge of the bottle cap. 

Screw the cap onto the bottle tightly.

Kids can start playing with the bottles right away, but the glue won’t be fully dry for 24 hours. If you don’t think that the kids will be able to play with the bottles without trying to open them, then you should wait until the glue is dry before handing them over to the kids. 

Make several spring sensory bottles to represent all aspects of the spring season.