Easy Calming Sea Life Sensory Bottles DIY For Kids

Sea Life Sensory Bottles are the perfect activity for sensory-seeking kids of all ages. Get ready to dive deep into an ocean of creativity and imagination as we explore the calming effect of these sensory bottles DIY projects!

It seems that you can go into almost any store these days and see a wide variety of sensory gadgets.

I think this is fabulous because one of my children is a sensory seeker. As someone with ADHD, he is always needing something in his hands to fidget with.

When the fidget spinner graze began, we were thrilled because he now had an excuse to have something to fidget with in his hands whenever he felt like he needed it. We still have some fidget spinners around the house, but we have also tried some different sensory items, such as fidget cubes and sensory bins.

The smaller fidget gadgets get lost easily, and it is not feasible to take a sensory bin on a road trip or vacation, so I had to get creative. So as we were preparing to head out on our annual road trip, I wanted to find something for him that would not get lost or that he would lose interest in too quickly.

That’s where the inspiration for a sea life sensory bottle DIY project (also called a calm down jar) came from! We’re going to the lake (not the ocean), but the sea life theme is so much fun – and so colorful! 

One of the best parts of making these is that they are very economical to make, and your sensory seekers can pitch in and help to make them exactly the way they want.

Children can identify colors, shapes, sea life animals, and more. And they’ll be mesmerized for SO long!

If you want more ideas for fun sensory play activities, try my: 

• DIY Rainbow Spaghetti
• Green Grass Sensory Activity for Indoor Play
• Under The Sea Ocean Sensory Bin

Supplies Needed For Sea Life Sensory Bottles Recipe

Here are all the supplies you’ll need to make simple ocean discovery bottles for young kids.

• Sensory Bottle – a special empty plastic bottle is the best bottle for this project, but you can use alternative clear plastic bottles (like a Voss water bottle).
• Bottle of Clear Glue – I prefer Elmer’s glue
• Plastic Sea Life Beads – various turtles, fish, plants, and other similar small objects
• Bright Beads
• Various Sea Life Figures – crabs, seahorse, jellyfish, sea shells, etc.
• Water – warm water

How to Make Sea Life Sensory Bottles

Here’s the process for making your own ocean sensory bottle! Simply follow these step-by-step instructions to make a super simple calm down bottle with colorful sea creatures.

Step 1

Begin by pouring the entire contents of the bottle of glue into the sensory bottle.

Step 2

Add the beads, ocean animals, and other sea life figures. 

Step 3

Finally, fill the bottle with water. Be sure to leave a small space at the top. Do not overfill. Close, shake, and enjoy!

Ocean Sensory Bottles Expert Notes And Tips

Follow these tips and trips to ensure your kiddo enjoys an enriching sensory experience every time they pick up their sea life-themed liquid sensory bottle.

• If you find that there are too many bubbles on the top of the bottle, just skim them off with a spoon and discard.

• After you add all of your ingredients and treasures to the sensory bottles, I recommend sealing the cap with a couple of drops of super glue. This will keep the more adventurous kids from opening the bottle and creating an unwanted mess.

• Use a funnel to get items such as glitter, beads, or other small items into the bottle without spilling any of your ingredients.

• It is not necessary to add the liquid to the bottles if you don’t want to. This will allow you to add in other items like different pom poms, pasta, shredded paper, or beans yet still get the same sensory effect.

Variations Of Sea Life Sensory Bottles To Try

• Use clear glitter glue for a little added sparkle to your bottles.

• Drop in your desired amount of blue food coloring to make the perfect blue water color for your sensory bottles. Try different colors – in fact, make each bottle with a different colored water! Ha!

• Change up the contents of your bottles by adding in extra glitter, colored gems, plastic fruits, tiny animals, buttons, whatever you think your kids would love to see.

• Here are a few other items you may not have thought of but would be fantastic in your sensory bottles: sequins, rice, pasta, confetti, googly eyes, water beads, sand, beans, shredded paper or colored aquarium gravel.

FAQs

More Fun DIY Activities To Try

• How To Make A DIY Mushroom Fairy House
• How To Make A DIY Nature Mandala Craft
• Outdoor DIY Puffy Paint
• Easy DIY Nutella Edible Playdough
• How To Melt Crayons Into New Shapes

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