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You know how much I love making sensory bottles, so I thought Valentine sensory bottles would be a fun activity to do with the kids — especially if you’re at home and are in need of something creative and sensory-related. I made a set of five sensory bottles, most of the things I already had here at the house.
Here are the sensory bottles along with their basic ingredients. They also have some water in them as well, I just didn’t include that on the graphic:
A few notes about bottles. Of course you can use regular water bottles. Just know they aren’t very thick and aren’t that durable. I have tried them all — trust me. My new favorite and its the only kind I use are empty bottles with black lids on Amazon. I like these for several reasons. First, they come in several different sizes which is perfect for little hands (like toddlers). They have a smaller circumference which means they are easier to hold onto. If dropped, these bottles hold up better than the VOSS bottles. The lid is shorter and smaller so it doesn’t shatter like the VOSS bottles did occasionally. The plastic is a bit thicker, which is great for durability. There are many different sellers of these type of sensory bottles and so far I have had a good experience with all the ones I have ordered.Just make sure you know what size you’re ordering, because there are several different sizes.
Filler
I use clear school glue as my main filler. It has it’s pros and cons, but for the effect that I like, I prefer the clear glue over other thicker substances like hair gel. I like the things in my sensory bottles to rise and sink slowly, like a lava lamp. If you just use water, your items will of course move more quickly, but they also tend to do so in a big clump (but not always).
If you use a lot of glitter and confetti, you will need to use a little more than you think you should. If you don’t use your sensory bottle for awhile, some of the glitter and/or confetti can get stuck on the bottom of the bottle if you use clear school glue. So I compensate for that by adding a little more glitter and confetti than I normally would.
Four of my Valentine sensory bottles use clear school glue. The remaining bottle (the one that is clear at the top and red at the bottom is 1/2 baby oil and 1/2 colored water).
For the valentine sensory bottles that use clear school glue, I usually do half glue and then slowly add water and cover and shake to get the consistency I like. For me, this usually is about 2/3 part school glue and 1/3 part water.
To make these particular sensory bottles, you’ll need the following items*:
- empty water bottles
- clear school glue
- heart confetti
- red dot foil confetti
- fine red glitter
- fine pink glitter
- pink rubber bands
- baby oil
- resin hearts (multi-colored)
- resin hearts (red, pink)
- glue gun or strong adhesive to glue lid on
If you are looking for a more scientific activity, try making sensory bottles with different “fillers” (liquids) and items in the sensory bottles that are weighted differently and talk about how the denser liquids slow things down, while less dense liquids allow things to rise and fall faster. Another idea is to try different items in the sensory bottles and learn which ones float and which ones sink.
Have fun and happy making!
