Pine Tree Discovery Bottles for Preschoolers

8/24/2024

Pine Tree Discovery Bottles for Preschoolers

Pine tree discovery bottles are a great sensory activity for preschoolers to explore and learn about pine trees. Preschoolers are often fascinated by nature, and pine trees can be especially intriguing to them because of their shape, texture, and smell. A pine tree discovery bottle allows preschoolers to get an up close look at all of their unique characteristics.

Whether covering a unit on trees or diving into a camping theme, this pine cone discovery bottle is an excellent way for your preschoolers to make a sensory bottle to keep in the classroom or bring home! Sensory bottles provide a fun and engaging way for preschoolers to explore their senses and the world around them, and the best part, they're so easy to make! We've provided the steps to make this pine tree discovery bottle below.

Materials:

Bottles with tops
Mineral oil or water
Small pine branches
Pinecones

*Plastic Voss water bottles are a good option, craft stores like Michaels often have similar empty bottles as well!

Pine Tree Discovery Bottles for Preschoolers

Instructions:

Start this activity by taking your preschoolers on a nature walk to learn more about pine trees. Have your preschoolers take a look around to see if they can pick up any pine-cones or small branches that have fallen off.

If you can't find any, feel free to use fake branches from a craft store. Then preschoolers will put all of the items inside of the bottles.

Once the bottle is full with the pieces of pine and pine-cones, pour in the mineral oil or water.

Both mineral oil and water can be used to create sensory bottles that are appealing and engaging for preschoolers. The choice between the two will depend on the specific goals of the activity and the desired sensory experience.

Sensory bottles filled with mineral oil will move more slowly and have a more fluid, undulating motion. This is definitely more appealing for bottles that you want to have a more calming effect.

Water, on the other hand, has a thinner consistency. Objects in a sensory bottle filled with water will move more quickly. This can be useful for sensory bottles that are designed to be more stimulating or that have larger objects that can be easily moved around by the water.

Once the water is poured into the bottle, secure the lid tightly. If you're worried about your preschoolers opening the bottle you can use glue to seal it. We definitely recommend that with younger preschool students....just in case!

Now your bottle is complete! Encourage your preschoolers to give it a shake and ask them what they see happening? What do they notice about the pine tree branches? Sensory bottles are great for exploration and a great item to keep in a calm down area in your classroom. We love this activity for sensory exploration during a camping unit! Sensory bottles are a fun way to bring nature indoors.