Fall Sensory Box

Another popular, toddler-friendly fall activity I've seen floating around pretty much every mom and early childhood education blog lately is a fall sensory tub. I had never heard of sensory tubs before I began hunting for meaningful ways to entertain my Baby Bear, but I am amazed at the seemingly endless possibilities for making these tubs! Even with a common theme like fall, no two tubs I've seen have been alike.

Most ideas I came across for fall sensory tubs included very small pieces like rice or seeds as a filler, but my son is not to the point where I can place such tiny, hard items in front of him without fear that he would try to eat them. So, I decided to try my hand at creating a tub that was just right for my Baby Bear.

Contents: plastic pumpkins, a mini scarecrow, and fake leaves from a craft store; pine cones and soft pine needles from a friend's yard; wood apple I received as a gift from a student years ago; cinnamon stick; painted paper leaf from another craft we did. The pine cones, pine needles, and cinnamon stick added an aromatic touch to the box. I considered using real tiny pumpkins, but I was afraid Baby Bear would run off with them and they would rot under a couch somewhere.

Baby Bear immediately dumped the contents of the box onto the floor for easier manipulation of the objects. He was intrigued by the pine needles.

The pumpkins were his favorite.

Here are some of the other sensory boxes I came across in my search for ideas:
http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/10/preschool-at-home-apple-themed-sensory.html
http://creativelearningfun.blogspot.com/2011/09/super-sensory-box-for-fall.html
http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2011/10/autumn-play-collection-40-fabulous.html