Have the feeling of summer any time of the year with this lemonade sensory bin water play activity. Give kids the opportunity to explore through many senses. In the colder months, you can bring a bit of sunshine in by creating this bin inside. And in the Spring or Summer, this is a great sensory play activity for outside. This lemonade sensory bin offers olfactory, tactile, gustatory, and visual sensory feedback.
Olfactory (smell) – Kids can smell the lemons.
Tactile (touch) – Children have the opportunity to explore temperature with the cold of the ice. They can discover textures with the feel of the outside of the lemon contrasting with the inside, the seeds, the water, the ice, and the added kitchen tools.
Gustatory (taste) – This is a sensory activity where tasting is encouraged. Some kids will love the sour taste while others will not. But this gives them the chance to talk about their thoughts on the taste of the lemons.
Visual (sight) – The bright colour of the lemons against the water really pops. Most children will find this activity visually appealing.
Lemonade Sensory Bin:
You’ll want to prepare this sensory bin immediately before your child plays with it so that the ice doesn’t melt before they begin to play.
- ice cubes
- slotted spoon
- plastic cups
- optional: zester
- play food lemons or play lemon slices
- Pour several cups of water into a plastic container.
- Slice several lemons. (This step should be done by an adult or by an older child with adult supervision.)
- Add a few cups of ice cubes to the bin.
- Float the lemon slices in the bin.
- If desired, you can zest some lemon peel into the water. This will add more scent.
- Add spoons, ladles, tongs, cups, or other kitchen gadgets to the bin.