Sensory Bin for under 24 months?

[Inspired by Reggio]

Outside all year long I have 'two' different bins and than rotate what is in them ... I use colored rice, corn meal, sand/dirt, colored 'dry' noodles, shredded paper, yarn strands in different textures and lengths and colors, collections of leaves, pine cones, sticks, rocks.

In winter in addition to the above in one of the bins in the other we do snow .... than add things like paint and brushes, or squirt bottles with colored water in them, or ice cubes that are colored or add things to the snow bin like the small animals or cars but they stay in the 'bin' so they do not get lost in the BIG snow until spring time

In summer one dry bin and than in the second bin water is always out ~ sometimes we due icecubes with stuff 'hidden' in them to melt, or colored cubes that when melt make a third color in the water. Sometimes we make Instant Snow (they sell it in Wintergreen catalog ~ it is crystals and when you add water it gets 'cold' like snow and is mold-able) Sometimes in the 'dry' bin I add water to the cornstarch bin for 'goop', sometimes we 'cook' the noodles and sometimes I let them make 'mud' with the sand or dirt for extra treat when I can than just 'hose them off' to clean them up and the mess disappears under my deck

Inside I prefer 'easy to clean' sensory bins

• *Pom poms and cotton balls with tongs and cups or ice cube trays
• Pipe cleaners and large spools or things to 'bead' onto the cleaners
• Water
• Play doh or Clay
• Collection of Shells
• Collection of River Rocks
• Pine cones
• Paper shredded
• Marble bin

Because my age group is 'mixed' with some w ho are wee and some who are older the rule with sensory is you cannot play with things that are 'potential chokers' until you have mastered ' not mouthing things' and can respect the rule that the materials stay IN the bin so depending on the children what age is appropriate for them ~ so I still bring them out even when I have 'wee ones' in the program but the wee ones are instructed it is 'closed' to them if they do not have the skills yet to explore safely ~ children master things at such different ages and stages I have had 18 months olds who master all of those things even the marble bin they can play with safely and keep the marbles in the bin having watched the 'older' children follow the rules and than I have had 3 year olds who often loose their ability to play at those invitations until they 're~earn' the trust back to explore safely and properly within the rules of respect for that material ... because I believe that children learn to master through practice and exposure to things I do not 'stop bring it out' because 1 child is not coping with it rather help that 1 child learn to cope through the role modeling of those who have mastered ~ even when they are not directly 'engaged' in an activity the wee children are learning through observation what is expected of them to be able to explore those mediums.