Ocean Sensory Bottle
Looking for a fun new sensory bottle idea to try at home? This ocean sensory bottle is easy to make, fun for kids, and has a cool bubbly effect that is mesmerizing to look at!
Servings: 1 bottle
Ingredients
- 1 clear plastic bottle recycled or new
- water as needed
- 1 drop blue food coloring or as needed
- 8-10 small seashells or as needed
- 3-5 small plastic ocean toys (ocean animals, coral, etc.)
- blue, turquoise or white glitter (fine or chunky) optional, as needed
- baby oil as needed
Instructions
- Measure out enough water to fill half of the plastic bottle, then stir in one drop of blue food coloring. You can add more food coloring if needed to give the water an ocean-like color, but make sure it doesn't get too dark. (One drop will likely be sufficient.)
- Pour the colored water into the bottle, filling it halfway.
- Push some small plastic ocean toys and seashells through the neck of the bottle and into the water. If desired, you can also add a small amount of fine and/or chunky glitter.
- Add enough baby oil to fill the bottle right up to the top. Then, seal the bottle by putting the lid back on, and shake the bottle as often as you wish in order to see bubbles form and disperse!
Video
Notes
1. Remove sticky residue: If you are using a recycled bottle and you’re having trouble removing the sticky residue from the label, use Goo Gone to remove it more easily.
2. Seal the bottle: If you wish to make the bottle more difficult for your child to open, you can do so by adding hot glue or super glue to the inside of the lid, and replacing it periodically as it it weakens due to contact with the liquid. Test the seal periodically by giving the lid a gentle twist, and replace the glue if you feel any movement.
3. Add color mixing: Instead of using baby oil, try using vegetable oil, which has a yellowish tinge. The blue water and yellow oil will briefly blend together to create turquoise when the bottle is shaken, then separate as the oil rises to the top.
4. Helpful tips:
- Don't use too much coloring: When adding food coloring to the water, make sure not to add too much, as this will obscure the seashells and ocean toys and make them difficult to see. If you accidentally add too much, dump out some of the colored water and replace it with more water to lighten the color.
- Choose the right sizes: Make sure that the neck of the bottle you’re using isn’t too narrow, and that the ocean toys and seashells you’re using aren’t too big to fit through it.