Ask Mr. Bear Sensory Bins

The first activity we've been doing in our Ask Mr. Bear unit is our farm sensory bin.  Take a peek of it in action:

I should note here that for each book we plan on having a corresponding theme.  I think that will help fill out the two weeks we have set aside for each unit and will also offer more learning opportunities.  So, for our first unit, Ask Mr. Bear, we're doing a corresponding 'farm' theme.  While the story doesn't necessarily say it takes place on a farm, all the animals except for the bear, are farm animals. 

This is our first ever sensory bin, and so far it's a huge hit!  I used a small plastic box as our container.  Then, I filled it with unpopped popcorn kernels, and our Safari LTD farm animals for the manipulatives.

I made a silo out of an orange juice carton.  I just cut out a square towards the bottom of the carton and glued on construction paper so it would resemble a silo.  I used a glue stick, and while it has worked sufficiently for our needs, I will be the first to admit that it hasn't adhered in the best possible way.  The orange juice carton is kind of glossy so I probably should have used a hot glue gun, but for two weeks, it has stayed decently intact.

I've given E some tools to work with, toy measuring spoons and a funnel, so she can practice scooping the kernels and dumping them into the silo.  She has also practiced pouring the kernels from one container into another.