discovering discovery bottles

 One morning I was feeling a smidge under-the-weather and did not get everything together as planned for class. This called for a rifle through our sensory cabinet to see what I could come up with to set out and so I went with a small collection of discovery bottles. If you do not know what discovery bottles are they are upcycled clear plastic bottles filled with all sorts of wonderful things for children to look at.

 The children were so enthralled with the bottles that they asked if they could make their own. Luckily I had enough empty bottles in the cabinet and so while they were out playing and I was on my break I pulled together an assortment of items for them to add to their bottles.

 There were cut pieces of colorful straws, buttons, foil confetti, and more. The children worked their fine motor skills by picking up each item, one by one to add to their bottles. Some found items that were too big and some used the funnel to add their glitter in bulk.

 After they were satisfied with what they added, a pitcher was brought out and they poured their own water into their bottle. Some overfilled, some barely filled...it was an interesting lesson in volume and esitmation.

They LOVED their bottles and admired them during rest time, on the car rides home and later at bedtime.