Tu B’Shevat, the birthday or new year of the trees, is the perfect time to go on a nature walk, collect some leaves and sticks, and create this easy and fun Tu B’Shevat Sensory Bin! The possibilities for creative play are endless and your children will love having the hands-on experience of playing while learning about the sweet holiday of Tu B’Shevat.
We love Tu B’Shevat. We are big into nature here and it’s so special to have a holiday all about celebrating trees! The kids never need an excuse to go on a nature walk, and it is fun seeing them play so actively with what they collect. And when they connect those nature items back to the Jewish holiday, I know they are learning all about Tu B’Shevat while playing! Which is the best thing about being a kid!
This sensory bin is a tabletop size. I tend to make tabletop sensory bins because I like having my children play at the kitchen table. It keeps them close to me while I’m cooking or doing other work. And the clean up isn’t that bad, just sweep all spilled contents off the edge of the table back into the bin!
What You’ll Need
- Plastic container, bin or box. I got ours at Dollar Tree, yay! In fact, I reused the one I bought for my Hanukkah Sensory Bin. Just plop the Hanukkah Sensory Bin contents into a ziploc bag for later use and use the bin for this holiday!
- Large ziploc bag
- 3 cups rice (or whatever dry grain you have on hand. We were low on rice so I used bulgar wheat this time and it worked wonderfully!)
- Green food dye
- 2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
- Nature or tree items: leaves, branches, acorns (yes, here’s the perfect opportunity to go on a nature hike and talk about Tu B’Shevat while you walk!)
- Birthday candles
- Measuring cups, funnels, spoons, anything that can make that rice move
Putting It Together
1.Dye your rice or other grain to set the sensory stage. In a large ziploc bag, add a few tablespoons vinegar and food coloring (as much as you need to get the color you desire) to 3 cups of rice (or whatever grain you use). Close the bag and shake shake shake. This is a great job for little helpers! They will love helping create the activity as well as move their bodies, and of course hear the fun sound the grain makes.
2. Once all the grain is green, spread out the grain on a sheet of foil or a baking sheet. Let dry for about an hour. Instead of worrying about my bulgar wheat being all a uniform green color, I left it kind of patchy, with the natural brown color of the bulgar wheat showing through. I liked this look because I felt it looked more like a forest 🙂
3. Once the grain is dry, pour it into your bin.
4. Add your nature/Tu B’Shevat items and any other items you desire.
We went on a nature walk to collect items for our bin. We LOVE nature walks. This time we went to one of our favorite places, the Oak Grove. We found so many acorns and sticks and even some neat leaves. It was perfect!
You don’t have to go someplace far or special for a nature walk or to collect items for this sensory activity. Just go out your front door! There’s bound to be leaves or sticks, maybe some berries (watch out for choking and safety hazards with young kids playing!). Seeing all the possibilities helps show the kids what Tu B’Shevat truly celebrates–trees (and plants) are all around us. And let’s thank them for their bounty!
Animal figurines always find their way into our sensory bins. First we started with forest animals (tigers) but then it quickly moved to a plethora of random animals and little people. And that’s totally fine!
5. Start playing!
Finished and Loving It!
My kids love playing with sensory bins so this Tu B’Shevat Sensory Bin was an automatic hit. All three of them, ages 2-8 years old, had their hands in the bin, feeling the bulgar wheat, pouring it on the animals, using sticks to draw and move around the bin contents.
Sensory bins are amazing! The possibilities for different play scenarios are endless. Children get to use their imaginations and create whatever they want. It’s truly fabulous.
The kids enjoyed using the candles to help celebrate the birthday of the trees, what Tu B’Shevat is all about. We sang to the trees and they all practiced blowing the candles out. My daughter enjoyed making little cupcakes for the trees from acorn tops. It was sweet, fun, and educational!
Check out our other Tu B’Shevat crafts and activities as they are posted–make sure to subscribe to our emails so you don’t miss any of our posts! We’ve had so much fun preparing and celebrating this holiday!
Tu B’Shevat Thank You to the Trees Challenge
Do you enjoy nature walks? What items would you put in your Tu B’Shevat Sensory Bin?
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