self-regulation Archives

This glow in the dark chalk sensory bottle is one that is added to some of our favorite sensory bottles.
SO, if you’ve seen sensory bottles before, you might be surprised to see this calming sensory tool is made with CHALK. Yep, chalk!

Glow in the dark chalk sensory bottle: how to make a sensory bottle and why sensory bottles are great for self-regulation needs.

This post contains affiliate links.

But first,

Why use sensory bottles?

Sensory bottles are a tool for calming and self-regulation in kids with sensory needs. Some children (and adults) use them as a tool in their sensory diet. Just like kids with motor planning issues NEED modifications or children with visual motor integration concerns NEED to use certain accommodations in order to write legible, there are kids who NEED self-regulation in their sensory diet in order to function in their day. They are not just another blog post that you might see out there in your Facebook feed.

TIP: Add a DIY sensory bottle to your on-the-go sensory diet bag!

Self regulation is essential skill that allows us to keep emotions in check and think before acting.

Here are some of the benefits of using a sensory bottle as a self-regulation tool:

Calms
Helps with focusing
Helps with attention
Allows clear thinking
Keep calm under pressure
Provides proprioceptive feedback
Provides a “just right” level of sensory feedback
Relaxes the mind

Can you imagine a child with sensory processing issues or social emotional concerns who could not regulate their emotions on their own or step back and make the “right” response in situations because of their self-regulation needs? Can you imagine if this was your child who had these needs and there was a simple DIY (and often times quite inexpensive) tool that could help? Why not explore all of the sensory bottles out there on the internet to find one that meets your child’s interests? It’s a sensory bottle no-brainer!

Now that I’ve stepped off my soapbox, on to the glow in the dark chalk sensory bottle fun!

Glow in the Dark Chalk Sensory Bottle

We’ve been making a bunch of sensory bottles this year along with a team of bloggers. Each month, we’ve had a specific theme in mind. This month is all about Glow In The Dark. How fun is that? I don’t know a kid who doesn’t get excited about glow in the dark toys, shirts, or glow sticks, do you?

When I was trying to brainstorm materials to make our glow-in-the-dark sensory bottle, I remembered a set of glow in the dark chalk that I bought on clearance at the end of last summer. After a quick glow-check, I was excited to find that the chalk still glowed after 6 months in a storage bin. We used the chalk for a cool sensory bottle that could calm and regulate in the dark!

Materials you’ll need for a CHALK Glow in the Dark Sensory Bottle

Clear plastic bottle with lid
Green liquid dish soap
Warm water
Glow-in-the-dark chalk
Kitchen mallet
plastic baggie
3-4 Marbles
Silver Glitter and Star sparkles (optional)

Other glow in the dark materials that would work for a glowing sensory bottle:

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To make the calming sensory tool:
Place the chalk in a plastic baggie and use a kitchen mallet to pound the chalk. Try to get it as fine as possible. This is a GREAT proprioceptive workout for kids and a lot like our ice pounding activity, so get the kids involved in this step!

Next, mix together the chalk dust, one cup of liquid dish soap, and one cup of warm water.

Drop in the marbles (You will definitely need the marbles to break up the chalk dust as it will settle in the bottle of the bottle.) A benefit of the marbles is that it adds weight to the bottle, making this an even more effective sensory tool.

Next, pinch in glitter and sparkles.

Glue on the lid and start shaking!

Other glow in the dark materials that would work for your calming sensory tool:

Our favorite sensory bottle ideas:

Valentines Day Sensory Bottle with Waterbeads

Friendship Thread Rainbow Sensory Bottle

Alphabet Discovery Bottle

Math Dominoes Discovery Sensory Bottle

Sometimes learning letters can be tricky for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Remembering all of those letters (26 is a lot!) is frustrating and difficult and kids just aren’t into identifying the letters of the alphabet. Many times you have a child who picks up on letters right away. You can see posts on Facebook where proud parents are touting their two year old who knows all of the letters and the sounds they make. They are proud mamas and papas and deserve to share their excitement with all of their friends on social media! But sometimes, you have kids who just aren’t into learning letters. As much as you try to introduce the ABC’s, some kids just have more trouble recognizing the way a letter looks, recalling the letter name, and identifying the letter’s sound. Creative and multi-sensory teaching techniques can help with kids who are resistant in trying yet another letter learning activity. We made this ABC letter identification discovery bottle to practice letter recognition. Have you made a sensory bottle yet? These are very cool calming sensory tools in learning and play!

Alphabet Letter Recognition Discovery Bottle

My three year old is always up for an interesting activity. She is my little helper when it comes to our cooking with kids recipes. Whenever I have an activity set up, she is always game to play! This sensory bottle was just for her as we practiced naming the letters of the alphabet. She helped me make our letter discovery bottle and that was part of the fun! (I’m including affiliate links in this post.)

To make a sensory discovery bottle based on letters, you’ll need just two items:

Foam Alphabet Puzzle
(This is not the type of puzzle we used in our bottle. We found ours at a garage sale long ago. However, these foam letters would work in your discovery bottle. And if you find a puzzle like ours at a yard sale, grab it up!)

Scented bath salts

So making this scented scenory letter activity is beyond easy. First, dump out half of the salts into a large bowl. Add in your foam letters. Kids will LOVE doing this part of the activity. Ask them to help you name the letters as you drop them in one by one. Then, when you’ve got all the letters (or as many as your bottle can handle), start scooping in the remaining bath salts. This is such a great sensory activity for kids. The sense of scent (or olfactory sense) is one linked to recall. How many times do you recognize a scent form your past and recall memories associated with that smell? Invite your child to sniff the air as you scoop the salts back into the container.

**NOTE** Be sure to stay with your child as you do this part, and any parts of this activity. Children should not taste the bath salts and if your child may put items into their mouth, refrain from allowing them to scoop the bath salts. As with any activity on this blog, be sure to use your best judgement with your child’s needs and abilities and provide direct supervision.

You may want to glue the lid shut at this point, before allowing your child to play with the discovery bottle.

Next, start playing! Allow your child to shake, roll, shake some more with the discovery bottle. Invite them to shake until they find and can identify the letters in the bottle. Shaking the bottle has weight and provides proprioceptive input to kids. Depending on the size of your bath salts bottle, it can be on the heavy side. Use this activity as a warm up to fine motor tasks such as handwriting or drawing.

Alternate ways to play with this letter sensory bottle:

Look and search for letters. As you find one, name it with your child. Ask them to shake the bottle and search until they find that letter again.
Shake and roll the bottle and ask your child to name the first letter they see. Have them shake and roll until they find letters in alphabetical order.
Ask your child to find a letter that starts the word “apple, ant…”. Name words for each letter and ask your child to find those letters in the sensory bottle.
When your child finds a letter, ask them to name words that start with that letter’s sound.
Use the empty puzzle. Point to a letter spot and ask your child to name that letter and then find it in the discovery bottle.
Ask your child to shake the discovery bottle and find a letter. Ask them to point to that letter’s spot in the empty puzzle.
Ask your child to find a letter in the discovery bottle. When they do, ask them to use the discovery bottle like a pointer and draw that letter in the air, using both hands on the bottle. Provide hand-over-hand assistance, if needed.
Look around the room and play “I Spy”. Say to your child, “I Spy something that starts with the letter B.” Have them guess the item in the room, then shake the sensory bottle and find the letter “B” in the discovery bottle.

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Looking for more discovery bottle ideas using dry materials? The bloggers in the Discovery Bottles Blog Hop Team have created discovery bottles using dry materials this month. You know: rice, corn, paper, seeds…how many dry materials can you think of to use in a discovery bottle? See what the bloggers have made:

Candy Corn Discovery Bottle | Preschool Inspirations

Alphabet Discovery Bottle | Sugar Aunts

5 Little Pumpkins Discovery Bottle | Modern Preschool

Easy Halloween I Spy Bottle | One Time Through

Pumpkin Seed Discovery Bottles for Fall | Fun-A-Day

More creative letter learning ideas that your child will love: