I've been making and using these in my classroom for years and years. They are so much fun and talk about cheap entertainment. I just recently thought Emmett would dig it and decided to make some for him! It has become his new favorite toy. They are so stimulating for young children! Here is a pic of the ones I recently made:
Exploration Bottles
Exploration Bottles
All you need to get started is a clear bottle with a tight fitting cap. I used a Juicy Juice bottle for the big one, and two different size Victoria Secret/Bath and Body works bottles for the other two. Small pop bottles work wonderfully too! You just add interesting colorful things and make very sure to seal the cap very tightly. Because I want to be extra safe about choking hazards, and to avoid leaks, I also tape mine off with masking tape.
I added things to the dry bottle (the big one) like popsicle sticks, ribbon and raffia, a pencil, beads, and even fake doll hair! Yes, I have that laying around. LOL! The dry bottles are alot of fun because they are full of neat sounds, so if you do more than one, make sure to try one without adding water so your little one can be fascinated by the rolling and clacking sounds of things inside.
On the water bottles, I added food coloring, glitter, beads and foam shapes.
So there you have it! Cheap entertainment in a bottle!
Other ideas for the liquid filled ones:
--Oil, food coloring, water
--dish soap, food coloring (gets all neat and sudsy when shaken!)
--action figures, small cars, etc.
Pretty much anything you can think of!
PS--Bigger kids can use two liter bottles for the water exploration ones, but the smaller sizes just seem to fit better in small hands.
Hope you enjoy!
