Calm down bottle, sensory bottle, call them what you want. They're just plain awesome. My daughter and I came across these super cool bottles a few months ago and have been dying to make a galaxy sensory bottle ever since. In case you're not familiar with sensory bottles, here's the rundown.
Basically, a sensory bottle is a tool to help a child calm down before they get too far out of hand. And they really work! There is actually a big science behind it - they teach kids to self-regulate their feelings without adult intervention.
My daughter has ADHD and I am not interested in medicating her. So we made these bottles. I find myself using them as well...not to calm myself down but as more of a tool for focus. If I'm working on something particularly difficult, I can shake the bottle up and spend a few minutes tuning out the world around me. It helps a lot on rough days.
Galaxy Sensory Bottle Supplies:
Voss Bottles (Our local store had a sale so I bought a bunch of them!)
Purple fine glitter
Blue glitter glue
Silver glitter glue
Star ornament filler
Clear liquid soap
Hot Water
Red and Blue food coloring
The best part of making this bottle was that my daughter could make it with me. She gets bored with things quickly, but really enjoyed this activity. We had so much fun putting it together.
I have to admit, I was afraid it wouldn't come out right. If anyone can accomplish a craft failure, it's me! I was pleasantly surprised, though, and we'll be making more sensory bottles in the future!
Instructions for making a Galaxy Sensory Bottle:
Fill the bottle halfway with soap, taking note of the bottle size. You'll need to approximate to mix the other ingredients.
In a Pyrex measuring cup or other glass bowl, mix hot water, food coloring and glitter glue until it looks the way you want it.
Add "dry ingredients" to the bottle on top of the soap.
Add water and glue mixture on top.
Close tightly and shake.
At this point, take a look and see if your bottle looks the way you want it to. If not, let the bottle settle and add more to get the desired results.
When you're satisfied with your bottle, seal the top with hot glue, making sure that there are no gaps where it can leak.
That's it! If you like this sensory bottle, check out the Silver Snow Sensory bottle tutorial!
I'd love to see how yours came out. Feel free to share in the comments, on our Facebook Page, or send an email!
Lauryn R
I love sensory bottles, they were my favorite when I was a kid too! I have never thought of making our own with my kids before though, what a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing the how to!
Brandon Sparks
I have never tried anything like this but really need to..