It’s one of my favorite times of the year! I love the crisp cool air, I love taking long walks and gathering fallen leaves, acorns, and other treasures. When my boys were younger they would easily get over stimulated by all of the changes. Going back to school, starting fall sports, and wearing long pants and long sleeves were all sensory triggers for them. When they were over stimulated, their behavior would change and it had the potential to become a cycle of crabbiness. So, when I saw them begin to struggle, we would go for a walk and gather fallen treasures and come home to create a Fall Themed Discovery Bottle. This helped them re-center themselves in the moment and as they became over stimulated throughout the busyness of the season.
Discovery Bottle Project
Suggestion – pick up items for this craft while you are on a fall scavenger hunt!
Fall Themed Discovery Bottle Craft Supplies:
- Empty water bottle – I like to use the large VOSS water bottles.
- Uncooked rice or small beads.
- Fallen leaves, acorns, seeds, pinecones, etc.
- Multipurpose glue.
This project is so fun to make and to use when the kids are just over stimulated or you need a few minutes of peace and quiet! And, there is really no right or wrong way to make them. They can be made with small toys, shells, seeds, or other small objects that can fit into the bottle.
Let’s get started on this fun DIY Discovery Bottle! First, gather your supplies. You may need to go on a small treasure hunt to fill the bottle(s). That is a great opportunity to talk about the changing season, and how to cope with stressful situations.
Once you have a few filer pieces for the bottle(s), add a bag of rice to the bottle. Then, add small pinecones, seeds, twigs, and acorns. One reason I like the VOSS water bottles is because they have a larger opening, so we can put slightly larger items in the bottles. Finally, add a bead of multipurpose glue around the cap, and screw it on tightly.
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I made a few bottles for my mom and sister’s classrooms. These are great calming bottles, or quiet time activities for little ones. We even kept them in our car for the kids to use on longer car rides.
That’s it! I hope you feel inspired to make your own DIY Discovery Bottles. If you have leftover acorns, make our Acorn mini people craft!
