Passover Sensory Bin: Splitting the Sea
A Passover sensory bin is a great activity for preschoolers – minus the Chametz! You can also check out my no chametz signs. This post contains affiliate links.
My kids love the freshness of a good sensory bin – it’s like a new toy every time! And I love how for just a few extra dollars, I can mix and match supplies I already have to create something new.
Today, I’m sharing a fun Passover sensory bin in a Splitting the Sea theme. This is half sensory bin, half small world, and so versatile! I’ll even share some more ideas for what you can do with this theme!
The quick list of what I used
- A 15 qt container
- Natural Kraft and blue colored shredded paper
- Poly Fill
- Wood peg dolls in assorted sizes – use code MOMSANDCRAFTERS for 5% off
- Toy fish
- Shells
- Sea glass
- Sea plants
The Passover Sensory bin base
The base of your bin will hold everything within. I used a flat 15 quart storage container for a medium sized bin.
You can use a larger underbed box for a big bin. And if you want something smaller, just use a shoebox sized storage container! You can also create sensory bins in sensory play tables such as this one, or even in kiddie pools!
Setting the scene for splitting the sea with filler
Sensory bin filler can be a bit of a challenge for Passover -as you want to steer clear of chametz, such as dyed pasta!
What I used to fill my Passover sensory bin
I chose shredded paper basket filler for my sensory bin filler as it doesn’t even so much as look like chametz or anything mysteriously similar, doesn’t dirty the kids, and is somewhat eco friendly (depending on which you choose).
I set the stage with natural colored shredded paper for a sandy center.
I piled blue on each side for the water. I tried to pile it a bit higher than the sand but didn’t put too much effort into it. The kids get the idea!
I added poly fill clouds to the front of the box as the “leading cloud by day”. This adds another texture element, and is quite a unique option for a sensory bin filler, but preschoolers will love the tactile diversity as well as the “cozy” element!
More ideas for you to use
I thought of many ideas for this, and while I ultimately chose shredded paper, here are a few more options
- Pluffle – this is so much fun to squish. Blue pluffle is perfect for the water. I used this in my Hanukkah sensory bin.
- Kinetic sand, particularly sand colored sand for the pathway. It shouldn’t be too hard to separate from shredded paper (but don’t quote me on that…)
- Water beads – while this is super appropriate for water, it doesn’t really hold its position and it will get other elements wet. It’s also only appropriate for children who definitely won’t mouth it at all. You can figure out a way to split your bin into three and use these on the sides.
- Colored Rice – rice is kitniyot and most Sephardim will eat it. Many ashkenazim will allow their kids to play with it too, just not to eat it. It’s a great, inexpensive option.
The toys and details of our Passover sensory bin
A cool element of a good Passover sensory bin is the discovery angle. Kids love to sift through and discover. The dramatic play aspect of a themed bin like this is just a bonus.
While I staged the elements as it was, you can also hide things.
I started mine with the obvious – the people. I used wooden peg dolls. Of course, you can paint them, but for me it’s enough that it resembles people. You can also use Lego minifigures, Playmobil people, or even steal your child’s favorite character figurines for the exodus!
I tossed some sea shells and sea glass into the water.
As well as some toy fish and sea plants. If you want to reference that it was a source of food, you can add food miniatures too.
Now it’s time to play! kids can simply mess everything up, mix it, dramatize it, or whatever they want. The point is, you set the scene for their free play.
A typical sensory bin will include some play tools – tongs, scoops, or whatever. You can include this but it’s not required! It adds a fine motor element, but even without, kids will enjoy immersing themselves into the different textures.
Got anything to add to this splitting the sea Passover sensory bin? Comment below!
Hi Menucha! I am a new Pre-K and K teacher and I just discovered your site. I am loving it! What’s your opinion with using different materials for the “sand” and “water?” Do you think kinetic sand and blue pluffle would go together, or would it make a mess more quickly than the shredded paper? I’d love for the colors to stay separate for as long as possible, as it seems to me the dramatic play element would be lost once the colors are mixed. I’d love to hear your thoughts, thank you!
Thank you! I think you can use different materials but I’m not sure anything would really stay separated well. The Blue pluffle is very lightweight. But a lot of pieces would get mixed in. The shredded paper, if put down in beds mostly still intertwined might work best. You can do play Sand (instead of kinetic) and something totally different like dyed rice (kitniyot, not chametz if that matters) so that you can sift it out after. I haven’t tried sand and playfoam so I’m not sure, but I don’t feel like it would really stay separate.
@Menucha Citron Ceder, thank you so much for your response! The dyed rice and sand is a great idea, thank you!