Welcome back for another Hands On Play Party. If you are a regular here, you know just how much we love Sensory Bottles! You might even have noticed that we have been going a little coo coo for sensory bottles lately. Just the other day we shared some fun ways to experiment with sensory bottles, and while I was writing the post, I realized that I had too many picture of our favorite sensory bottle and decided I would share our Galaxy in a Jar sensory bottle with you. There isn’t a day that goes by, that the boys don’t play with it.
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In case you are new to our series on sensory bottles, here is a brief overview. Sensory bottles are a great tool for babies, toddlers, and children of all ages. They can be used for scientific discovery, language development, fine motor, and proprioceptive input. They can address a variety of subject area content and they can are just amazingly fun! You can read more about the benefits of sensory bottles and the basics of what they are in Part One of the series… The What, How and Why.
All in all, sensory bottles can be loads of fun. Every once in a while you will make a concoction or add a material that your kids just can’t stay away from, and this sensory bottle is that for our family.
Making Your Galaxy In a Jar
Making your galaxy is simple and only takes 3 ingredients.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Plastic Bottles (We love these beautiful BPA Free bottles)
Baby Oil
Water
Food Coloring (we mixed blue and red to get a deep purple)
Optional Materials
Super Glue
Don’t forget you can also check out  a FULL LIST of MATERIALS  (for other great sensory bottles)
First, you will want to mix your water and food coloring in a separate container until you get the desired color.
Next, you want to pour your baby oil into the bottle (fill it about half way).
Finally, add the oil and water together. Voila! You are done.
Take Time to Observe
This is a great time to ask questions, find out what your children notice. What do they observe happening? What questions do they have? If your kids are just too anxious to observe without shaking, DON’T WORRY! The bottle ingredients will quickly settle again soon!
We never set out to make a galaxy in a jar. In fact, we just wanted to make the classic oil and water mixture. However to our surprise, the color mixture we made sparkled and mesmerized us. Legoman loves anything and everything space related, so immediately he deemed it out “Galaxy in a Jar” and it stuck.
Now, Mix and Shake, Shake and Twist… get the bottle moving!
As you start to move the jar back and forth, you will start to see bubbles form and the waves begin. Slowly your jar will transform into the night sky.
The more you shake it, turn it, and toss it… the more your jar will look like the galaxy. The bubbles will begin to sparkly like stars and astroids.
Enjoy Your Galaxy In A Jar
Can you believe we didn’t add any glitter to this jar? The boys are in amazement every time. I love letting it settle and doing it all over again. The pictures are fun, but they don’t even begin to do this jar any justice. The glittery stars inside the night sky are just amazing. If I must confess, there are days I pick it up and shake it. It works wonders as a calm down jar or just as a conversation starter.
Isn’t it awesome? What a great way to kickstart any unit or project on space. In case you are here because your kids love space, I have included a few more awesome resources for Space Learning.
Hands On Galaxy Play
Galaxy Slime | Twodaloo
Night and Day Sensory Sorting | Twodaloo
Night Sky Playdough | Twodaloo
(Okay, I might have a slight crush on this unit from Twodaloo. If you click through, you will see why… its pretty amazing)
NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE HANDS ON PLAY PARTY!
VISIT OUR CO-HOSTS
Junk Yard Sensory Bin & Counting Game from Stir the Wonder
ITS YOUR TURN TO SHOW US YOUR HANDS-ON PLAY IDEAS.
Do you have a favorite Hands On Play Idea? How do you encourage hands on learning? I can’t wait to see! Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.
I love the photos, this activity looks fun and beautiful!
Thank you so much! So glad you like it!
Dose it need to be baby oil??
It needs oil. It can be mineral oil, baby oil, or another oil. Baby oil is just clear 🙂
Thank you . I have one concern and one comment. So when I used baby oil, after a few times the clear baby oil turned white and muggy. Is this spossed to happen? And my comment is; today I used veggie oil.I used a orangey~red color and vegtable oil is yellow, thinking i could use a sunset. I used the food coloring last, so there were little bits of drops of coloring in the oil. I thought it was SOO cool. I will show you a picture in about a hour or so.
Thank you,
Melissa
How interesting. I have seen it turn cloudy before, mine did not this time. It just depend on the brand? Also I would love to see the discovery jar you made! Sounds awesome!
Do you mix 1/2 colored water and 1/2 oil? Also how full do you fill the bottle? Thanks.
I do use about 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. I just poured straight into the bottle but you could use a funnel as well. I’d love to see them after you finish 🙂
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Fun activity ..its will help me in future to be a good teacher ..
Thanks for sharing 🙂
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how do you remove the VOSS symbol on the bottle? is the bottle plastic?
Yes, We only use the plastic bottles and the label comes right off. If any residue is left we use some of our lemon essential oils to take it right off.
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I have an older child (eleven). Is there a sensory bottle designed for older kids?
I use all of these with my older children. They love making them. What is your child interested in and how old, I could make something 🙂
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