Soapy Sea Foam Sensory Bin for Kids

Learn how to make a Sea Foam Sensory Bin for your kids this Summer. This is a fun sensory play activity for toddlers and preschoolers who love to learn through play. Use it at home to have a great time on a hot summer day, or in the classroom for an ocean week themed unit. Either way your children will love this themed sensory activity.

Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.

More Summer Sensory Play Ideas

Do you have a play tray in your backyard? Use it for any of these summer themed sensory ideas. It’s a fun way to get your kids playing outside and learning at the same time.

1. Watermelon Sensory Bin
2. Summer Lemon Sensory Bin
3. Watermelon Slime for Kids
4. Dyed Seashells Sensory Bin
5. Beach and Ocean Sensory Squish Bag

For more ideas, take a look at these 25 Summer Sensory Activities.

Materials Needed

1. 1/4 cup Dish Soap
2. 1/2 cup of Water
3. 5 – 10 drops of blue food coloring
4. A large bowl
5. A handheld mixer
6. A large container
7. Toy sea animals
8. Spoons, cups and other sensory bin tools.

How to make a Sea Foam Sensory Bin

1. Place the water, dish soap and about 10 drops of food coloring into a large bowl.

If you’re doing this activity with younger kids, you may prefer to use tear free bubble bath instead of dish soap. That way if any of the soap foam gets into your child’s eyes, or if they have sensitive skin, they won’t have any issues.

2. Use a handheld mixer to stir your ingredients together, until the foam becomes frothy.

I’ve also tried making soap foam using a food processor, but found that it didn’t work for me. I really recommend using a hand mixer instead, it was definitely the easiest way.

3. Pour or scoop the sea foam into your big container.

I repeated steps 2 and 3 a few times, because I found that the bowl I was using to mix the foam in was too small. So I mixed until the foam reached the top, scooped it into the tub, then went back to mix some more.

I found that by doing it this way, I was able to get 95% of the mixture to turn into bubbles, and only had a very small amount of liquid leftover.

4. Add in your ocean animals.

Place some toy sea creatures into the foam. Mine sunk to the bottom of the ocean sensory bin straight away. Which my kids loved because it meant that they had to go hunting for them.

The only things that I would have liked to add to this activity are some sea shells. I think they would have been a great idea that my kids would have enjoyed.

5. Enjoy playing.

Different ways to play with your ocean theme sensory foam

Scoop and Pour

Scoop up the bubbles and pour them into another container. We used the bucket from our sandbox and large kitchen spoons or our hands to move the bubbles around.

Scavenger Hunt

Find all of the different sea animals hiding underneath the bubbles. If you know what animals you’re going to be hiding, why not make a scavenger hunt for your kids to use. That way, each time they find an animal they can find it on the list and check it off.

Bubble bath

After my kids had finished finding the animals, I added water to our sea foam. My kids always have so much fun playing with water and I find that adding water at the end of our sensory activities always helps the activity go for a little bit longer.

My little girl ended up giving the animals their own bubble bath. Practicing washing her hands about 100 times, and just enjoying watching how the bubbles move on top of the water.

Summer Activity Pack

Educational printables for preschoolers and kindergarteners for this Summer.

Get it here

What you’re learning

Fine Motor Skills

The term ‘fine motor’ refers to the small muscles in the fingers and hands. Strong fine motor skills are important, not only for being able to write when big kids go to school, but for kids of all ages to be able to complete tasks independently, (Like feeding themselves, brushing teeth and getting dressed).

Scooping, pouring and picking up sea animals all help to strengthen little hands. These different movement are a great way for kids to work on:

1. Palmar grasp (for holding spoons)
2. Hand-eye coordination (placing foam in a bucket or cup)
3. Pincer or tripod grip (for picking up the small animals)
4. Muscle strength

STEM

Science – Learn all about different sea creatures. Talk to your kids about the different animals they find hidden in the bubble foam. This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss what these animals eat, how they move and where they live.

Technology – Using a hand mixer is a great introduction to some technology to young kids. Show your kids what it does and how to use it. Older kids may even be able to do this step for you if you are willing to let them try.

Sensory Experience

Messy play is a great way for kids to explore through all of their senses, but especially their sense of touch. That’s why early childhood education is filled with hands-on learning activities, because we learn best by doing. Strengthen those sensory input pathways in the brain, buy using sensory materials like this fun ocean sensory activity. Not only does this help children with special needs, but it helps all children develop brains that are ready to learn.

Are you going to make this Sea Foam Sensory Bin for your kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.

More Play Based Learning for Kids

60 Summer Activities for Kids

60 Sensory Activities for Kids