Sensory Calming Bottles.
- Amy Williams
- Dec 16, 2017
- 2 min read
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It's no secret that I like glitter! Clearing it up, no, but playing with it, yes!
So I decided to embrace the festive spirit by creating some Sensory Calming Bottles with one of my teen therapy groups. It turned out to be the perfect way to end the year!
They liked it so much i'm sharing the method with you so that you can make it with your teens/tweens at home.
For this project you will need:
A plastic bottle (or jar)*
Some warm water
Glitter glue
A few drops of gel food colouring
A small pot of glitter.
*If you are living in Hong Kong then my suggestion is that you use the smallest version of the COOL water bottles (remember to take the label off). These bottles are the perfect size to carry around and they feature a fun diamond pattern around the top., which adds texture. Scroll down to see some examples of how my students transformed these bottles.
Step 1
Ask your teen to drink about a third of the water out of their water bottle (practicing the benefits of hydration at the same time!), then refill the same amount with hot water so that the bottle feels warm to the touch.
Step 2
Add the glitter glue and stir until the glitter and water is combined.
Step 3
Add your pot of glitter, yes all of it! (What's the worst that could happen.....). This is when you get to shake the bottle, (with the lid on!! and yes this will need to be re-iterated a few times).
Step 4
Add a few drops of food colouring, start off with a 'less is more approach', until you reach the desired effect. If you use too much food colouring then it will detract from the sparkly effect of the glitter.
Step 5
Top the bottle up, or pour out a little water until your bottle looks the way you want it to.
Disclaimer
The glitter will go everywhere, be prepared.
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Helpful Hint
If you're creating these at school and using a hot water dispenser, remind your students not to pour the hot water directly on to the plastic otherwise your bottle will end up looking a little like this one... Still looks fabulous though!
Amy Williams is an experienced counsellor working with pre-teens, teenagers and young adults in schools and private practice in Hong Kong, (see 'About Amy' for more info).
