Construction Site Small World Sensory Bin

It’s no secret that my little guy LOVES vehicles, especially ones with wheels!  With the weather being warmer, and plenty of work to be done in the garden, those cars and trucks have been seeing plenty of dirt.

We created our construction site small world sensory bin so there is always a chance to play in the dirt, no matter what the weather.  (Plus, it keeps the kids from digging in my flower bed, too!)

Before starting construction, I searched the recyclables bin.  I found a small cocoa can and removed the bottom.  This would become our tunnel later.

I also found a couple plastic lids.  I decided the larger of the two would become a pond and cut the smaller one to become a bridge, which I hot glued across the top. 

My little helper didn’t want his bridge to advertise margarine, so I hot glued some black felt across the top before adding the bridge and pond to the construction site.

I found a large, shallow storage container to use for the sensory bin.  We started off by putting a few shovels of dirt in the bottom.  When I couldn’t get the dirt to stick to the top of our tunnel, my husband suggested we make a few cardboard retaining walls.   (As you can see in the picture, we used a bit of blue duct tape to hold them in place.)

The retaining walls held the dirt in place perfectly!

Some gravel from the driveway, a few small plants, miniature construction signs made with craft foam and toothpicks, and a few cut up drinking straws acting like pipes, and the construction zone was ready for business!

The workers couldn’t wait to get started building!

One of my favorite parts of our construction site bin is that it is easily stored in the garage, ready for the next play session.

If you have a little boy in your life, chances are he likes trucks, and there’s a good chance he likes a little dirt, too!  Why not put the two together and make your own ultimate little boy sensory bin?