These weather sensory bottles are so much fun! Explore 3 different types of weather with these mesmerizing DIY sensory bottles. And you only need an empty water bottle and a few simple add-ins, like sequins, glitter, and cotton balls!
Sensory bottles are great for toddlers, kids, and even adults to focus and relieve anxiety. And these weather sensory bottles are a cool way to combine science, learning, and fun!
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website.
How to Make Weather Sensory Bottles
Enjoy making 3 types of weather sensory bottles using simple craft supplies. Follow our step by step instructions to make sensory bottles representing a cloudy sky with gentle rain, a rainstorm, or a sunny summer sky.
Materials:
Cloudy with Rain Sensory Bottle:
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Prepare your water bottle:
-
Rinse or wash out an empty water bottle to make sure it’s clean. Remove the label.
-
Clean the outside of the bottle to remove any glue residue. You can wipe this with rubbing alcohol, Goo Gone, or simply soak the bottle in warm, soapy water.
Cloudy with Rain Sensory Bottle:
Enjoy playing with your weather sensory bottles!
-
Tilt your sensory bottles back and forth, watching the add-ins slowly fall.You can have fun with these DIY sensory bottles at home, or use them at school to learn about different types of weather!
Helpful Tips:
- You can make a sensory bottle for every type of weather! Read below for some other suggestions.
- Once you’re happy with your sensory bottle you can use hot glue or super glue on the lid to prevent little hands from opening it.
What liquid is best for making weather sensory bottles?
There are two types of liquids that are popular for making sensory bottles. Either one works well for these sensory bottles.
1. Water mixture
We used a mixture of water and glycerin for two of our sensory bottles. It’s a great way to make slow moving sensory bottles with heavier items, like beads.
Instead of glycerin you can also use: clear dish soap, clear glue, clear hair gel, or white corn syrup. Add mostly water to your bottle and then play around with the ratios to get a good thickness, where the add-ins sink slowly.
2. Oil
Baby oil (mineral oil) works really well to make sensory bottles with lighter weight add-ins, like glitter. You can buy a bottle of baby oil at the dollar store and pour it right into your water bottle, with no worries about figuring out ratios or combining other ingredients.
You can also use cooking oil to make sensory bottles, but keep in mind that your sensory bottle liquid will be yellow. This would work well to make a variation of the sunny sensory bottle!
What are the best bottles for making weather sensory bottles?
It’s always better to use a bottle you already have at home in your recycling. But if you can, try to use a clear bottle with non-ridged sides.
We like to use VOSS water bottles. The 500 mL VOSS bottles are a top choice for making sensory bottles because they have a wide opening, allowing larger items to fit in. These bottles also have a flat bottom, and a nice silver cap that makes the sensory bottles look like something you can buy in a store!
Other water bottles to look for include Sparkling ICE. These bottles are tall and flat-sided, but the opening is quite narrow and the bottom isn’t flat.
Core Hydration water bottles are also popular for making weather sensory bottles. The blue cap fits right in, looking like the sky!
And if you don’t want to make a full size sensory bottle you can also use travel sized shampoo bottles or test tubes with caps. These mini sensory bottles are just as fun!
What other weather sensory bottles can I make?
You can make a whole variety of sensory bottles for every type of weather! Here are some other ideas:
- Hail: Clear flat glass gems or marbles
- Windy: Fabric leaves
- Stormy: Lots of cotton balls or pom poms for clouds with yellow pipe cleaners or ribbon as the lightning
- Cloudy (without rain): White cotton balls or pom poms with (or without) a bit of blue food colouring
- Snowy: Silver or white iridescent glitter with snowflake shaped confetti
- Rainbow: Check out our rainbow sensory bottles post for instructions on how to make these bottles using Orbeez water beads
- Sunny (variation): Yellow and/or gold glitter
Create a weather themed sensory experience with these DIY weather sensory bottles! Learn about the wonders of weather while making one of these relaxing calm jars.
Here’s even more sensory bottle ideas:
Rainbow Sensory Bottles
Oil and Water Sensory Bottles
DIY Sensory Bottles
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
