I have gotten a few questions wondering where our Sensory Bin items end up when not in use! I put off on sharing for awhile because it was honestly all a big unorganized mess for a long time! I finally put my system in place and can share now!!! It isn’t perfect and I still lose stuff and wonder where I put something, but overall it works for us!
Here’s my main sensory Bin storage area, which is located in my storage room {the one I gained when we renovated and added the new schoolroom}. This storage room is as big of a blessing as the actual schoolroom itself! The bottom green bin is not sensory bin items, but is where I am now keeping printable theme units when we are finished.
Here’s how it is all broken down…
Colors
I had these colored drawers in my basement unused and they seemed like the perfect place to store items by color. I often pick a base color for my bins so I keep the colored items sorted this way and an get to them easily for bins or even other activities regarding colors.
In the white drawers, I keep extra random supplies for the bins and for other Tot Tray activities. I often will pull these out in the middle of the week to add an activity to the bin.
Seasons
Each season has a drawer or a bin {I didn’t want to spend any money on matching bins so I used what I had that was empty!}. Things that would ONLY be used during that season are placed in these bins/drawers.
Themes
I have 1 big bin and in that bin each theme {pets, space, farm, bugs, sports, etc.} has a gallon sized ziploc bag to store the items. I have this bin on top so I can easily place new items for upcoming themes in side the baggies. My mom often sends us a box of bin items and this way I can easily sort any new theme items quickly and not forget what I have!
Multiple use Items
Some things are used for various bins, but aren’t a particular color. Those items are bagged up and placed in a bin labeled “Sensory Bin Items.” As you can see it is currently a mess and overflowing! I need to get a bigger bin and redo this part of my system!
The Next Bin{s}
I have several of the same bin ready for rotation {also an unused item in my basement from an old train table we used to have!}. I try to stay at least 1 bin ahead, sometimes 2. I begin to gather contents and go ahead and place them in the upcoming bin. Then the night before it goes out, I open it all and get it all pretty ;-).
I do use other items in sensory bins, that aren’t stored in these places, and I do my best to remember these things!
Counting Coconuts has a great post about this exact same topic and she goes deep into other FAQ about Sensory Bins, be sure to jump over there and check it out!
See more Behind the Scenes Posts here!
See our Simple Sensory Bin Collection here!
