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There's one thing that we could use more of in our days and that is a sense of calm. Thankfully, I now have a secret weapon for calming my boys. I recently started exploring essential oils and lavender has quickly become a favorite in our house. So I decided we needed to add some lavender scented sensory bin fillers to our sensory stash. We haven't used dried beans for awhile, so I figured I'd try dyeing and scenting some.









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To make lavender scented beans, I put navy beans and 4 drops of lavender essential oil into a resealable plastic bag. I also added some color to my beans by using this dyeing method from Fun at Home with Kids. Unfortunately, I ran out of purple food coloring so I had to improvise with other colors. That's why my beans aren't uniform in color. Anyway, they totally smell amazing even if the color isn't quite perfect.









After letting the beans dry fully, it was time to play. I set out some measuring spoons and plastic cups for the boys, hoping they would engage in some quiet, calm sensory play . And guess what?! It totally worked! For once, the sensory filler wasn't tossed around like we were celebrating someone's birthday. Instead, simple scooping, pouring, and measuring took place. Some bean sandcastles were also attempted, but, of course, they didn't turn out like J had hoped.





K insisted on helping me get some close up pictures of the lavender scented beans. He made sure I took lots of pictures of the beans he scooped into his cup!





I think K wants you take a whiff of these lovely lavender beans. Too bad computer screens aren't equipped for scents yet.





Looking for more scented sensory play ideas? Try these ideas out:



