# Desert Sensory Bin > Fill a bin with cornmeal, shape flat areas and dunes, and add rocks, wood chips and desert animal figures. Kids then build and play in their own American Southwest desert small world while learning about the habitat. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-desert-sensory-bin/ - Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium - Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids - Skills: sensory-exploration, animal-habitats, small-world-play, pretend-play, science, fine-motor - Cautions: corn, ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - Cornmeal - 1 piece Sensory bin or large plastic tub (household) - 1 set Desert animal figurines (desert TOOB) - Rocks (smooth, flat stones) - Wood chips and small logs or driftwood - 1 piece Basket or tray for the extra materials (optional) (household) - Brown powdered tempera paint (or red and green) (optional) - 1 piece Airtight container (optional) (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of tempera paint: Red and green powdered tempera mixed together (The author's alternative for getting an even brown color.) - Instead of cornmeal: Rice, beans or bird seed (The author mentions these as sensory bases for her other bins. They were not tried for this desert bin.) ## Safety - Small animal figurines, rocks and wood chips can be choking hazards. Supervise closely, especially with kids who still mouth toys. - Cornmeal is a food, but treat the bin as a play material, not a snack. Once tempera paint is mixed in it is not taste-safe. - Keep cornmeal dust away from eyes, and sweep up spills so no one slips. - Corn allergy: cornmeal is the base. Check for corn allergies before play. - When storing for reuse, toss the cornmeal if it smells bad or shows weevils or other bugs. ## Before you start - Gather the desert animal figurines, rocks and wood chips, and set them out in a basket. ## Steps 1. Pour cornmeal into the sensory bin as the desert base. 2. If you want a brown desert, mix in brown (or red and green) powdered tempera paint until the color is even. 3. Shape the terrain: large flat areas in the middle and sand dunes in the corners. 4. Set out the rocks, wood chips and desert animals next to the bin. 5. Let the child build their own desert world: stack rocks, make patterns or make homes for the animals. 6. Act out desert scenes: lizards camouflaged on logs, scorpions under rocks, snakes slithering under the sand. 7. Talk about each animal's characteristics and diet while pretending to be that animal. 8. Take turns being an animal and chase each other around the cornmeal. 9. When playtime is over, pour the cornmeal into an airtight container to reuse. ## Tips - The extra materials don't need to be used in a particular way. They're there to be used however pleases the kid. I expected stacking, patterns or animal homes, and she actually did all of those. - My 4-year-old is more interested in small world play when she helps create it. She simply LOVES building her own little world when given the right materials. - Just by playing and asking questions, you can keep a fun, light conversation going and introduce new concepts about the habitat. - This bin is based on the American South Western Deserts. Sorry, no camels! We don't own a camel figurine. - A coyote and road runner face-off is a great chance to talk about the old Road Runner show. - Cornmeal kept more than 6 months in an airtight container. Toss it once it smells bad. Warm-weather places get a shorter shelf life and more weevils and bugs, so try the freezer if you have space. ## FAQ **How long can I store the cornmeal for reuse?** The author kept it in an airtight container for more than 6 months. Toss it once it smells bad. Warm climates get a shorter shelf life and more bugs, and the freezer can help extend it. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013) Engaging in sensory activities has always been my kids’ favorite and I’m sure they are your kids’ favorite too. What’s not to like? Manipulating the sensory base which could be anything from [**rice**](https://www.funlittles.com/quick-play-idea-with-rainbow-rice/), [**beans**](https://www.funlittles.com/halloween-sensory-bin/) , [**bird seeds**](https://www.funlittles.com/fall-sensory-bin/) to even shaving cream can be a wonderful experience which stimulates multiple senses. My preschooler has been having fun with various sensory activities turned small world set ups of various animal habitats. She adored her **[sandbox savannah](https://www.funlittles.com/earth-day-activities-sandbox-savannah/)**, [**S****outh pole**](https://www.funlittles.com/animals-of-antarctica/) model and recently her **[pond sensory bin](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-pond-life-sensory-play/)[.](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-pond-life-sensory-play/)** When we started reading more about lizards she became very curious about other animals living in the same area. So we ended up gathering her desert TOOB and created a simple desert sensory bin. Sensory activities have always been THE best way to learn and introduce newer concepts for us. Just by playing and asking questions, I’m able to keep a fun and light conversation going with the child. Please note that the following desert sensory bin is based only on the American South Western Deserts. Sorry no camels! I just realized we don’t own a camel figurine ( what a shame! and I’m pretty sure if we had a camel toy, it would have gone into the sensory bin anyway!) ### Desert Sensory Bin Creation We used **corn meal as the base** for the sensory bin. If you want it to be brown just add brown ( or red and green) powdered tempera paint to get an even color. I just had the cornmeal itself. I also created a simple terrain with large flat areas and sand dunes in the corners.I set our a few rocks and wood chips for added interest. Extra manipulative need not be used in a particular fashion. They were there simply to be used in any way that pleases the kid. I expected her to stack or create patterns or even make homes for the animals..It is cool that she actually did all those... She created her world with a specific play for each and every item in the bin. We had lizards on logs camouflaging There were scorpions under the rocks, snakes slithering under the desert sand.. We had mountain lions hanging out on the rocks and a coyote road runner face off. I told her about the old Road Runner show and she has been asking me to show her a video. She even created a tent for the explorer camper. An explorer with a pet bob cat? This sensory activity was a great way for her to have fun and learn more about the habitat. We talked about the characteristics and diet of various animals while pretending to be one. My kids and I took turns pretending to be an animal and were chasing around each other in the cornmeal bliss. The cornmeal base was perfect for us. In our household with my 4-year-old she is more interested in a small world play when she participates in the creation. She simply LOVES to create her own little small world when given appropriate materials. I'm hoping in a few months we will be able to even come up with even the materials needed to create a small world. Do you think your child would love a desert sensory bin? [](https://www.funlittles.com/animals-of-antarctica/) Thanks for reading!