# Valentine's Sensory Jars
> Kids tint water in a jar with liquid watercolor, then drop in pom poms, foam hearts, spangles, flower petals, glitter and bath salts to make their own shimmering Valentine's sensory jar. Along the way they explore what sinks and what floats.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/valentines-sensory-jars/
- Ages: 3–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 25 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sink-and-float, science, sensory-exploration, fine-motor, colors
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Empty jar with lid (household)
- Washable liquid watercolor
- Water (household)
- 1 piece Pitcher or container with a spout (household)
- Pom poms
- Foam hearts and foam stickers
- Puffy stickers (optional)
- Spangles (sequins)
- Flowers or flower petals
- Glitter (silver and gold)
- 2 pinch Bath salts (optional)
- 1 piece Straw for stirring (household)
- 1 piece Divided tray or small bowls (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of jar: Plastic jar or bottle (The author says you can easily avoid the glass with any jar or bottle you think is safe for your household.)

## Safety
- Glass jars can break. The author notes you can easily avoid glass and use any jar or bottle you think is safe for your household, and plastic is the safer choice for groups and younger kids.
- Pom poms, spangles, foam stickers and other small pieces are choking hazards. Supervise closely, especially with toddlers.
- Bath salts and glitter are not for mouthing and can irritate eyes. Wash hands after play.
- Close the lid tightly before kids shake or carry the jar, and display finished jars somewhere safe, out of reach of little ones.

## Before you start
- Collect empty jars (and lids) and wash them.
- Go around the house with the kids collecting things that can go into the jars.
- Set the add-ins out in a divided tray or small bowls.

## Steps
1. Pick an empty jar.
2. Add a few drops of your favorite liquid watercolor.
3. Pour water into the jar until you like the color.
4. Drop in pom poms, puffy stickers, foam stickers and flower petals.
5. Stir with a straw and push the pom poms down. Watch what floats up and what sinks.
6. Let the jar rest, then sprinkle in silver and gold glitter.
7. Add a couple of pinches of bath salts.
8. Close the lid tightly and put your jar somewhere safe to show it off.

## Tips
- Make it collaborative: talk about sensory jars first and let the kids decide what goes in. Including children in setting up is just as important as playing.
- The best part was going around the house collecting all the things that can go into the jars.
- Use a container with a spout so the children can pour the water independently.
- When children create something themselves they're generally not destructive with it, because they take ownership and pride in their work.
- A simple jar with just a few elements looks lovely too.
- Light things like pom poms and foam stickers float. Heavier beads and sequins sink to the bottom. With older kids, turn it into a float-or-sink science experiment.
- One reader's glitter, beads and sequins clumped at the bottom while the pom poms and foam stickers stayed on top. It was still a big hit. (from readers)

## FAQ
**What's the point of the bath salts?** The activity is very process oriented: the children choose what they want to add to their 'concoction'. Bath salts are optional.
**Why did our glitter, beads and sequins clump at the bottom?** Light items like foam stickers and pom poms float, and heavier ones like beads and sequins sink to the bottom of the water. That's a great sink-and-float talking point.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

It's time to create another set of sensory jars. I love to collect all kinds of jars. A habit I picked up from my mother , never throw away glass jars! With my stash overflowing it was time to put it to use and what's better than showing these jars some love by making Valentine's sebsory jars. Remember our [**Fall Sensory Jars**](https://www.funlittles.com/fall-activities-fall-sensory-jars/) and our recent [**Snow Jars**](https://www.funlittles.com/winter-crafts-kids-snow-jars/)?

- Empty Glass Jars
- **[Washable Liquid Watercolor](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SR5R2/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Spangles
- Glitter
- Foam Hearts
- Bath Salts
- Flowers



Instead of me setting out all the materials, we made this into a collaborative process. I talked to them about making sensory jars and immediately my 5 year old had ideas about what can they go in the jars. We combined all our ideas ( including my 3 year old - her idea was GLITTER!) and set out the materials. I always try to include my children in setting up part of the activity since I think it is just as important as playing.

Since my 5 year old has already done this, when we did our fall sensory jars she knew how to make her own sensory jar using the supplies. She was pretty excited and took much pleasure to show her baby sister how it's done. Baby sister 3 had her own ideas though.Ha!

She started off with a few drops of her favorite liquid water color and poured water into the jar. ( Try to use a container with a spout so you can have the children do this part independently) Once she got the right shade of magenta water, she went ahead and added all the fun sensory elements we had collected. She added, pom poms, puffy stickers, foam stickers and flower petals first.



It was fn for both of them to experience sink and float. Big sister was trying to push the pom poms down and delighted in seeing them pop up and float on top. She played with a straw and was squishing the pom poms and mixing the solution and generally playing " concoctions" { We did a similar activity last spring - [**Spring Potions**](https://www.funlittles.com/spring-activities-explore-outdoors-and-make-flower-potions/)"}  It was the perfect opportunity when she brought up floating and sinking. Baby 3 chimed with the same concept much to my surprise (!) she learned at school. They personally saw the pom poms and foam sticker float up and the spangles sink to the bottom of the Valentine's sensory jar. After much stirring of the straws, jar was allowed to rest. Why? to add glitter ofcourse! No respectable glitter lover will make a pink Valentine's sensory jar with glitter!  There, we added silver and gold glitter and even a couple of pinches of bath salts.  It was a very engaging sensory activity for the children. The best part was where we went around the house collecting all the things that can go into the Valentine's sensory jars.

They will look great perched atop your mantle or any place you deem safe. You can easily avoid the glass and create the same sensory jars with any other jar/bottle you think are safe for your household. I always observe that if the *children create* something by themselves they are generally not destructive with those objects because they take ownership and pride in their work. Well if I had made say a jar candle, then that's a whole different story since I need to really keep them safe.



A simple jar with just a few elements