Rubber loom bands in a discovery bottle

Discovery bottles will bring wonder into your classroom!

Last week I shared with you how we used rubber loom bands to make our own musical instruments. Well, I collected way more loom bands than I needed for that particular process so while home on spring break, my grandson and I came up with a way to use up some of those loom bands…

The Process

This really couldn’t be more simple but my grandson enjoyed the process and loved making his own discovery bottle all by himself.  He started by putting a few loom bands in an empty water bottle…

Building Fine Motor Skills

Using his fingers to pick up the rubber bands and dropping them through the neck of the water bottle was great fine motor control and skill building material for my grandson…

Oh but after about two minutes of picking up rubber bands and poking them into the bottle just a few at a time, my grandson decided he had a better idea and grabbed a big bunch of rubber bands to put inside the bottle instead…

Using Trial and Error

But he started to figure out that in order to fill up his bottle with these rubber bands, he was going to have to be more patient… eventually…

So he went back and forth between trying to fit big handfuls of rubber bands into the bottle and just a few at a time into the bottle until he was happy with the amount of rubber bands he had in his bottle…

And then he was off to fill his bottle with water (which was actually his favorite part of this process)…

Exploring and Wondering

I made sure the lid was hot glued to the bottle nice and tight then my grandson was off to explore his very first, very own, made all by himself, discovery bottle…

 

My grandson ended up making two rubber loom band discovery bottles and I made one (so we had an extra for my younger grandson after nap time)…

Why We Love Discovery Bottles

The brightly colored rubber loom bands look great in the water and they do a terrific job of floating slowly around the water as you move it back and forth. This is a great way to ignite the senses and invite kids into the process. I think a taller bottle would look awesome and it just so happens that I still have a few left over to make one more discovery bottle to keep in the classroom…

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Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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