Button Excavating: A digging sensory activity

Get your toddler digging in Button Excavating.

I love throwing random activity supplies together and seeing how things come out. Sometimes, it’s a complete bust – I won’t lie. Other times, it’s totally magical. Button Excavating is one of those magical times.

Talk about an easy indoor activity for a toddler. Button Excavating is just perfect for a rainy day or a day when Mom needs a little peace, quiet, and concentrating toddler play time.

Build a simple Button Excavating bin for your toddler.

Materials:
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• Small storage tub
• Corn meal (also called maize meal or polenta meal)
• Buttons
• Small colanders

The set up for this digging activity was so simple. I dumped two boxes of corn meal into a small storage tub, added in a few handfuls of buttons, and some colanders. A simple premise! Corn meal is unlike any sensory bin material. It pours like rice, but it’s fine like flour. It retains hand prints and things bury really well in it. It’s a fantastic sensory bin “base”.

I made sure to sit with my toddler, Sam, to start this activity because I wanted to model for him how to shake the colanders to “pan for buttons” (think gold mining). He thought this was brilliant!

The excavating bin was a hit. Sam dug with his hands, used his colanders, and even got himself some more tools from the kitchen. His go-to kitchen item is always a slotted spoon so it’s no surprise he added that.

After a while, we decided to add a few more items into the bin: jars, a funnel, an ice cube tray. I like to add a few extra items to sensory bins after my toddler has been playing for a while. This seems to reset the game clock and suddenly Button Excavating took on a whole new life.

The best tip I can give after doing this activity is to “double bin” it. I built the sensory bin in a small storage tub and set that tub in a larger “under the bed” storage tub. Worked like a charm to keep everything contained.

Button Excavating was a huge hit. I kept this bin up and running for about a week and my toddler consistently kept going back for more. I love when easy activities like Button Excavating can be a week-long hit. It’s always nice to have a new, shiny “toy” to distract a toddler with.

Button Excavating is such an easy activity. If you need more excavating fun, try my Jello Dig.

Would your toddler love a Button Excavating bin?