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DIY Sensory Bin With PVC Pipe

by Greg Smedley-Warren September 8, 2015 6 comments
I feel like I am on a mission to bring PVC pipe to every classroom in the world!   Plus, I am also kind of obsessed with PVC Pipe and all of the fun stuff you can make with it.  I mean…I keep coming up with new ways to use it (and so do so many other amazingly talented teachers and bloggers!)!   Why not?!  The stuff is cheap.  It can be painted to match your classroom.  Did I mention cheap?!  And it really is a simple solution to some of our classroom needs!  Today we’re doing a DIY Sensory Bin with PVC Pipe!
So, I’ve shown you my PVC Pipe Math centers….my 3 sided PVC pipe pocket chart stand…my PVC pipe mini anchor chart stand….and today….

DIY SENSORY BIN

diy sensory bin

NEW AND IMPROVED!  

This year we decided we wanted to add a sensory bin for math as well.  Unfortunately we could not find the same sensory bin we used for the original DIY sensory bin so we had to build a new one.  The new one is bigger and much more sturdy with 2 support bars.

This is our newest sensory bin container.  We bought 2 of these from Lowes.  They are bigger and deeper than the original so it gives us more room to fill and play!

This is the new sensory bin stand.  You can see it has 2 support bars because the bin is bigger and will be heavier when full.  This also makes spills a little less likely.

The measurements are:

Four legs-26″

Long sides-20″

Short Sides-16″

Support Bars-16″

Support Bar Sides-2″

You will need:

4 T connectors

4 elbow connectors

8 three sided connectors

Now we have a literacy sensory bin and a math sensory bin.  During literacy center clean up time, one student is assigned the job of snapping the lid on the sensory bin, removing it and placing the math sensory bin into the stand so it’s ready for math centers.  During math center clean up time, they switch them so we’re ready for literacy centers the next day!

Below is our original post with our original sensory bin!

You will need:

PVC Pipe
Elbow connectors (2)
3 sided connector (8)
T connector (2)
Pool Noodles (optional)
The sensory bin itself is a Rubbermaid container.  It has a lid so if I want to seal the bin overnight or on weekends I can.
The stand itself is 26″ tall.  (You will need 4 legs at your desired height)
The long sides are 22″ long (You will need 4 of these…2 top and 2 bottom)
The short sides are 16″ long (You will need 5 of these…2 top and 2 bottom and 1 for the support bar)
You will also need two pieces that are 2″ long to attach the support bar.
The support bar is VERY important!   Even if your bin fits snugly into your stand, you need the support bar to hold the weight.  Otherwise you have 10 pounds of pink sand everywhere and one very upset 5 year old!   True story.  The support bar is required!
Our bin has held up for 5 years now!  10 pounds of sand….aquarium rocks…epsom salt…the support bar is the key!  (Do you see how much I am reminding you about that support bar?! )
You will need to cut 2 of the 22″ pieces in half and connect them with a T connector so you can attach the support bar!
You will attach the elbows to the bottom of the support bar connector pieces and attach the support bar to the elbows!
After you cut the pieces, it’s pretty simple to assemble your sensory bin or sensory table!
I did not use any glue to assemble my sensory bin stand.  I just slide the pipe into the fittings!  You can use glue if you want!
I also cut pool noodle pieces to fit onto the sides of our stand.  This just made the sensory bin more secure in the stand!  Less wiggle room so less chance of a spill!
If you want some ideas on how I use our sensory bin, check out this post all about our sensory bin!
For 25 ideas to fill you sensory bins, check out this post:
sensory bin fillers

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mm

Howdy, I am Mr. Greg. I have been teaching for 11 years. I spent a year teaching fifth grade, two years in second grade and am now in my 9th year in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is my passion and my calling but honestly, that wasn’t how it started. Read the whole story >

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6 comments

Jennifer Tice September 8, 2015 at 10:07 pm

Love it! Thanks for sharing! I've shown my husband some PVC pipe chart stands and asked him if he could make them. He said they would be easy to make! (It's crazy how $$$ they are online)

Reply
Debbie Shaw September 9, 2015 at 9:02 pm

Great ideas! I love your site- Thanks for all that you do- I know that you love building with the PVC pipes, guess what??? so do you babies!! I just cut a bunch of PVC pipe and got some connectors and put them in a container and the kids LOVE to build with them! Kids of all ages! I did this about 10 years ago with PK and then in 2nd grade and now in K and each age loved them!! Just thought maybe I could share an idea with you for once 🙂

Reply
Anne February 12, 2016 at 6:12 pm

Great writing. Thanks

Reply
James D Moore September 8, 2018 at 10:36 am

What size PVC do you use for your projects, especially the sensory bin?

Reply
Jason Warren-Smedley September 9, 2018 at 7:50 am

3/4″

Reply
Jessica Sun September 20, 2018 at 8:56 pm

What size container do you use?

Reply

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