Charlotte’s Web Sensory Bin
A fun farm-themed sensory bin perfect for exploring after reading or watching Charlotte’s Web. This Charlotte’s Web Themed Sensory Bin incorporates adjectives, animal finger puppets and plenty of farm-themed textures for a multi-sensory learning experience.
Charlotte’s Web Sensory Activity
The basis of this sensory bin is learning about the adjectives that Charlotte used to describe Wilbur in the book.
You can use this as a jumping off point for many other activities:
- brainstorming adjectives to describe each other
- defining the words used to describe Wilbur
- thinking of synonyms for the adjectives used to describe Wilbur
- describing the different materials in the sensory bin using adjectives
Since I was only planning on using this bin once – to try and renew some interest in the book for my daughter – I didn’t laminate my web words. However, if you want to get multiple uses out of your sensory bin, I highly advise laminating the words so they don’t get ripped. Laminating them would also allow you to write synonyms on the webs. This is the laminator I use, and I just buy the super cheap packages of laminate sheets from Amazon. It costs about 13 cents a sheet to laminate which lets us get so much use out of any activity we laminate.
Charlotte’s Web Words:
- Humble
- Radiant
- Some Pig
- Terrific
In the interest of full disclosure, I wanted to let you know that I was so excited to share this children’s classic with my daughter as it was the first novel I ever read independently as a child and it holds a special place in my heart… only to discover that she is a much more sensitive child than I ever was. We only got about one third of the way through the book before we had to literally shelf it, as she would end up crying and begging for me to stop. Wilbur being sent away from Fern, Wilbur being scheduled for slaughter, the other animals being mean to Wilbur, the presence of a rat in the story – these were things that didn’t upset me as a child but greatly upset my daughter and made continuing with this book impossible for her.
The book also does end with Charlotte dying after laying a sac of eggs, which can be another sad theme for children. As with any book or movie, your own knowledge of your child and their sensitivities are key in determining if this book is the right fit. As much as I wish I could have shared my love of this book with my daughter, it wasn’t the right fit for her – but she still very much enjoyed this sensory bin.
Materials for a Charlotte’s Web Sensory Bin
- Craft hay <– we also used this in our scarecrow sensory bin
- Barley, dyed yellow <– leftover from our rainbow barley sensory bin
- Acrylic yellow sunflowers
- Animal finger puppets: spider, lamb, pig and a mouse (since we didn’t have a rat)
- Paper webs with the adjectives written on them: “radiant”, humble, some pig and terrific
Tip: if you want to get multiple uses out of this sensory bin, consider laminating the webs so they don’t get ripped.
Other materials you could include:
- Scoops
- Toy tractors or farm equipment
- Popcorn kernals
- Fake spider webs
- Plastic spiders
- Blue ribbon
- Small figurines to represent different characters in the book
- Real flowers or plant trimmings
How to Make a Charlotte’s Web Sensory Bin
Place the barley or other sensory bin filler in a large bin or bowl.
Scatter on the acrylic sunflowers.
Cover the filler partially with the craft hay.
Place the finger puppets and webs prominently in the sensory bin.
Allow children to explore the sensory bin on their own for a bit before interacting or introducing any new ideas. (Use our list above for ways to explore adjectives.)
Pin this Charlotte’s Web Activity for Exploring Adjectives:
Grab your free printable instructions for how to make a Charlotte’s web sensory bin:
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This sensory bin is a great way to explore adjectives with kids and a great activity to accompany reading Charlotte’s Web.
For more book-inspired sensory bins, check out our Madeline Sensory Bin or our Yoko Small World Sensory Bin.
