Outer Space Sensory Bin Using DIY Galaxy Rice

Create a fun Outer Space Sensory Bin using DIY Galaxy Rice! This easy, budget-friendly, activity will keep your kids entertained with creative play ideas and hands-on space fun!

Looking for a fun, easy, and budget-friendly activity for the kiddos? Let’s blast off into creative play with a outer space-themed sensory bin using DIY galaxy-colored dyed rice as the base!

This quick and simple activity uses supplies you can grab from Amazon, Target’s Dollar Spot, or the Dollar Store. With the help of some basic household ingredients, you can even dye your own rice for a galaxy-inspired look. The setup is simple, but the fun lasts for hours!

Why Make An Outer Space Sensory Bin?

Sensory bins are always a hit because they’re inexpensive, easy to set up, and kids absolutely love them! Using dyed rice in colors like black, navy, purple, and blue creates a stunning outer space backdrop perfect for pretend space missions. It’s ideal for scooping, sorting, and exploring textures, plus the crunchy texture is so satisfying for little hands.

Add in some mini astronauts, glow-in-the-dark stars, planets, and moon rocks, and you’ve got yourself a stellar world full of cosmic adventures! Space-themed sensory bins help kids explore creativity, develop fine motor skills, and enjoy hands-on learning through imaginative space play.

The Best Outer Space Colored Rice Sensory Bin

What You’ll Need

Before you get started, make sure you’ve got everything prepped and ready to go. The best part about this outer space sensory bin is that it’s totally customizable! I’ve linked what we used from Amazon below.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make a batch of Colored Rice. This recipe is based on using 1 cup of rice. If you’d like to make a larger batch, simply multiply the ingredients by the number of cups of rice you plan to use. I recommend using 4 to 8 cups of rice, depending on the size of your sensory bin:

• 1 cup Uncooked Rice
• 1 tsp Vinegar or Rubbing Alcohol
• Food Coloring or Liquid Water Colors

Extras for the outer space sensory bin:

• Wooden Planets and Figurines
• Mini Astronauts (these astronaut erasers are so cute!)
• Space-Themed Cookie Cutters (rocket ships, stars, moons)
• Glow Stars, Rocks, Gems, or other space-themed trinkets
• Silicone Cupcake Liners or Small Bowls
• Scoops and Funnel or Tongs and Tweezers or Spoons
• Sensory Bin (or any container big enough for your child to play in)

Pro Tip: This sensory bin uses Colored Rice as the filler. But if you don’t have rice or want to switch it up, other fillers like Kinetic Sand, Colored Chickpeas, Colored Pasta, Taste-Safe Kinetic Sand, Moon Dough, Cloud Dough or Edible Play Dough work great too! Click the links for step-by-step instructions to make your own.

Check out our blog post about Essential Sensory Bin Supplies to have on hand, making it easy to set-up multiple different sensory bins in seconds!

How to Dye Rice (Quick and Easy!)

If you’ve never dyed rice before, you’re in for a treat! It’s SO simple, budget friendly, and takes only a few minutes to prep. Plus, it adds a fun sensory experience before the bin even comes together.

Check out our post on How To Make Colored Rice with step-by-step directions, along with helpful tips and tricks for dying rice. Here’s a short version for how you can whip up a batch in no time:

1. Grab some uncooked rice

Go with the budget-friendly kind! You’ll need about 4-8 cups total, depending on the size of your bin.

2. Add food coloring

Divide the rice into ziplock bags, one for each color you want. Squirt a few drops of food coloring into each bag along with a teaspoon of white vinegar or rubbing alcohol per 1 cup of rice (this helps the color set).

3. Shake it up!

Shake the bags. Let your kids help shake them—this part is really fun! Shake until all the rice is evenly coated in bright color.

4. Spread out the rice to dry

Lay the colored rice on a parchment paper or a baking sheet to dry. It usually takes about 1-2 hours to fully dry, but it’ll be good to go once it feels nice and dry to the touch.

Now, you have beautiful dyed rice! You can store it in an airtight container and use it over and over again for different activities.

How to Set Up Your Outer Space Sensory Bin

1. Fill the Bin

Start by pouring your dyed galaxy rice into a large sensory bin or container. We used black, purple, navy, and blue to give it a real outer space feel. Spread it evenly across the bottom.

2. Add Space Toys and Trinkets

Place your mini astronauts, plastic planets, glow-in-the-dark stars, and sparkly “moon rocks” on top of the rice. You can even bury a few items for kids to “discover” while digging through space!

3. Add Scoops and Tongs

To make the bin even more interactive, toss in some scoops, tongs, bowls, and funnels. These tools help build fine motor skills as kids collect space treasures, transfer rice between containers, and dig for buried planets.

4. Let Them Play

Now that the bin is ready, it’s time for your little space explorers to take off on their galactic mission! Watch as they land rockets, search for alien life, sort planets, and bring their imagination to life.

Creative Play Ideas for Your Outer Space Sensory Bin

Once the outer space sensory bin is set up, here are a few extra activities to keep the fun going:

1. Meteorite Hunt

Bury gems, rocks, or marbles (your “meteorites”) in the rice and challenge your child to find and collect them using tongs. They can count them, sort by size, or launch them into a cup “space station.”

2. Rocket Fuel Station

Set up small bowls as pretend rocket fuel tanks. Kids can scoop galaxy rice into them using funnels and spoons, pretending to refuel their space vehicles.

3. Scoop and Pour

Include measuring cups, scoops, funnels, and small bowls in the sensory bin for a classic scoop-and-pour activity. Kids can practice transferring the rice from one container to another, experimenting with quantities and different tools.

Why We Love This Outer Space Sensory Bin

What’s not to love about this galaxy-inspired outer space sensory bin? It’s easy to put together, super budget-friendly, and endlessly reusable. Once playtime is over, just store the rice and toys in airtight containers or bags and you’ll be ready for your next space mission.

Whether your child is launching rockets, discovering planets, or just exploring textures with their hands, this sensory bin provides out-of-this-world fun and endless learning through play.