Capture the magic of mermaids and the ocean with this fun DIY sensory discovery bottle! It’s easy to make, and will make mermaid lovers happy to have a beautiful piece of the sea to treasure.
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Kids love exploring, and this sensory bottle brings the ocean right to their room. With sea-themed objects (like the seashells from your last beach trip) along with metallic twine, it’s a fun adventure to make!
It truly is our mission to bring the ocean to as many kids as possible, which is why we created this sensory bottle, and of course, why we write and illustrate children’s books about the ocean:

Check out our author page on Amazon here, featuring our four ocean-themed children’s books! Fabulous for ages 4-8, each with its own fun-filled undersea adventure.
While we don’t have mermaids in our books (yet!), this discovery bottle would be so fun to do with any one of our books to capture the spirit of the sea!
Now for the fun adventure:
You’ll need:

- sensory bottle (we used this one from Michaels)
- metallic twine (we used gold and rose gold…and have a LOT left for wrapping gifts!) — OR use regular twine!
- scissors
- blue food coloring
- skewer
- tiny treasures like seashells, starfish beads, plastic seahorse, etc.
- distilled water OR mineral oil
- mineral oil is best for preventing metal objects from rusting…honestly, we’re not sure if the metallic twine will rust or not.
Why no glitter? We prefer not to use glitter because it easily gets into the environment — especially when washed down the drain or used outside. Animals mistake it for food, causing all sorts of trouble for them and the food web. (Plus, the metallic twine gives plenty of sparkle!)
1. Cut long pieces of metallic twine – we used about 10 pieces total (each 2-3 ft)

2. Unravel each piece of twine into separate strands (ours had 3 each).


3. Fill the sensory bottle halfway with distilled water (it helps prevent mold growth and discoloration) OR mineral oil (which is great for preventing metallic objects from rusting), and then add a drop of blue food coloring.
- TIP: We actually ended up diluting the color to get a softer blue by pouring out some of the blue water and adding clear water. Play with the color to your liking!

3. Add half of the twine and treasures, then fill to the top with water and the remaining treasures.

4. Put the cap on the bottle (you may want to glue/tape it to prevent it from being opened or spilled).
Want to make it spooky for Halloween? Turn it into an apothecary jar with our free printable label!

For even more ocean-themed sensory bottles, check out:
- Fish Eggs Sensory Bottle
- Fish Scales Sensory Bottle
- Jellyfish Tentacles Sensory Bottle
- Hagfish Slime Sensory Bottle
- Squid Eyes Sensory Bottle
- Octopus Arms Sensory Bottle

Disclaimer: All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
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