button blanket sensory bin

A button blanket is a wool wearing blanket embellished with mother of pearl buttons created by Northwest Coastal tribes. - Wikipedia

We made button blankets (kindergarten style - no needles and thread). 

- so why not a button blanket sensory bin.  


I had lots of help putting this bin together.  In fact all I did was ask the right people to make or get the supplies, and I put them all together.

We paid a local elder to make some items for the bin.

He painted boxes from Michaels with First Nations images.  Aren't they beautiful?  My contribution was  protecting them with a few coats of Modge Podge.

Our school's First Nations support worker weaves beautiful hats and baskets from the inner layer of cedar bark.  She has gifted fingers.  

Traditionally button blankets were made with abalone shell buttons.  Our elder made these beautiful buttons to add to the bin.  

He also gave us a shell for scooping and pouring buttons.  I know the kidlets will love using it.  The glint of the shell, the clink of the buttons - good sensory experiences. 

Back to buttons.  

I thought it was going to be easy to get a bunch of white buttons.  It wasn't.  

I haunted thrift shops, begged my friends (bless them) to go through their button collections and give me the white buttons.   It was not enough buttons for the bin.

Then a friend (who begins her school year with a focus on hands) told me that she could go to  a place in Vancouver where you could buy buttons by the pint.  For a good price.  Glory be!  We had our button solution.  

The kids have not had a chance to explore the button bin yet.  I can't wait to see what they bring to the bin, and how they use the materials.