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Make · Wild and Tumble activity

Nature discovery bottles

A little world in a bottle. Fill a bottle with treasures and water, then tip, shake and watch.

  • 15 min total
  • Some mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Indoors
  • Any season
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 4 min to gather · 8 min to fill · 3 min to tidy. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A clear plastic bottle with a screw lid
  • Small treasures: petals, leaves, little pebbles, sand, a feather
  • Water, with a drop of food colouring if you like
  • Strong glue for the lid (adult only)

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Little one leads

    Your child drops treasures into the bottle.

  2. Fill two-thirds with water.

  3. Grown-up job

    An adult glues the lid on tightly.

  4. Tip it upside down. What sinks? What floats?

  5. Shake it and watch everything swirl and settle.

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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