Warm Water Play

The weather has been a bit unpredictable here lately, one day we have sunshine the next it's overcast, wet and freezing. On cold days we add warm water to our water table so the girls can still enjoy their favourite outdoor activity.

WE USED:

* warm water
(always test temperature before letting your kids play)
* water table or plastic tub/paddling pool
* water toys
* towel

Other ideas - add food colouring, ice cubes or bubble mix for extra play value.

To do our bit for water conservation (always a priority in Australia!) we use a bucket in our shower to catch the 'warm up water' for the girls play activities (meaning the water that usually goes down the drain while you wait for it to 'warm up'). Add in the rest of the hot water from the kettle after your morning coffee and you have the perfect water play activity for a cold day.

Balloon Powered Boat

I have so many posts to catch up on in here, I'll do my best to get through them over the weekend! We've had two sick little girls with the flu bug so not as much craft action as usual, but these balloon powered boats were a big hit today while we (finally :-D) enjoyed some nice warm weather.

WE USED:

* rectangular plastic container
(we used a cornstarch food container, but an empty margarine/ice cream container would work well too)
* sharp knife/craft knife
* drinking straw
* balloon
* sticky tape
* small elastic band
* scissors
* blu tack/sticky tack

First use your knife to make a small hole in one end of your container just big enough for your straw to fit through.

Cut your straw in half and attach the balloon to one end using sticky tape and the elastic band. It should be secure enough that you can use the straw to blow up the balloon without it leaking around the sides.

Thread your straw through the hole in your 'boat' making sure the balloon end is on the inside.

Use your blu tack to secure the straw on each side so it is watertight. You could also use Plasticine for this.

One balloon powered boat ready for the water!

Using the straw blow up the balloon and then kink or put your finger over the end so the air doesn't escape.

Place your boat in the water, let go of the straw and off it goes :-)

The girls enjoyed racing their boats around the paddling pool.

Collecting Rain

The sunny days have been interspersed with rainy windy days here lately so the girls have been cooped up indoors more than usual. They both enjoy going out in their jackets and gumboots to stomp in puddles (who doesn't?!) but other than that the rain is cramping their style a little.
The other day we made a 'rain collector' which kept them happy for awhile, they stood out on the balcony collecting and drinking the rain the could catch as it fell from the sky.

WE USED:

* plastic bowl
* broom handle
(you could also use a stick or plank of wood)
* strong tape
* a rainy day!

Coloured Water Play

I loved this post on House Of Baby Piranha about Magic Colour Drinks awhile ago and wanted to try it out as a water play activity. It was finally warm enough today to have a go and it was very popular! Bubble didn't drink her coloured water but had an absolute ball watching the colours and then mixing them together.

WE USED:

* plastic cups
* plastic cutlery
* food colouring
* tub/bucket of water
* small jug

A spot of food colouring in the bottom of each cup.

I set out a large tub of water and a small jug so that Bubble could practice scooping and pouring. The cutlery was just for extra play value as Bubble had decided she was 'making a picnic' :-)

Once all the cups were filled Bubble started mixing them together to make other colours.

Water Play

We love water play, the sensory and skill learning possibilities are endless. Today we added lots of different things to our water tub and the girls had a blast :-)

WE USED:

* animal toys
* face washers
* cups and teapot
* funnels
* sticks and rocks
* ladel/large spoons

We had fun washing animals.

And pouring cups of tea.

The girls especially loved the sticks and rocks - they felt the texture of each before putting them in the water, and then we looked at how different they looked and felt after going into the tub. Bubble was fascinated by the way the sticks floated while the rocks went straight to the bottom.

Squeak got right into stirring :-)

Scooping with the ladel and spoons was a hit as well.

Counting stones.

Stacking cups.

Water painting with a paintbrush and bucket. The cubby, floor and walls all got a make over.

Containing the Mess

Some days it's just too cold or rainy to be outside for messy play, so why not try containing the mess in the bath? We do this often, especially if I have jobs around the house that really need doing while Squeak sleeps. I find messy play is the best way to get a good half hour or more of peace, but then there is the mess to clean up at the end which kind of defeats the purpose. Doing messy play in the bath though means a very quick and easy clean up, not just of the play area but of the child as well if need be!
Today was one of those days, the floor needed mopping and it was far too cold to be outside doing the activity Bubble had chosen - water beads. So we put the plug in the bath, some old towels in the bottom to sit on and she went nuts in there while I got the floors cleaned - wonderful :-)
We do all sorts of activities in the bath on wet and windy days - playdough, painting, slime, warm water play in a plastic tub - the list is endless.

A nice big mess.

Clean within minutes :-)

Water Beads Continued ...

Last month we discovered water beads at Paddys Markets and had a heap of fun with them (post about them found here), so much so that I had ordered more for future playtimes. We filled a tub with some water last night and added three different colours this time, as well as the orange ones we originally had. By this morning we had a lovely squishy rainbow to be played and experimented with :-) Bubble had so much fun, it is a cheap, enjoyable and environmentally friendly way to have a great sensory experience!

WE USED:

* water beads (ordered from Ebay)
* tub
* water
* small toys (we used jumping frogs and plastic shapes from a shape sorter)
* spoons
* plastic bowls
* dropsheet (we used a picnic tablecloth from the supermarket)

The beads after being added to the tub.

And the beads the following day - whoa!

Bubble doing some 'cooking'.

This was beetroot soup apparently :-)

I buried some plastic shapes from a shape sorter amongst the beads and Bubble went on a hunt for them.

Found them all!

This progressed into a game with some jumping frogs, who were hiding in the water beads calling for help.

Luckily Bubble rescued them :-D

Then the frogs climbed up the side of the cubby and jumped back in like acrobats - they sure were clever frogs!

Bubble experimenting with squishing the beads.

There were many casualties.

And eventually feet were involved!