Water Bead Goop

A lot of our play activities revolve around sensory exploration, particularly those involving touch and sound, because these are key areas for our girls. 

Both have tactile sensitivities and Bubble is very sensitive to sound so we try and expose them to these elements in small doses every day.
The crushed water beads we used in our Dinosaur Landscapes the other day went over very well so I thought we'd try it again on a larger scale. 

This activity was a lot of fun and the outcome was quite intriguing!

WE USED:

* water beads
(read more about them HERE and HERE)
* a blender
* plastic tub 

 We started with a bowl of water beads we've been playing with over the last week. Usually once our water beads are too broken up and mushy to play with anymore we mix them through our pot plants (they act as water saving beads and break down in the soil), but today we got out our old blender to see what would happen if we mixed them.

Scooping the beads into the jug using large spoons was great fine motor practice. 

Be prepared for lots of errant beads all over the floor, this part was best done on a hard easy to clean surface or outside.

I just had to include this photo of the girls in their dress ups scooping away :D

Once the jug was full we put the lid on and the girls took turns at turning it on and off. We talked about what was happening and opened the jug regularly to see what the beads looked like.
Obviously when using something like a blender take precautions with kids around - turn it off and unplug it from the wall before taking the lid off and supervise them at all times.

We actually had to add a lot of water as we went as the beads blended into a very thick goop.

The girls were delighted to find that some beads remained perfectly intact while the rest transformed into a multicolored goop.

We poured the goop into a tub so the girls could explore and play with it.

The texture was amazing, Bubble and Squeak enjoyed squishing and running their hands through it and finding the intact beads.

We kept a tub of water and an old towel nearby so they could clean off their hands when the sensation became a bit much, then go back to it when they were ready.

It wasn't long before the dinosaurs were involved :)
The goop washed easily off the girls hands and clothes and we just emptied the water to the lawn since the beads are non toxic. 

We have left the goop in the tub outside to see what will happen to it over time as it dries out. We'll keep you posted!

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