Another dreary morning and we're stuck inside. I got some ideas for water play on Play At Home Mom LLC and decided to try them out:
First Activity: I went to the Dollar Store and found a package of clear water beads. When I got home, I separated them into 5 containers and added food coloring for red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. When they were ready, I put the boys in some smocks and placed the containers where they could reach them. I also gave them each a separate bowl, because I thought they might like mixing the beads and taking them out and putting them back in the bowl. Finn really enjoyed mixing the colors together. Liam enjoyed throwing them across the table, because they were just miniature balls! I decided to give Liam a big mixing spoon and he enjoyed stirring the beads and spooning them into different containers. I think the new texture and vibrant colors were really fun the boys!
*Note: My kids thought they were something to eat at first, so I had to watch out for mouthfuls of water beads. They caught on pretty quickly that these were just for play. ;)
Second Activity: While at the Dollar Store, I also picked up a bunch of different kinds (textures and colors) of sponges. I cut the sponges up into different shapes (circles, triangles, squares, star, heart, squiggly shapes, etc.) and then put them in a big bowl. I took another big bowl and put both in front of the boys. I filled a cup of water and poured it into the bowl with the sponges and let them at it! They REALLY enjoyed this. They loved picking up the sponges and squeezing the water into the other bowl or just splashing in the water. Liam really liked the star shaped sponge because we sang "I am like a star" every time he pulled it out. It was fun to talk about colors and shapes.
*Note: I've come to realize that playtime is learning time. Instead of getting worried about messes or water getting everywhere, I made a conscious decision to let them explore, create, and learn- even if that meant throwing sponges on the floor or getting water on the table, chairs, etc. It took a couple of minutes for me to be okay with that, but letting them explore and learn is more important to me than worrying about a mess for 30 min- 1 hour.
Nothing beats running around outside and exploring, but this was pretty fun for the children! I think we'll try it again and see what else we can learn and do with our new water toys. If you're like me and feel suffocated during the winter months, these are some fun activities to keep little ones happy and occupied, along with a good feeling at the end of the day that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse wasn't the only thing stimulating little brains. ;)
Your comment about them putting these in their mouths reminded me of the first time that I gave Abby and Brady Play dough. I put them in their high chairs and put it on their trays, and they looked at me and then put it in their mouths. Then, they both looked at me with this look like "what the heck Mom?...this is soooo gross"! I didn't even think to tell them that it wasn't food!
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