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July 14, 2009 | 9 Comments

Ocean Sensory Tub

Pretend play is a great way to teach and learn about all sorts of things. This started out as an activity to keep him busy while I answered emails and needed a few minutes , water always keeps him busy and happy. I was so pleased when he started asking questions about what the animals ate. I got a few emails answered but I ended up googling all the specifics about what each of the animals ate and on the floor playing in no time. It was more fun than answering emails anyway!

  1. Gather your materials. You will need a large shallow plastic container, some sea animals, some decorative pebbles, a few towels for your floor, a pitcher and some water.
  2. Start by laying out our towels and putting your container on top.
  3. Put some water in your pitcher and pour it in.
  4. Add some pebbles, you can use sand too but if you want easy clean up stick to glass pebbles.
  5. Add your animals.
  6. Let the learning happen! Have some scoops on hand if they just want to scoop and pour the water.

Books

“Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea” by Jan Peck is about a little boy swimming in the “deep” looking for treasure. Along the way he encounters different sea animals and greets and says good bye to each before swimming away on his treasure hunt. The cute kicker is that all along the little boy is really in his bath tub and the animals are just toys. I liked the twist and so did my son who then requested a laundry basket to play bath, funny how he didn’t actually want a bath… a mom can dream!

” Baby Beluga” by Raffi is a classic children’s song cleverly illustrated into a beautiful book. I grew up on Raffi and am still shocked when moms don’t know who he is, if he is new to you go to your library and check out one of his cds! My son loves this book, there are so many sea creatures to point out, it’s great for toddlers!

“Beach Party” by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback reminds me of “Head to Toe” by Eric Carle , and that comparison is a compliment. This large board book is a fun and cute way to introduce toddlers to movement as well as animals you find or want to avoid at the beach. The reader is asked how they want to walk today then they see how each animal moves. This would be a fun read for a circle time where kids could get up and move!

Filed Under: Age: Toddlers, Beginners, Ocean Activities, Pretend Play, Science, Sensory Activities, Sensory Tubs, Under the Sea | 9 Comments

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9 Comments

  1. Beverly says

    July 15, 2009 at 10:32 am

    great idea, thanks! We have tons of sharks to do this with

    to Beverly" aria-label='reply to this comment to Beverly'>reply to this comment
  2. Mena says

    July 15, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    Hi. You can also freeze the animals in different size containers and then put them in water and/or add watercolor (not food coloring…stains) to the water! I did this as a teacher in daycare. The kids really enjoyed it.

    Keep having fun! 🙂

    to Mena" aria-label='reply to this comment to Mena'>reply to this comment
  3. Allie says

    July 15, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    What a great idea- we made ice bergs here : https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/11/sent-in-by-you-sort-of.html

    and you could add them in to this! Love it.

    to Allie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allie'>reply to this comment
  4. Desiree Fawn says

    July 15, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    Oh I always loved the water table when I was in kindergarten.

    to Desiree Fawn" aria-label='reply to this comment to Desiree Fawn'>reply to this comment
  5. Rachel@oneprettything.com says

    July 21, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    This is one of those projects I want to do right now! I love it! I'll be linking.

    to Rachel@oneprettything.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rachel@oneprettything.com'>reply to this comment
  6. Amber says

    July 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Found a bunch of the little sea animals on clearance at Target today, so we will be doing this w our water table this afternoon. Thanks for the great idea!

    to Amber" aria-label='reply to this comment to Amber'>reply to this comment
  7. Dawn says

    November 17, 2009 at 4:28 am

    An old shower curtain works great for covering surfaces when playing with water, moon sand, play-doh, painting, etc. Real easy clean-up.

    to Dawn" aria-label='reply to this comment to Dawn'>reply to this comment
    • Dana says

      May 18, 2013 at 4:12 am

      Dawn,
      I teach PK and I’d never thought of that. Thanks!

      to Dana" aria-label='reply to this comment to Dana'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Simple Play Stations For Busy Days - No Time For Flash Cards says:
    May 22, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    […] blocks, make a princess bracelet with a pipe cleaner and pony beads. Ocean : Books about fish , Tub of water with sea animals, swimming goggles for simple pretend play, under the sea pictures ( blue paper and fish stickers) , […]

    to Simple Play Stations For Busy Days - No Time For Flash Cards" aria-label='reply to this comment to Simple Play Stations For Busy Days - No Time For Flash Cards'>reply to this comment

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