If you read my post Monday you may have heard my dear daughter is trying to give up her nap. If she refuses to sleep we go outside if possible. This art activity was so much fun. We use our water table as big sensory tub and with this activity we also turned it into an open ended art activity. The results were awesome. This super simple sensory tub painting will be done over and over all summer I promise you!
- Gather your materials. You will need a water table
( we love ours and use it daily) but a large shallow Rubbermaid type bin would work perfectly too. Paint, some brushes and plain paper. You may also want a hose ready for clean up.
- Start by letting your child choose some paint colors .
- Paint the inside of the tub.
Explore. She made squiggles with both ends of the paint brushes, added more paint, 
pretended to drive the cap all around the paint , and mixed with her hands. 
- Next grab some paper and print! I was amazed at how well these turned out. They were all different and totally rad.
- Hang up to dry. Finally I had a use for this trellis that has been bare since I killed the plant that was on it. I am good with kids, not so much with plants.
- Now clean out the tub with the hose. Arguably the best part even though the painting was super fun. Who can compete with this?
Eddie - The Usual Mayhem says
Great activity! I’ll have to strip my son down to his skivvies before we attempt this one, though 🙂
Also, GORGEOUS garden!
Allison McDonald says
Thanks- and thank you so much for commenting so often. I check my email in bed and I love seeing that you have commented. It always makes me smile!!
Holly says
Excellent idea for containing the mess! You have a beautiful backyard!
Allison McDonald says
Thanks – I wish my thumb was greener but maybe when the kids are older I will get inspired.
Angela says
Going to do this today. My son is obsessed with both of these things, especially the water part.
Gilly Platt says
We will definitely be doing this, if and when the weather finally warms up in the UK
Thanks
Jennifer says
I love your ideas! What kind of water table is that? It looks much larger than the few I have been able to find.
Allison McDonald says
It’s a step2 Sand and Water Table – we love it.
Janie Gunn says
What kind of paint did you use that washes away clean from your plastic water table? My 3 yr old son loves both paint & water table activities, but I don’t want to stain our only water table
Allison McDonald says
This is crayola kid paint – sold in wee bottles and has always washed off plastic for me.
Micheline says
I love doing this! So much more fun in the garden though – we live in Hong Kong and we’re lucky to have a balcony…
Nancy Carson says
Re:the previous post. My children tried to give up their naps and I turned it into a quiet time in their beds with books. They stayed 30 to 45 minutes in their beds with a basket of books. I set the timer for them and they actually went to sleep, book in hand, sometimes. Of course, if they went to sleep, I turned the timer off!
Rose says
I love this idea! I am planning to use it this summer. We are going to read the book Little Blue Little Yellow as we discover how we can mix two colors to make a new one. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas!
Jen says
i know this is an old post but I found it on Pinterest and the site of summer that gorgeous garden made me smile. I can’t wait for the snow to be gone! 🙂