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April 27, 2015 | 3 Comments

Water Table Activity – Make A Mess and Explore!

sensory play outside As parents and teachers we often create activities with something specific in mind, then when we add our little ones the activity takes a turn. That is the moment when we can encourage or lose our cool and stop everything and fight against our little charges and get the activity “back on track”. There will be days when the best choice IS to redirect the children and stick to the plan but many more where we can trust our children and follow their learning and exploration.

My plan was to have a desert and swamp water table activity her plan was to explore what happens when things get wet. We went with her plan, I’ll still share mine in case it’s useful for you. water table outside fun

Gather your materials. You will need some sand, rocks, and desert animal figurines for the desert side of the table. For the swamp side you will need water, pebbles, grass clippings, frogs and other swamp animal figurines.

sand in water table

Pour your sand into one side.

water table swampAnd your water in the other. Add all the extras.

 

I envisioned exploring the differences and for a few minutes she did. water table swamp small worldWe talked about the frog life cycle and made snake prints in the sand… and then went off-book and the real fun started. desert snake prints

The kinetic sand went into the water, and out, and in. sand with water in water table

Flowers were added. water table activity for kids

More water!

water table mess

She stirred the water and let it settle, found the animals and hid then under the water again… and kept exploring.

messy water play in water table

Parenting and teaching is a balance of choosing your battles, but it’s only a battle if we choose to look at it that way. If we choose to think about how they are exploring, how they are learning about their world through their senses and following their own curiosity we can battle bigger issues than sticking to the plan all the time.

 

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Outside activities, Preschool Activities, Sensory Activities, Water | 3 Comments

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3 Comments

  1. Carey says

    April 27, 2015 at 5:37 am

    Where did you get your water table from? I’m in search for one. This looks like it’s perfect for open ended work.

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

Trackbacks

  1. 70 + Enjoyable Water Desk Play Concepts for Youngsters + Greatest Water Tables - fooshya.com says:
    May 26, 2020 at 3:38 pm

    […] Exploring in the Water Table – No Time for Flashcards  […]

    to 70 + Enjoyable Water Desk Play Concepts for Youngsters + Greatest Water Tables - fooshya.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to 70 + Enjoyable Water Desk Play Concepts for Youngsters + Greatest Water Tables - fooshya.com'>reply to this comment
  2. 70 + Fun Water Table Play Ideas for Kids + Best Water Tables - Active Littles says:
    April 3, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    […] Exploring in the Water Table – No Time for Flashcards  […]

    to 70 + Fun Water Table Play Ideas for Kids + Best Water Tables - Active Littles" aria-label='reply to this comment to 70 + Fun Water Table Play Ideas for Kids + Best Water Tables - Active Littles'>reply to this comment

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