Have a kiddie pool (or a bathtub)? There’s something magical about those 4-6 inches of water! Kids are content to splash and sit in water for a ridiculous amount of time. Here are some simple ideas to extend that play, that require just a little prep.
PAINT WITH WATER
Who It’s Great For: Under 5 crowd and anyone else who’s interested
What You’ll Need: paintbrush, sponge or washcloth (or all of the above!)
What Happens: Invite your child to paint with water. There’s something awesome about putting water on a wall, sidewalk or chair and watching it dry.
IT’S MELTING!
Who It’s Great For: Under 5 crowd and anyone else who’s interested
What You’ll Need: Freeze water with or without small objects inside (plastic recyclable containers work great for this)
What Happens: Drop the frozen blocks into the pool. How quickly does it melt? Can they do anything to make it melt faster or slower?
WHAT WILL FLOAT
Who It’s Great For: PreK and up
What You’ll Need: variety of items to put in the water
What Happens: Encourage your child to sort things before you drop them into the water – float or not float. Then they can test their hypothesis. Were there any surprises? Why?
MAKE A BOAT
Who It’s Great For: PreK and up
What You’ll Need: piece of tin foil, coins or other small objects
What Happens: Using just one piece of foil, how can you fold it to make a boat? How much can your boat hold? Ask your child to think of ways to change their design to hold more. This is a fantastic experiment for talking about how we review, modify and try again (it applies to so many things in life!).