Water Wonders

The local weather people have forecasted beautiful weather this week. Warm and sunny weather makes me want to spend every minute outside. Visiting a local pool or lake is a wonderful idea but if you would rather stay in your own backyard, there are several ideas for educational water play.

Fill a kiddie pool or large plastic tote with water. Even if it isn’t big enough for the child to climb into, they can still have fun. Collect several waterproof materials from around the house such as: corks, non-electric egg beater, egg cartons, food coloring, funnels, measuring cups and spoons, paintbrushes, plastic dishes, empty squeeze bottles, strainer, sponges, and regular water toys.

Children can use these materials to experiment with water which will help facilitate math and science learning. They will learn about measurement when using the measuring cups and volume when trying to pour water from one container to another. Science is about asking questions and testing theories. Water play provides many opportunities for this. Children can experiment with the materials to find out if something floats and how to sink the object if it does. Encourage them to ‘paint’ outdoor items with paintbrushes or squirt bottles and see what areas dry faster than others. This is also a good time to discuss the properties of water especially the way water can change from a liquid to a solid into gas and back to liquid. Allowing kids to see this cycle during the discussion will help them to understand it.

Water play has several benefits other than learning math and science. Working with these materials will help to strengthen their hand muscles which is important when learning to write and with hand eye coordination. Experimenting with the water will increase problem solving skills and talking about their play will improve language skills.

Overall, water play is a fun-filled activity that provides several educational opportunities. Let us know your ideas for water play, we would love to hear from you!

Please practice safety during outdoor and water play. Never leave your child alone while he plays with water as drowning can occur in only a few inches and remember to apply sunscreen.