Water Beads

Water beads are a really cool sensory activity. They are supposed to be used for keeping in a vase for flowers since they hold water for a long time. But I think they're more fun to dunk your hands in and run your fingers through.

I have used water beads at school in the past and they can be a bit of a controversial subject. They are quite small, about the size of a marble once they've expanded, which does present a choking hazard. Both at school with my Kinders and at home with Monkey, I explained that they are not something that ever goes in your mouth. And in both situations there is close supervision,  particularly at home because Monkey is so much younger. I believe you have to give kids the chance to take a risk to get the most valuable learning experiences. 

Supplies: water beads (also know as water pearls or gel beads), bin, towel, toys that can get wet

You need to prepare the water beads the night before you want to use them. Once you add the water it takes about ten hours for them to expand to full size. 

Here is what they look like right out of the box: 

Here is what they look like after sitting in water overnight: 

I rinsed the beads once they expanded and then added some fresh water to the bucket. You don't need to have them sitting in water but I prefer it that way. 

I wish I could describe how they feel when you pick them up. They are very smooth and almost a little bit jelly-like but still quite hard at the same time. You have to squeeze a lot to get one to burst. 

To start with I got Monkey set up on the towel with some measuring spoons and cups. Sneaking some math in to this sensory play! 

He loved using the cups to scoop and dump the beads. 

Later, we added some rubber ducks to the bucket. A special friend gave us these two baby ducks so now we have Mommy, Daddy, Monkey, and Peanut ducks! 

We pretended the ducks were having a bath, swimming in the lake, and caught in a rain storm. Pretend play is a perfect opportunity to practice language. Often I notice that Monkey repeats exactly what I've said once he's playing on his own, right down to the tone and expression.

The water beads last for a long time - the box says up to a month - before you need to add more water. They are definitely good to use more than once as long as you have space to store them. 

Next time we pull them out I'm going to grab some ocean animals from Monkey's bath tub. We've also got some boats that he would love to use with the water beads. 

Mar