30 Day Challenge: Sensory Tub Play

Read all about the 30 Days to Hands on Play Challenge I'm participating in here!!

Today's challenge is brought to us from Anna at The Imagination Tree

Day 9:

Sensory Tub Play

I've never really made a sensory bin for the girls, I don't have many tubs that I could use for a sensory bin. The one I do have happens to have cloud dough in it that I didn't want to take out. So, I kinda improvised, after all it's about the sensory aspect of the play right!? 

For our sensory play, I wanted to try something new, so I decided to try water beads. Have you heard of them? They are teeny tiny little beads that you add to water and they plump up into wet squishy bouncy fun!

(they take at least 3 hours to plump up with water)

I drained out the excess water and poured them into a tray

and we all stuck our hands in

I was surprised by the texture, I thought they'd have a hard outer shell

but they are completely squishy

and feel wet all the time

I set out measuring cups and spoons, a bowl and a colander 

along with the tray of water beads for the girls 

Charlotte brought out a toy that is used for balls

like a gumball machine

drop them in the top and they pop out the bottom

I found a bottle for the girls and they had a lot of fun putting the beads in and blowing on the top to try and make music 

and then pouring the beads out into the bowl, they bounced all over the place!

 We did a lot of pouring, scooping, squishing, bouncing, and even sorting.

In the end we put all our sorted colors into the glass bottle and now we are marking the bottle every few  hours as the beads shrink back down to put away for next time

and next time,

I'll probably only bring them out for Charlotte to play with.

Alexis (she's two) was squishing the dickens out of the poor beads

 and there were quite a few casualties

 What kind of sensory bins have you made? Have you joined the challenge?

It's not too late!