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mumofone
27-05-2015, 07:01 AM
I have a sand and water table and am looking for some good resources for the water part for children to learn...can anyone link me to any good resources? Thanks :-)

loocyloo
27-05-2015, 07:18 AM
We use corks and stones, plastic tubs and cups, old bottles, old spoons and other cutlery, jugs, sieves, funnels, tubing plus toy tea sets and small world people/animals etc.
I found some small floating plastic boats in poundland.

Plus anything else we find. Yesterday we added flower petals and leaves!

Maza
27-05-2015, 08:21 AM
Don't spend lots of money. Have a look in your cupboards (failing that, the £shop or supermarkets)for jugs, funnels, sieves and have a look in your recycling bin for containers. You could cut holes in some containers for more fun and exploration. You can use a permanent marker to put numbers up the side of a bottle, or label the half way mark for some early measuring skills. Mine love making potions (and muddy puddles on the lawn but DH said I'm not allowed to let them do that anymore) and so they just need bowls, bottles, jugs, spoons, whisks, real pans (jumble sale) etc. They use flower petals, grass, stones, shells etc. Sometimes I add food colouring or washing up liquid. Make sure that they have an area to do their water work - so a little table next to the water tray, or put your water tray near the toy oven or make it clear that they can assemble al their pots and pans on the floor.

You can add small world resources - dinosaurs, sea creatures, ducks etc. You could hide letters and numbers and provide a small fishing net. The water tray can be used as a bathing area for the dolls or as a car wash area. You could add glitter, sequins, ice blocks...

One thing I did spend quite a bit of money on was guttering and stands, I think it was from Hope Education or one of those catologues. I have to say everyone loves this - different age groups - and so it was money well spent. My local sure start centre has just added a huge water wheel (almost as tall as my three year olds) to their water area and my two mindees spent most of the session playing with it. I'm not going to buy one because it was probably quite expensive and they can play with it there, plus I have nowhere to store it.

Sand and water are probably my favourite areas to set up and I get so disheartened when I go into nurseries and reception class rooms and see the trays stuck in a corner with one tray of shop bought resources underneath it. Quite often, the water tray doesn't even get water put in it and ends up being a dumping ground for random stuff, old displays etc. I digress...

FloraDora
27-05-2015, 12:15 PM
Learning Resources Primary Science Jumbo Eyedroppers with Stand (Set of 6): Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Resources-Primary-Science-Eyedroppers/dp/B00AQUREB2/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_y)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Set-2-syringes-5ml-20ml/dp/B0080BWVK8/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1432727683&sr=1-1&keywords=syringe

These are the only purchases I have made - with some plastic tubing.
Like Maza and Loocyloo I use every day / recycled containers.
Indoors I have a long gravel tray originally bought for my greenhouse and I have various jugs, measuring cylinders, pots with the eye droppers and syringes they become real scientists - coloured water - 2 syringes and tubing they push te water along, 1 syringe they fill containers etc... Depending on age, younger children it's usually around tea sets and pots and pans with small world creatures and people fill up and watch them float and dive out - the tray catches all water spilled so it can be used again. I have recently made a white science coats in plastic for older children to wear instead of aprons.
A perfumery is another water play activity - parents and family have given me nice bottles - petals, leaves, herbs coloured water funnels etc... Good for indoor and out.
Outdoor like Maza I have various size guttering - which was left over from creating our water butts and DH has made a trellis on sturdy legs which we anchor with heavy duty tent pegs - great for water play - the wooden trellis doubles up as a screen in my garden when not chminding and a place to attach old bottles with holes, funnels made from bottle necks too. We don't have a permanant but my 4 year LO loves creating his own with ties to put them where he likes - the water walls I am seeing all the time on facebook do not lend themselves to discovery and exploration as they are static and the water just goes the same way as it is fixed - keep things loose for problem solving - putting it together with a child is just as important as ' having ' a water wall. We also have a collaps able trellis that fits into 2 parasol bases that we use for the guttering/ dens etc...

I got my ideas from the cosy catalogue - then made them myself!
The best water play in our garden is watering the plants and filling their containers from the water butt, filling containers in the outdoor kitchen, and making their own puddles !

Maza
27-05-2015, 12:36 PM
I've been wanting to buy those droppers for ages Floradora but have had to stop myself. We have quite a few smaller ones and a turkey baster. I don't have any tubing and I really should invest in some. Can you recommend any?

Whenever I stay in hotels I take the little freebie bottles in the bathrooms and use them in my water area - obviously the lids can be a choking hazard for little ones. Sponges are good for exploration too and water sprays are good for hand muscles.

I love looking around jumble sales and charity shops for unusual jugs. Try not to have everything plastic.

FloraDora
27-05-2015, 02:11 PM
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0091SMTRE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

This is the one I ordered. It fits over the syringes.
I also have old washing machine connecting tubes for outdoor play.
I have the testubes in my wish list from the eye dropper set - just can't justify it though when , like you say you can use other recycled containers, hotel miniatures are also donated to me by my family - I stayed in a posh hotel in Manchester for my son's graduation and they had square containers with great chunky let's pretend to be wood lids ....the first thing I thought of was how safe will they be....and made sure grandma and sons acquired them for me too on leaving!

I love old crockery and have just set up a row of jugs on the shelf of my out door kitchen bought from junk stores, pretty crockery and China floral - Just big enough to put a small herb plant in so looks good when not childminding - a row of plants in pretty jugs - but the plants come out and they used them today for pouring.

I already have old pot tea pots to pour with and none have got broken - they tend to really take care with items that might break...and even if they do, it's a learning experience and has only cost me 50p.

Water play I feel has the most potential to cover all aspects of learning and playing in our environment where they learn to take care easier than in a class of 28 is so much better for them. 3 children playing with equipment means that water play can go on all morning if they want to, and move into extended learning naturally, rather than a 15 minute slot with equipment in a big nursery class.

Mouse
27-05-2015, 02:56 PM
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Water play I feel has the most potential to cover all aspects of learning and playing in our environment where they learn to take care easier than in a class of 28 is so much better for them. 3 children playing with equipment means that water play can go on all morning if they want to, and move into extended learning naturally, rather than a 15 minute slot with equipment in a big nursery class.

I couldn't agree more. Our water play can last all day and just naturally morphs from one game into another.

One of the favourite activities at the moment is water with bubble bath and hand held whisks (the turning ones with a handle) - great fun!

Maza
27-05-2015, 05:31 PM
Just bought the tubing and another syringe! Now that hubby works from home he gets to see all the amazon deliveries. I think he is rather amazed - in a bad way.:blush:

FloraDora
27-05-2015, 05:37 PM
Just bought the tubing and another syringe! Now that hubby works from home he gets to see all the amazon deliveries. I think he is rather amazed - in a bad way.:blush:

I have taken advantage of the fact that my DH has a birthday on Friday - he thinks every delivery is linked to his birthday and hasn't questioned any for the last 3 weeks!

He may be a little dissapointed on Friday though!!

loocyloo
27-05-2015, 05:44 PM
I have taken advantage of the fact that my DH has a birthday on Friday - he thinks every delivery is linked to his birthday and hasn't questioned any for the last 3 weeks!

He may be a little dissapointed on Friday though!!

:D:laughing::D:laughing::D

surely you can wrap up the minded childrens toys for him to open? ;)

mumofone
28-05-2015, 07:37 PM
Learning Resources Primary Science Jumbo Eyedroppers with Stand (Set of 6): Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Resources-Primary-Science-Eyedroppers/dp/B00AQUREB2/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_y)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Set-2-syringes-5ml-20ml/dp/B0080BWVK8/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1432727683&sr=1-1&keywords=syringe

These are the only purchases I have made - with some plastic tubing.
Like Maza and Loocyloo I use every day / recycled containers.
Indoors I have a long gravel tray originally bought for my greenhouse and I have various jugs, measuring cylinders, pots with the eye droppers and syringes they become real scientists - coloured water - 2 syringes and tubing they push te water along, 1 syringe they fill containers etc... Depending on age, younger children it's usually around tea sets and pots and pans with small world creatures and people fill up and watch them float and dive out - the tray catches all water spilled so it can be used again. I have recently made a white science coats in plastic for older children to wear instead of aprons.
A perfumery is another water play activity - parents and family have given me nice bottles - petals, leaves, herbs coloured water funnels etc... Good for indoor and out.
Outdoor like Maza I have various size guttering - which was left over from creating our water butts and DH has made a trellis on sturdy legs which we anchor with heavy duty tent pegs - great for water play - the wooden trellis doubles up as a screen in my garden when not chminding and a place to attach old bottles with holes, funnels made from bottle necks too. We don't have a permanant but my 4 year LO loves creating his own with ties to put them where he likes - the water walls I am seeing all the time on facebook do not lend themselves to discovery and exploration as they are static and the water just goes the same way as it is fixed - keep things loose for problem solving - putting it together with a child is just as important as ' having ' a water wall. We also have a collaps able trellis that fits into 2 parasol bases that we use for the guttering/ dens etc...

I got my ideas from the cosy catalogue - then made them myself!
The best water play in our garden is watering the plants and filling their containers from the water butt, filling containers in the outdoor kitchen, and making their own puddles !

how do you colour the water flora? Food colouring??

Maza
28-05-2015, 07:44 PM
Yes, with food colouring. Sometimes I throw in a scent too - the orange one is lovely and the lemon one smell nice and fresh.

Well Floradora, I've ordered the droppers for my nieces 2nd birthday next week, so yippee, I still get a chance to play with them!