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We love water beads
I’ve posted in the past about several water beads activities we’ve done, including a water bead sensory bin, a Christmas water bead sensory bin, and a 4th of July water bead sensory bin.
We’ve also done a water bead science experiment.
Recently, I was looking for a way to reuse some water beads from one of our bins when I decided to do this water beads in a bag activity.
Not only does this water beads in a bag activity that provide a fun sensory play experience, it’s also a great way to make water bead play accessible for for younger kids who are prone to putting things in their mouths.
Note: This and other sensory play ideas can be found on my sensory play page.
To create our water beads in a bag activity, I started by giving the kids quart-size ziplock bags. I asked them to use a Sharpie permanent marker
Once that was done, I placed some water beads on the table and invited them to fill their bags.
Once their bags were full, the fun began! I invited them to try to move all of their water beads outside of the circle they had drawn.
Water beads are slippery, so this was more challenging than they anticipated!
Next, QBoy started to try to smash the water beads. He thought it was hilarious to mash them to pieces. 🙂
I was happy that he was getting some great fine motor practice. 🙂
And in the end, this is what his bag of beautiful water beads looked like.
Note: My kids do not put things in their mouths. If you do this with younger children who are prone to putting things in their mouths, I would recommend that you seal the top of the bag with duct tape so they cannot open it. And of course I always recommend closely supervising your child to ensure he or she does not do anything that would be harmful.
What a great idea for another fun way to explore with water beads. I can’t wait to pick some up the next time I’m at the store!!
Great idea. I have used water beads a couple of times but it drives me crazy finding them all over the house later. Great idea about using a ziploc bag! I’m featuring your post from The Thoughtful Spot Blog Hop!
We love water beads. But they are messy!
I am trying this next time we incorporate water beads into our day.
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Oh great idea!!! Thanks.
awesome. we have played with the beads according to other post all weekend. daddy and I are tired of making her pick beads off floor. doing this one right now!!!!!!!!
I have been using water beads for a couple of years now with an almost 3 year old and she loves them but I am also concerned about the above mentioned things from the other replies. As soon as I read this, I had an “Aha” moment, of course she and I will both love this better, putting them in a bag. I wonder why I did not think of it. She loves squishing them the most. Thanks for sharing!