Sensory Activity: Water Beads
Water beads are the perfect (almost mess free) answer for anyone looking for a sensory activity (and when we say anyone, we mean children and adults)! Water beads promote learning and development in all content areas of the classroom. From fine motor exploration to science, color, sensory, and creative art – the ideas of how water beads can be used is endless. We here at PRC decided to try out some water beads just for fun and fell in love with their relaxation and stress relieving attributes. Check out the process for making them below. We bought Jelly Beadz from Amazon (roughly 1 pound or 30,000 beads for $18).
You will need:
Water Beads, Water, a medium to large tub, paper towels
- Start by pouring a handful of beads into the tub you are choosing to make your beads in (remember, even though it may not seem like many beads, once they grow they could very well outgrow your tub! That’s where the paper towels come in handy.
2.Fill your tub about halfway with water.
3. Let the tub sit overnight or for at least 4 hours while the beads absorb the water. Check to make sure there isn’t much excess water in the bottom of your tub. (If so, they may need more time or the water can be drained with a strainer).
4. Start playing!
That’s really all there is to it! Remember, these beads are not edible! They will last roughly 3 or 4 days before needing to be tossed or separated onto paper towels to dry out. Note that these beads will not release water but the water will evaporate and they will return to original size. They can be used again later!
Family Workshops
This Wednesday, Julie and the kids at the Family Workshop at Green Holly Elementary had a great time experimenting with a Creepy Crawly theme! They decorated big butterflies with paint while learning symmetry, searched sandboxes for bugs, got to hold and look at live Earthworms and made spider webs out of black yarn and glue! Take a look at some of the pictures below!
Art/Science Activity: Color Changing Carnations
Working on a spring/science unit in your classroom or home? This is the perfect activity for teaching children about plant life and the need for water. It also makes some pretty awesome looking flowers!
You will need:
- White Carnations or any other white flower will work (4 or 5)
- Food Coloring
- Water
- Small vials or mason jars
Begin by filling your containers with water and food coloring. Place one flower in each container. Don’t forget to make a hypothesis about what will happen when the flower stems are placed in the colored water! Let the flowers sit overnight and observe again the next day. You will most likely find that some of the color in the water has spread to the petals of the flowers! This is a great spring activity that your children are sure to love! See some results below!
