Coral Reef Sensory Soup

 

When we recently had friends over for a little barbecue, I knew that between the three girls, the bigger kids could entertain themselves – and Baby N is never bored, anyway.

I still wanted to offer a simple activity just in case they were interested.

I had a few criteria for the activity:

• I wanted to make sure that it was something that didn’t take a long time to set up and could still be used the next day, in case they decided not to play with it that day.
• I wanted an activity that was appropriate for all four kids (from 10 month old N to 5 year old L).
• And I wanted something that didn’t require very close supervision, that the kids could walk away from and come back to as they pleased.

Last year, the same group of kids had a Fizzy Baking Soda Play Date that they really enjoyed – only Baby N didn’t get into that one because he was only 3 months old 😉 This time, I wanted something he could participate in in some way because I knew that short of putting him on the other side of a gate, there would be no way to keep him from trying to play.

A lot of criteria to be sure but I kept it simple, and it was indeed a big hit for all the kids: I decided to set up a Coral Reef Sensory Soup in the water table with a little water, plastic figures, a few kitchen utensils, and lots of room for imagination!

(L was 5 years and 5 months old.
E was 4 years and 6 months old.
M was 2 years and 8 months old.
N was 10 months old.)

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Materials for Coral Reef Sensory Soup

• Plastic figures. {We used this Coral Reef Safari Toob, plus a few other non-Coral Reef figures E wanted to throw in from a previous activity. Please note that these figures aren’t baby toys, and Baby N was closely supervised when he played.}
• Water.
• Water table or sensory bin.
• Kitchen utensils. {The whisk went over REALLY well for us!}
• Cups, buckets, and other tools and containers to taste.

 

I wanted to set up the Coral Reef Sensory Soup myself before our guests came but I only got as far as putting some water into the bottom compartment of the water table. That’s when E came straight over and insisted on doing the rest herself.

She got a little wet 😉

 

 

We’d never played with the coral reef toob before, and as E was pulling out the items, she asked me to read the names that are engraved on each figure. She carefully placed them in just the right spots in the water table.

 

 

The coral reef sensory soup ready for play {including a snake and scorpion from the desert toob and a plastic band-aid from a doctor kit 😉 }

 

 

E absolutely couldn’t wait to play.

She had a ton of fun with the whisk and used it to pick up items and pull them out of the water.

 

 

She also spent quite a bit of time just whisking the water.

 

 

She did more scooping and pouring before our guests arrived.

 

 

As the girls started running around the backyard together, N used the opportunity to explore the water table by himself.

He was pretty excited about that scorpion

 

 

used the ladle for the first time,

 

 

and of course slapped the water – his favorite kind of water play 🙂 {Looking at the pictures, I really wonder where all that sand came from. It certainly does fit the theme, though 😉 }

 

 

After a while, L and M checked out the water table but L was more interested in using water and tools from the activity to cook a “noodle soup” in the sandbox with E.

 

 

N and M stayed with the coral reef sensory soup the longest, having fun just playing along side each other.

 

 

M really enjoyed playing with the plastic animals, and by the end of the day, she’d arranged most of them on the table.

 

 

Looking for other water play ideas?

First Baby Play with Water

Water Sensory Bin for Babies

Colored Ice and Water in the Water Table

Pine Cones and Acorns in the Water Table

 

Do your kids love water play? Do you? What’s your favorite activity for kids of different ages? Leave a comment below!

 

 

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