Ocean themed sensory buckets are one of the all-time favorites for all my daycare kids. During the summer months to keep things fun and interesting I do weekly themes. Even though most sensory buckets are made for smaller kids, the bigger kids love to play with them as well. The beads can be used in all sorts of activities – from watering plants, decorations, sensory play, pedicures, etc. I will be posting more and more ideas for you all to get the most out of them for yourself and the kids. Once you give these a try you will see how much you love them too! Sensory Buckets are for all ages.
Sensory buckets are for all ages.
When you receive the water beads in the mail, you will need to get a large amount of water and dump them in. Give it time to soak the water up before playing. These are so small and need to be avoided for small children at least under 2. I do not risk the younger ones choking on them. It does take about 4 hours for the water beads to expand in the water and they can be played with for days. I make sure when we play with these for a couple of days straight; I soak them in the water at night time to make them keep their shape. Otherwise, you will see them start to shrink back with time. After a week-long of playtime, I toss them and make a new batch. I love it because the water beads are super cheap on Amazon and tons of colors to choose from and lots of sellers offer them right now.
Water beads are soft, squishy, and so much fun!
The last sensory bucket we made had blue and clear beads along with ocean animals. I love to add a spoon, and a little bowl to the mix as kids seem to enjoy filling and dumping out things, so this makes the experience last even longer. Moms, these are excellent to have while you are making dinner. Whatever helps you get the job done, and the kids are happy, am I right? The kids will spend at least an hour playing with these, and I love to change the buckets out for other items. We have done cars, farm animals, planes, construction trucks, and a set of multicolored beads. There are so many different options you can do without making it a huge expense – use what you have around the house. Make it fun and you will have an awesome new activity for the kids to enjoy and give mom that much-needed break!
