Summer Fun! Ocean Themed Water Play

It’s summer school holidays at the moment, which means lots of water play in the backyard. Sometimes it’s the hose on the trampoline. Sometimes we fill the water spray bottles and ‘clean’ the windows (and of course ‘accidentally’ spray ourselves). Sometimes we play with ice cubes, or water beads. And occasionally we set up little small world sensory tubs, such as our beach themed one, or this one for ocean-themed water play.

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This oceanic sensory tub was inspired by an activity called ‘Fish World’ from the new book 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids, by Asia Citro of Fun at Home with Kids. We adapted our sensory tub according to what we have at home (which happens to include a large collection of sea creature figurines) and what my kids are obsessed with right now (which in our case is The Octonauts, oceanography and water beads). I also added a standing mirror to add another element to their play.

But really, that’s the whole point of Asia’s book. She provides the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’. Each of her (awesome) activities are open-ended base ideas, with lots of suggestions for adapting and extending the play according to your child’s interests or age.

And look how much fun they’re having!

150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids is available at Amazon, Book Depository and loads of other places. Find more information here.

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{Please note that the water beads I buy are non-toxic, which means they are safe for kids to touch, but are not edible in either the unexpanded or expanded form. My two year old is no longer in the mouthing phase, as is well-supervised when playing with water beads. Please use your best judgement when introducing young children to small objects. Unexpanded water beads could expand in the stomach. Expanded water beads are a choking hazard. All activities on Danya Banya require attentive adult supervision at all times. If you are uncertain whether this activity is appropriate for the children in your care, please see your paediatrician for further advice.}

xx Danya

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I was given a copy of ‘150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids’ for review purposes only. All opinions expressed are my (or my kids’) own.