We are *almost* done with summer school and therapy, and then we are really going to dig into our six weeks of free time!
I think the two most iconic aspects of summer are sand and water. A little sand and water will give you just about unlimited potential for fun in the sun!
To give us all a little inspiration for summer, I've rounded up some awesome posts showing how sand and water can pretty much make a summer spent in the backyard, one of the best summers of your kids' lives.
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1. 7 Easy Sand and Water Table Sensory Activities
I wrote this post last year the first time that my kids played with a sand and water table. They. Loved. IT! We used toys from one of our favorite companies to explore our senses. It was such an enjoyable way to spend part of our morning! It will definitely be played with again this summer!
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTQ9T_PkfQE/U6HS7Y1-pvI/AAAAAAAAPQA/rPLaIOkWUJc/s1600/fish-header.png)
2. Math Game for Kids: Fishing for Numbers
Fish made out of foam make the perfect vehicle for exploring number recognition, number sequencing, addition and more! As a bonus, let you kids help you decorate the fishing pole and fish before you start trying to catch them!
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3. Sensory Play with Ice
I love this unique twist on a water table! For a little one who can't stand at a table yet...just grab a 9x13 baking dish. Ice cubes keep baby nice and cool while they are exploring. This post makes me want to throw a bunch of ice in my older kids' sand and water table to see what they do!
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I3KhJbER48M/U6HS6lhfjHI/AAAAAAAAPP4/py_8ozes7jg/s280/Table-collage1.jpg)
4. Making a Water or Sand Table out of an Ikea Table
But what if you don't have a sand and water table at your house? No worries! This tutorial will get your kids out in the backyard before they can say, "I'm bored!"
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zxrzzgfh9bw/U6HS7VS7TkI/AAAAAAAAPQM/NhA1ORhiSPk/s1600/magnets+in+the+sand+table+from+rubber+boots+and+elf+shoes.jpg)
5. Magnets in the Sand Table
For the science minded, this sand table activity will be perfect! How many magnetic things can your kids find by dragging a big magnet through the sand?
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6. Numbers "I Spy" Sensory Table
Ah! It's a real life "I Spy" game! This blogger put a set of numbers, 1 through 10, in her sand table. Then she chose 10 different items and put enough of each one to correspond to a number. Can you find 3 purple spiders?
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdI8gqw37Lc/U6HS3imMwwI/AAAAAAAAPPo/dUkutvcGCKE/s1600/FoamingWaterTable.jpg)
7. Colorful Foaming Water Table
This idea includes neither sand nor water, but since it's still done with a water table, I think it counts! I love this really unique idea of using food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar to watch magical foaming colors bubble up! And, of course, nothing says that you can't play with the baking soda and vinegar once the fizzing subsides.
8. Dinosaur Small World Play Activity
Dinosaurs are popular at our house right now! I'm always hearing Ellie growl and then announce that she is a dinosaur! This is a fun way to let kids' imaginations run wild! A bunch of dinosaurs, a bunch of rocks, and suddenly you have a whole other world sitting on top of your sand and water table!
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnB0oVQI0YA/U6HS3zPFIkI/AAAAAAAAPPc/RSX_GxPwsqQ/s1600/GlamourSandBox.jpg)
9. Glamour Sand
Okay, I never would have thought of doing this! A big bag of confetti from the dollar store effectively blings up the sand table for little girls. Who am I kidding? My boys would have fun with the different colors too!
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Xy-JYx5wpA/U6HS70-KyTI/AAAAAAAAPQI/5PGR0PcUWyo/s280/pond-small-world-play.jpg)
10. Turtles, Toads, and Frogs - Pond Small World Play
If you don't have a pond in your backyard to explore, why not create one? Let little ones explore the water side of the table with turtles, toads, and frogs, and then sunbathe on the "beach" side.
Now that I've found all of these posts, I'm thinking that our sand and water table will get a lot more action than I originally planned! Who says you need to leave the house to have fun??
Oh! And to make your summer even better, all of the bloggers above plus more have teamed up to offer quite the giveaway! After you enter this $1500 Cash Giveaway, make sure you scroll to the end of the post to see some of the other inspiring roundups by Kid Bloggers!
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We just got a sand table for my three year old- this is a great list of resources!
ReplyDelete~Heather
The Meek Moose
We love our water table. So many great opportunities for play x
ReplyDeleteLike the Math Game for Kids: Fishing for Numbers
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a sensory table before. I've seen a sand table, but not sure why or what it is for though. I like the idea of fishing for numbers. Most kids really enjoy fishing games that I have heard of.
ReplyDeleteOne of the articles would not let me comment, http://adventure-in-a-box.com/develop-a-love-for-reading-from-an-early-age/ article :(. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including our magnets in the sand table and numbers in the sand posts.
ReplyDeleteClearly you have put a great deal of time and effort into this project, thank you so very much. Love our thoughts and ideas on the sand and water table activities to help children have fun and learn. I really liked the glamour sand. Thanks for the awesome resource links.
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas. My favorite is #4. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletetrishden948(at)yahoo(dot)com
thanks for the ideas
ReplyDeleteThe kids would love this!
ReplyDeletecommonsenseandstilettos@yahoo.com
These one's really cool! I would love to try this one for my daughter! ;)
ReplyDelete