I know that setting up a water table at home can be messy and it’s not your favourite.😅 But if we don’t do that in summer, when can we do?! Haha
It doesn’t need to be a big play bin and you can use just a small amount of water to fill the bin.
I observed our young children loved scooping water with a seashell at the water table, so I made today’s play setup.
I always like to add a learning lesson to my play, so we are gonna read a book first! It can provide a background for the play and take the play to a next level with creativity and imagination, so don’t skip this part!😊
Book “Pearl” by Molly Idle
A little mermaid, Pearl wanted to be a helpful mermaid like other mermaids who were taking care of beaches, coral reefs and kelp forest. But her mom only gave her a small grain of sand to take care of. Pearl was sad but after she found that the small grain had a little luster, she preserved it, polished it and played with it everyday. Slowly the grain grew and became lighter. And one day it went up to the sky and its light touched everything in the ocean.
😍
A beautiful fairy tale, isn’t it?
The lessons of the book are
✦ Patience
✦ Perseverance
✦ Grinding
✦ Growth mindset
✦ Self-esteem
Seashell Water Play
Give this play setup after reading the book.
Materials
- A water bin (small to medium size)
- Marbles
- Pearl beads
- Seashells
- Spoons
- Little cups
Tip: You can change the materials as you want. If you want to play with a 2 years old toddler, you might want to switch marbles and pearl beads to bigger sized marbles or edible things like chickpeas. Or you can stay beside your child and supervise.
What To Do
Play
This is just a play setup. Your child can freely explore and play as s/he wants.
Learning Skills
▸ Fine motor skills
▸ Dramatic play (imaginative play)
▸ Tool using skills
▸ Sensory exploration
Don’t forget to remind the story of the book “Pearl” before or during the play.
You can leave the book in front of the water table.
She placed a single grain of sand in Pearl’s hand.
“Yours, to care for every day and keep safe every night.”
“But, Mother . . . ” protested Pearl, “you said I could help with something important.”
“The smallest of things can make a great difference, Pearl,” her mother replied.
Happy learning and quality time!
Teacher Gela 👩🏻🎀