• Home
  • About
  • Homeschool
  • Activities
    • Sensory
    • Fine Motor
    • Alphabet
    • Art & Crafts
    • Science
    • LEGO
    • Math
    • Nature Study
  • Farm
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Stir The Wonder

Charlotte Mason Inspired Learning

  • Home
  • About
  • Homeschool
  • Activities
    • Sensory
    • Fine Motor
    • Alphabet
    • Art & Crafts
    • Science
    • LEGO
    • Math
    • Nature Study
  • Farm
  • Shop

Sensory Toddlers

The Great Water Table Experiment

WaterTableCollage copy

The Great Water Table Experiment was a totally spontaneous activity! It was a comfortable morning and Caden asked to play with the water table so I thought I would make it a little more interesting by adding some food coloring & corn starch with the idea that it would become a large vat of goop. I didn’t have enough corn starch for the amount of water I put in the water table so it didn’t really work the way I had hoped. But it doesn’t matter because Caden had fun anyway!

watertable10

Caden directed most of the water table play, I was merely his assistant. I gave him the box of corn starch to put in the water table, then I added some food coloring and mixed it all up. I put red food coloring in one side of the table and blue in the other. It was interesting to watch Caden mixing up the two colors to create a new color.

watertable9

I had added some alphabet magnets to the water, but Caden ignored them for the most part. He was much more interested in pouring the water and mixing the colors. (The water looks milky because of the corn starch. Which made the bottom of the water table slimy.)

watertable8

He experimented with various methods of pouring and different containers. When I noticed Caden getting bored with the supplies he was using, I added something else to the table, such as little plastic balls and a sand shovel.

watertable7

And then Caden had the brilliant idea to add ice cubes! So I grabbed the sand pail and off we went into the freezer for a bucket of ice! It is so much fun to let him be creative and to see where his mind is going!

watertable6

Caden dumped in the bucket of ice and then of course ate a couple of cubes! Thankfully everything we used in the water table was edible.

watertable5

He loved putting his hands into the icy water and mixing it up.

watertable4

Then Caden experimented with different methods of scooping up the ice cubes. First he tried the sand shovel and then a plastic cup.

watertable3

watertable2

Towards the end of his experiment I started pulling the magnet letters out from the bottom of the water table and put them on the edges of the table naming the letters as I found them. That is when Caden surprised me by correctly identifying the letter ‘M’ by sound. He said “mmmm…” and then “muffin”. I had no idea that he knew any of his letters, but apparently he has soaked in knowledge all along.

watertable1

I took a picture of the letter ‘M’ because I wanted to remember that moment. It was so cool to realize that kids can learn without being formally taught. It has taken me a while to realize this, but now I really am a believer in natural learning.

You can expect to see more posts like this as we explore learning in a natural and playful way. I do not plan on using any curriculum but rather gather ideas and materials from various sources and make them available for Caden to do if he in interested. I hope to organize the playroom into centers like you see in preschools, so that he can work on all the skills he needs to succeed in life. We will also being going on field trips, exploring nature and working around the house and yard.

If you enjoyed this post please like Stir the Wonder on Facebook to stay up to date on all our activities.

© 2013, Stir The Wonder. All rights reserved.


7 Comments

« Summer Book Exchange: Trash Trucks
Beach Sensory Bin »

Comments

  1. laura m. says

    July 27, 2013 at 9:27 am

    Love it, what a wonderful surprise to a fun day of play! It is amazing what they learn along the way! Hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  2. Sugar Aunts says

    August 2, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    There is so much to learn through sensory play! We are featuring your post tomorrow at Share it Saturday over at Sugar Aunts. Thanks for linking up ๐Ÿ™‚
    Colleen

    Reply
    • Samantha says

      August 3, 2013 at 12:15 pm

      Thanks Colleen!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Year of Sensory Bins | Stir The Wonder says:
    December 30, 2013 at 6:36 am

    […] The Great Water Table Experiment […]

    Reply
  2. Summer Sensory Play from Share It Saturday - The OT Toolbox says:
    July 21, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    […] time in the backyard playing with bubbling oobleck.  Get your hose ready for this one! Stir The Wonder used the water table to explore color, texture, temperature.  And it’s all outside! […]

    Reply
  3. 70 + Fun Water Table Play Ideas for Kids + Best Water Tables - Active Littles says:
    April 3, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    […] Water Table Experiment – Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  4. Fun Water Table Ideas That Will Delight Your Kids - Discovery Play with Littles says:
    February 28, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    […] Water Table Experiment by Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stuff We Recommend

Join the Steve Spangler Science Club โ€œโ€
Subscribe:

Favorite Baby Buys for the Second Time Around

Amazon Associates

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2025 ยท Divine Theme on Genesis Framework ยท WordPress ยท Log in