Water Beads Sensory Play for Earth Day

“There would be very little point in my exhausting myself and other conservationist themselves in trying to protect animals and habitats if we weren’t at the same time raising young people to be better stewards.”  ~Dr. Jane Goodall
Earth day is coming and we are getting excited around here! Our recycle bin is bursting with craft and invention ideas. We’ve been turning off the lights during our morning play time. We’ve been planting seeds for growing our own veggies, and some have even sprouted!
But where would we be if we had no sensory activity here at Small Potatoes to celebrate our fragile plane? It just wouldn’t be right! So, when my mum sent me a little package full of wee wildlife toys, I was inspired! The wheels started turning. Oh, the possibilities! I plan on using these little creatures in a whole whack of activities. But first things first. our water beads were sitting on the counter in big mason jars and I thought we’d start there. Simple.

I poured the blue, green, and clear beads into a green bin and tossed in all the animals. It looked pretty…but needed a little something extra. It needed a REAL element of the earth. My oldest daughter has a collection of river rocks so we snatched some from her stash! Thanks, Emily!

Much better. Now it look like a real little ecosystem. I wanted to shrink myself down and play in there with the wee frogs!

When the kids saw this little bin, they couldn’t wait to get started. “I dibbs the hippo!” “I dibbs the clown fish!!” Oh, and the conversations and imaginary play that ensued. It was quite a thing. The shark was looking for his next meal, the rhino was ramming the rocks to build a den, and the kangaroo was primping herself in her upside-down water bead reflections! And when the toddlers got up from their naps, they discovered that water beads bounce!
This sensory activity was indeed, very simple. The impact  however, was great. The water beads came from Wal-Mart, in their silk flower aisle for less than $3/package. (Canadian $) The bin came from our toy shelf, as I thought the green would give the beads a more vibrant, earthy look.  The animals were 47 cents each, according to my mum. Altogether, a very inexpensive project that is great for all ages. Best part about water beads, is they are reusable! The rocks I have to give back though!