Day 47: Christmas Water Beads

Trying to keep with the Christmas/winter theme, our day 47 activity was loosely based around Christmas colours. I made up some red, green and clear water beads, leaving them overnight in a vat of water to allow them to hydrate. As water beads usually hold Isabelle's interest on there own, I left out a selection of scoops and a bowl, but also added some trusty toilet roll tubes to add something new.
I left this activity ready for Simon and Isabelle on Simon's day off with her - leaving them to it as I trudged out to work.
Isabelle played for around 45 minutes, which I think is a great amount of time for such a little child to spend immersed in one activity. It shows just how well the water beads hold her attention, and how very interested she is in them.
According to my reliable source (Simon) Isabelle spent some time squishing the water beads, which seems to be her new favorite thing to do. She loves crushing them in her hand, and picks up handfuls which she crushes, before picking up some more. She must enjoy the feel of them between her hands, and she actually loves to squash anything.
However, using both her little scoop and her spoon, Isabelle also enjoyed scooping and transferring the water beads, putting some into
the upright toilet roll tubes, which is great for her hand-eye coordination.  Picking up the little, very slippery, beads is great for her pincer grip and so I always think water beads are a great work out for Isabelle and her skills. The texture of the beads, and their bouncy nature, makes them such a great little material for a toddler to play with, and they aren't like anything else we have.
Isabelle enjoyed the others items with her Christmas water beads too - bowls always make fun hats, and toilet roll tubes are excellent telescopes!
Have a look at our other water bead activities here and here.