Water Bead Play

Have you seen these things called  Aqua Gems? 

They are more commonly known to the preschool crowd as water beads.  

You can find them in your local craft store in the aisle with the vase fillers. They are used for vase fillers and they release water over time and are useful for watering flowers if you go on vacation.  But... today we are not using them as vase fillers.  We are using them for sensory play!

They come in two forms: hydrated and dehydrated.  The dehydrated ones (shown above) are less expensive.  I picked up a pack for a couple bucks.  The package says that it makes ONE GALLON of water beads.   To hydrate the beads, I used 2 liters of water and half the pack of beads.  You need to let them sit for 4-6 hours.  This is neat to let the kids watch how they grow over time. Once they are hydrated, the sky is the limit for play.  We currently use them on our light table.

My son loves the texture of these beads and he loves letting them squash through his hands. At first, he wasn't too sure about them.

But then he started exploring

He likes to pour the beads from one container to another and bounce them on the table.

He has taken his sister's dinosaur hostage and  likes to put the water beads in the dinosaur's mouth. 

I have even overheard him saying "Evil Dr. Porkchop" at times.  {We are going through a Toy Story phase in our house}.  I always wonder what kinds of scenarios he is making up in his head.

A warning, however....supervise at all times!  Do not let your child put these in their mouth.  They are non-toxic but obviously a choking hazard. My son is past the "I put everything in my mouth" stage but I still supervise him while he is playing with these.

How much fun would it be to fill a baby pool with these?  I can't wait to try that this summer!

Have you tried water beads yet for sensory play?

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