We have both a sand table and a water table. The sand table is useful year round, but the water table is pretty much a hot weather only attraction. I would like to use it during the fall/winter as an outdoor sensory table on the deck.
I'm just not sure what to fill it with. We don't need two sand tables. It needs to be something dry so that they can play in it with winter coats/gloves on if that's necessary. It also needs to be able to withstand some humidity without getting icky given that I'd like to leave it outside. Also, it needs to be something that is either big enough to easily retrieve and put back in the bin or environmentally friendly so that when it falls off the deck into the grass it won't mess with the grass or lawnmower in the summer (so no rocks or gravel).
I've considered rice, feed corn, dried beans, uncooked pasta, etc., but I'm worried that they wouldn't stand up well outdoors. I've searched a bit online, and the only idea that looks even vaguely workable is those decorative glass gems. If I can find them bulk and reasonably priced, they would be fun to dig in and pour, and large enough to just pick the ones that fall out back off the deck and dump them back in. On the other hand, the ones that escape will simply be glass hanging out in the back yard and that doesn't seem wise. I also don't know if they'll get chipped if played with roughly and then be sharp and dangerous to little fingers.
Does anyone have thoughts about the glass gem idea or any other suggestions?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
A Deck Takes Shape
So the deck is not finished yet. See the following photographic evidence.
Note strategically placed bin to prevent accidental 8 foot plummet.
Stepping into and out of the dining room is a bit interesting.
Getting to the stairs requires bravery and acrobatics.
The stair rails are currently non-existent.
And yet, huge finished sections are breathtakingly beautiful.
My husband is amazing.
And yet, huge finished sections are breathtakingly beautiful.
My husband is amazing.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A Flurry of Activities
We had a friend over for a playdate Wednesday and I decided to fill our water table with shaving cream (outdoors). The children had a blast. The modeling of a typically developing peer is so powerful. They had their hands in it and were covering the glass of the french doors with it. When our guest began painting her arms and legs with it we decided to strip them down to their underwear. Before all was done, our guest looked like a snowman front and back and Ava had covered her entire belly and most of her legs. It was wonderful. Two weeks ago we had to persuade her to touch the shaving cream with a fingertip. All the credit goes to the great modeling of her friend.
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They came back for a bonus visit yesterday and my bright idea this time was to redo the pudding activity, but this time in an empty bathtub for more exposure and easier cleanup. We put the two girls in the bathtub with a bowl full of pudding I had colored with green paint and told them to have fun painting. I gave them paintbrushes because I was hoping that there would be no way Ava could avoid getting covered in at least a little of the pudding even with the paintbrushes to help get her started. Well, they quickly ran out of pudding and I grabbed some washable fingerpaint and we just continued the fun. Every time the walls filled with paint I would simply shower them off and the girls would begin again. They were in there at least an hour. It was great.
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We had an old baby gate. It was the huge kind you can use to make a play yard. Or, in our case, to protect the little ones from a huge brick fireplace. We're no longer using the gate. I set the gate up in play yard formation and used some old blanket and baby wraps to make a tent, or cave. The kids loved it until they destroyed it. Here's a picture I managed to take before the destruction.
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One last fun activity we did this week was to take some bowls of water, paintbrushes, and ice out on the deck. The children had fun "painting" the wood with the water and just exploring pouring water and playing with ice cubes. We were out there for at least an hour two separate times this week. We went through three huge bowls of ice cubes each time, but it was completely worth it.
They came back for a bonus visit yesterday and my bright idea this time was to redo the pudding activity, but this time in an empty bathtub for more exposure and easier cleanup. We put the two girls in the bathtub with a bowl full of pudding I had colored with green paint and told them to have fun painting. I gave them paintbrushes because I was hoping that there would be no way Ava could avoid getting covered in at least a little of the pudding even with the paintbrushes to help get her started. Well, they quickly ran out of pudding and I grabbed some washable fingerpaint and we just continued the fun. Every time the walls filled with paint I would simply shower them off and the girls would begin again. They were in there at least an hour. It was great.
____________________
We had an old baby gate. It was the huge kind you can use to make a play yard. Or, in our case, to protect the little ones from a huge brick fireplace. We're no longer using the gate. I set the gate up in play yard formation and used some old blanket and baby wraps to make a tent, or cave. The kids loved it until they destroyed it. Here's a picture I managed to take before the destruction.
____________________
One last fun activity we did this week was to take some bowls of water, paintbrushes, and ice out on the deck. The children had fun "painting" the wood with the water and just exploring pouring water and playing with ice cubes. We were out there for at least an hour two separate times this week. We went through three huge bowls of ice cubes each time, but it was completely worth it.
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