Minimalist water play

Because I am teaching toddlers at the moment, my programme has a strong focus on exploring the elements of the natural world. That means providing opportunities for water, sand, (dirt!!) and natural materials every day. Water in particular has a very strong fascination for most toddlers, and though it's something they interact with every day (eg, drinking it, washing in it), they never tire of exploring all its properties. At 1 and a 1/2 they are developing 'working theories' for how it 'works' and how it interacts with other substances (like their clothes, or the ground). They also find it very familiar and soothing.

However, waterplay has one or two limitations. It is quite possible for a toddler to drown in fairly small amounts of it (eg, if they knock their head falling into a bucket of it), and they will also get soaking at any opportunity, until they practice and develop their motor control. (One reason for lots of practice with the stuff.)

One of my favourite ways of offering water play outside is in a shallow tray. I have a plastic tray which I weigh down with biggish stones, and put 1/2 inch of water in it. This needs hardly any supervision as it's impossible to drown in, but provides patting and small splashing opportunities, as well as allowing the toddler to see how stones will change appearance when wet, and then dry in the sun. They can get their hands wet, but won't get their clothes soaking (unless they very carefully sit down in the tray - which I haven't seen yet, but this doesn't mean it won't happen).

I sometimes put a tray of water out as well as a water trough, along with buckets, watering cans and the teaset. But it's particularly useful when I don't want to change the kids clothes again, but still provide water exploration opportunities.