Guest Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I am fairly new to reception class and having great fun with lots of different activities, although I do seem to run out of ideas for sand and water play. Have read the sand topic messages - lots of inspiration for sand play - thanks, can't wait to try them out, especially the socks! Does anyone have any ideas for water play. I have used the usual equipment, measuring with different containers, fishing for various objects and blowing bubbles - which was great fun. Also could you let me know how often you change the activities in the water tray - at the moment I tend to see how popular an activity is and perhaps have the same activity for 2 or 3 days. Thank you. Diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_64 Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 There have been a couple of discussions about water in the past but I don't know how to put in links. Is this something anyone can do?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_73 Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 you can find the water topics here and a short one here this one was not well responded to, so maybe there are other ideas memebrs can add now that it has been brought back to our attentionand You will find odd mentions to water in other topics too if you want to put 'water' into search. hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Thanks for the ideas, being a new user I didn't realise this topic had already been discussed (still finding my way around!). Looking forward to trying these out when we go back. Diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 We made our water tray into a pond for '5 Little Ducks.' We put in pebbles, dyed the water,a dn put in a bit of pond weed, then had a focussed activity in there on adding and subtracting. We left the resources in for the next couple of weeks, and the childrne really enjoyed returning and singing the song indep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hi Emma (Ihope!) and welcome. I don't think I've welcomed you in before although I can see you've made a few posts. Thats a lovely idea. my children always sabotage any attempts to do those sorts of things. I wonder why? Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi Susan, and thanks for the welcome. We make sure that we model everything with the children first, and then they seem to be ok. In our setting one of our rules is that the children tidy up something if they have finished playing with it, and I think this also helped. One of my newer and more disruptive children really enjoyed the water, and got a lot out of it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2004 Share Posted May 9, 2004 During a topic on animals we filled the whole water tray with bird seed and added scoops, sieves and water wheels. The next week we used some of the bird seed to make bird feeders (dip pine cones in melted lard or unsalted peanut butter and then dip in the bird seed and hang up). We have tried glitter in the water with pieces of foil and shiny ribbon. We add sieves and colanders and separated the shiny bits from each other. For measuring, we put in film cannisters and mark lines on shampoo bottles with permanent pen to show where 1 cannister will fill to, or two etc. We put play people in the water tray and give a range of recycled materials so that children can work out which shape / material makes the beat boat. Sponges are good fun with water wheels, sieves. potato masher etc. A little brusho powder is good for colouring the water ( a little goes a very long way). We also have a kit called 'Build a boat' which gives good construction play in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Hi there horsechestnut - how imaginative! The water ideas are great too!! Welcome aboard there, look forward to getting to know you! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Hello Horsechestnut, Welcome to the site, and thanks for making such an inspiring first post. The first of many, I hope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 HI horsechestnut & welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 "During a topic on animals we filled the whole water tray with bird seed and added scoops, sieves and water wheels. " Brings back memories for me! I did something similar in my first year of teaching, with a sack of rolled oats (horse feed) The children loved it, but unfortunately within a few weeks, so did a local herd of mice. I was not a bit popular with the caretaker............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 A Investigative activity. you could use empty baby food jars in the water tray. The chidlren 1/2 fill the jar with water, then use pippettes of coloured liquid to change the clear water in the jars. They are fasinated by the way the colour swirls around and mixes till it becomes concentrated. they tehn pour the coloured water in the food jar out into a bucket and start all over again with fresh water. I make the colour concentrate with brusho and a little water. It goes a long way- well further than using food colouring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Hello, Please excuse my ignorance everyone but what is brusho? I have never heard of it before, where can you get it from and what is it like? Is it better than food colouring? Does it come in many colors? I'm very intrigued! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Hi Woozle Brusho is ink powder. I have never used it myself but a friend of mine has done some lovely pictures with her nursery children in the past. You can buy it from most of the suppliers. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Thanks Linda I will look out for it in our resource catalogues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 A warning about using Brusho - in my experience it stains badly and can be used to dye fabric when added to the medium they sell for the purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 hi woozle nice name Brusho is colouring in powder form. Very intense colour that you can control acc to the amount of water used to dilute it. I also use Brusho liquid is two colours to make cheap Christmas decorations. Dip either end of the full loo roll- unused in two differnt colours- red and green usually works well. The colour soaks into the loo roll that swells up rapidly- this depends on the quality of the loo roll. There should be a red border and a green border with the colour intermingling in the middle- sometimes this can stay white. Leave to dry undisturbed for a week -10 days. When dry unwrap/un roll and use as decorations for the ceilings and walls.Looks like double coloured crepe paper. blue and red - for the golden jubilee This worked well. Brusho works well when you fold kitchen roll paper and dip into differnt pots of brusho colours. The intensity of the colours remains constant- good for displays. I sound like I have shares in the company. but no- I just think its cheap and great to use. But it cna stain hands and clothes so use with care. But most parents are ok with it as it washes off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Hi Leo, What fantastic ideas for decorations, I hope I can remember them by Christmas time they sound very effective. I love to hang things from the ceiling in my classroom, I guess that you could use it for other things such as dying the loo roll in shades of blue and hang in the role play area for an undewater scene or the sky, greens for grass, multicolours for streamers for festivals and carnival...... the possibilities are endless it would be very easy to get carried away !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 Brusho does come in many colours and a tiny amount colours a large volume of water. Unfortunately a tiny amount of neat powder also dyes your hands for a long while The paint is a beautiful bright coloured water colour which works on fabric as well as paper. We sometimes use it as a colour wash on top of a pencil drawing, then put felt pen back over the pencil lines. The made up paint keeps for about a week. If using the paint for independent work we stand the pots in a deep tray in case they get tipped over, as brusho stains the floor! In the concentrations you use in the water try it doesn't stain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 We just use food colouring or when we have run out we swirl some crepe paper into the water as this adds colour. Even better if the children do it themselves. On other activities we have two weekly rota in the water tray and I am trying to remember off the top of my head all the things we do: Pouring from jugs into containers Different sized measurement containers Bubbles Boats Sealife - complete with nets Tubes Floating and sinking Bottles There are two more that I just cant remember lol We have also bathed babies (dolls) Washed clothes and hung them out to dry Made our own boats Dyed it black and looked at reflections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 We also put in cooked spagetti,jelly all great fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_3448 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Hi I have just had a great time in our reception class 'doing' water. The best bit was called 'making water move' we used a number of bowls/baby baths etc, a few lengths of plastic tubing, jugs bottles etc. I started with the water in one of the containers and then acted the 'daft' grown-up by saying,'look all the water is in here how can I get it in there?' The co-operation was fantastic, the children worked in groups of 2 or 3, depending on who they wanted to work with They discovered the best way to pour, slower was better, they realised that if they raised and lowered the tubing the water would move even if the 2nd container was raised higher than the first. my role was to help if neccessary, suggest that they stopped pouring if the water was going all over them. The children loved it and to be quite honest so did I. I also had some good observations for the teacher to include in the profiles!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts