Water Play
What You’ll Need:
- Water
- Shallow containers
- Small toys (cars, figurines, etc.)
- Safe kitchen items (turkey baster, funnel, measuring cups, etc.)
What You’ll Do:
- Fill a shallow container (or multiple containers) with water
- Dump in a variety of toys so kids can fish them out
- Provide kitchen utensils so they scoop, pour and more
Added Fun! Give them a clean paint brush or roller and let them “paint” (using water, not paint) the sidewalk, driveway or fence.
What Kids Learn
How to Support the Play
- Try looking at how a child is doing something. Then describe what you noticed. “I see that you tried three times” and “I noticed you did it differently that time.”
- Try focusing more on the way a child is playing — the process and the doing — and less on the outcome. The magic of play happens during the journey.
- If a child gets frustrated, give them time to work through challenges before stepping in.
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
Glue Gun Fun
There’s no substitution for hands-on exploration. Letting kids (safely) experiment with real tools, such as a glue gun, provides opportunities to build confidence, independence, creative thinking skills and more.
Make Your Own Eyeball Wall at Home
If you’ve visited our new special exhibit, Monsters on Summer Vacation, you’ve likely seen the Eyeball Wall, a chalkboard wall covered in eyes that is the perfect backdrop for visitors to sketch out monster faces of their own.
Three Fun Static Electricity Experiments to Do at Home
Experimenting with static electricity is a great way to introduce young kids to science and spark their curiosity to learn more.
DIY Paper Tube Xylophone
Get your kids excited about exploring music by making your own paper tube xylophone. Or, make a few and start your own xylophone band!
Build a Gnome Home
Spark your child’s imagination and creative thinking skills by building a whimsical gnome home. Make a single home or an entire village.
Milk Carton Bird Feeder
Have an empty milk carton on hand? Spark some creativity and fun – and put it to good use – by creating a DIY bird feeder.
Lava Lamp Experiment
Making temporary lava lamps is a fun, colorful and easy science experiment sure to keep your kids engaged.
DIY Kinetic Sand
Kinetic sand is an easy project that allows kids to explore their senses, build fine motor skills and strengthen their imaginative play muscles.
Take Things Apart
Explore the inner workings of old machines. For Ages: 6 and up