Have you ever heard of water beads? They are fun gel balls that expand in water and are often used in flower vases. They also make a fun sensory station for children who are no longer putting things in their mouth. In this post I show you a water beards sensory play activity. These are also commonly referred to as Orbeez.
Water Beads Sensory Bin
Please note that affiliate links are used in this post.
Disclaimer! Water beads are dangerous if swallowed. Adult supervision is required for this activity. If your child is still putting items in their mouth, skip this one or use one of the edible water bead recipes at the bottom of the post.
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My kids love playing with sensory bins so I try my best to create new sensory bins each month for them to play with. This gives me some down time while it gives them exploration time.
How to create the water beads activity:
I showcased on my Instagram stories how I poured the water gems into my sensory bin. I then added water. For this bin I used about 1/4- 1/2 cup of dry beads.
These are the actual beads I used in this bin and I am really happy with the quality. I also have these fun giant ones too.
I then looked around my home for different tools to add inside. I already had many because we do a lot of sensory table ideas at home.
I used this plastic bin with these fine motor tools. These tools are so versatile and end up in almost all of my sensory tubs. I also love these colanders and use them often. I knew my daughter would want to do a lot of scooping, pouring, etc so with that in mind, I added plastic Easter eggs that I had at home and some plastic shovels.
My daughter really wanted to feel the beads with her feet.
They are so much to play with.
My kids ages 4, 9 and 11 all enjoyed the sensory bin and went back to it each day. I covered it using the lid and it still looked great five days later.
The water beads bin would also be great for when you are working on a color theme unit.
For some edible waterbeads check out the following posts. The water gems in the post below are taste safe:
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