7 Ways to Play with Water Beads

We've been having so much fun experimenting with Water Beads, I thought I would share!

Water beads are these neat little water absorbing polymers, and we decided to "grow" more and bring them to our preschool co-op this week.  They were a hit!  The water beads (sometimes called crystal soil) are used for floral arrangements and are non-toxic and biodegradable, however they do pose a choking hazard so supervision is needed.

I found mine in the floral section at Walmart for $2 a package, but I think you can find them at some dollar stores, and I just ordered some  Water Beads on Amazon too! (5 packages for $2.60)

They're super simple to use, too.  I just use a big bucket (I like to use ice cream buckets) and fill with the tiny beads and water.  I did one color per bucket, and noticed some colors really faded (like red) but others didn't at all.  We let them sit overnight (or about 4-6 hours) to fully expand, and then they're ready to play!

After each time we play with them, I run them under water in a strainer to get any dirt, grass, crumbs, and whatever else out, and then put them back in a bucket for the next day.

(this is about 7 packets worth of beads, all clean and ready for next week's preschool!)

They have given us hours upon hours of play, are pretty easy to clean up, (any beads that drop dry up and shrink again) and are all around a fantastic way to use some imagination and just play!  We love them!


7 Ways to Play with Water Beads:


1.  Use with a Sand/Water Table and take it outside.  (We use a Step 2 sand box with cover to store our beads for preschool.)


2.  Place in a storage tub with measuring cups, funnels, and bowls to measure and fill.


3.  Paint with them to make pretty paint swirl pictures.


4.  Create an underwater adventure with toy fish and other sea creatures and boats.  (My girls' princesses actually love the water beads too, along with horses, blocks, and anything that happens to be around when we're playing with them)


5.  Stick in a few glow sticks for fun glow in the dark experience.


6.  Use them with a light table. (you can make your own light table!)


7. Sort by colors, numbers, weights, sizes... options are endless!  




Or, make a super cute birthday gift basket for a little one in your life complete with beads, stacking cups, and little toy animals! So much fun!

Reading Kingdom {review!}

My four year old, Ella, has been super interested in learning and school ever since we started out own preschool co-op this fall.  Since I'm home with the girls, I try to squeeze in learning opportunities whenever I can, but I also embrace other mediums, especially "techy" ones that can help teach my kids how to utilize technology and learn, too!  Reading Kingdom is fabulous mix of fun and games, with online interactive reading programs based on each individual child!  The preschool has proven to be a great start for introducing the basics, and ever since I've discovered Reading Kingdom, she's been diving into her "reading" even more!

Reading Kingdom totally customizes its programs to your learners, after evaluating where your child is and developing goals!  From there, it's all up to you!

We especially love that the lessons are short, and perfect for a preschooler's attention span, but if Ella wants to keep clicking around and learning, she sure can, and she enjoys to find the extras in each lesson.  

If you're looking for way to introduce letters and reading for a kiddo in your life, consider the Reading Kingdom membership!  Good for all learners -- early readers, struggling readers, and accelerated readers -- and easy to gift, too!

Here's a quick peek into how the Reading Kingdom program looks with my sweet little Ella!

This is Ella's first time using the keyboard and mouse for something specific like this.  She's used my Macbook a tiny bit, and both girls have used the iPad quite a bit.  So this is something very new to her.  I love how interactive and encouraging Reading Kingdom is, and it's definitely challenging without being frustrating!  And if you know any four year olds, you know that you'll try to avoid frustrations! :) I would recommend this highly!  

We would love to see Reading Kingdom as an iPad/Android app too!  

{pre} schoolin'

We've taken the leap.  If you've been here for a while, you know I have been looking for preschool ideas because we currently don't have one in our town.  This fall, I decided to send out an email to moms of 3-4 year olds in our area to see if there was any interest for a preschool co-op.  I wasn't really sure what that would even mean at the time.

And in truth, we're still working through ideas and incorporating them into our preschool.  Right now, our preschool meets on Wednesday mornings 9-12am.  We normally have about 10 kids, ranging in ages from 2-5.  The other moms and I have this great classroom space we are using, a huge basement playroom that we're converting and have already dreamed up decor ideas. {which will involve some chalkboard paint!}  We decided to go with an {loose} alphabet theme, and each week a different mom teaches the lesson, based on a letter of the alphabet!  This works for us because each mom has something unique to bring to the table, and we feel like this gives our kids a variety, while spreading out the lesson planning and teaching among all the moms.  It is cool how unique we are:  we have a kindergarten teacher, a yoga instructor, a photographer, a physical therapist, ranching wives -- and all mamas to our sweet little ones.

While I'm a high school history teacher by trade, I'm enjoying the challenge of planning and teaching to preschoolers.  And even more than that, the kids are wild about their school!  We really feel like we've created something pretty special, and can't wait to watch it bloom and grow!

Any schoolers out there?  Share what you're doing this year!!

Schoolin'

Things are moving on the preschool front!  I'm still getting organized, gathering supplies, and planning, but realizing too that as parents, WE are our child's first teachers, no matter how "school-y" we get with them.  So I've been extra aware of those teaching moments at home:  baking, cleaning, singing songs... all those things we do together each day that really instill lifelong habits.

The girls have been measuring with random kitchen finds, which of late were rice and beans.

(Both girls even taste tested the mixture!)

This week's hot topic:

How do you involve younger children in your school?  Any fun projects for them that your kiddos enjoyed?

Thanks for everything friends!

Do you school?

Happy Friday!  I am looking for a little advice from the fabulous readers :)

Here's my situation:

1.  We live in a very rural area.  As in, cows are my neighbors, not people.  Our small town does not currently have a preschool.

2.  My 3 year old is a very strong-willed, hands on kind of kid.  She loves to learn and manipulate and sort.  But she needs something more.

Because driving 3 hours to the nearest big city for a preschool doesn't make sense to us right now, I decided that I would start {very small!} and work on ABC's and recognition along with the basics -- shapes, colors, countings, etc.  Stuff we already do, but with more of a focused intent.

Here is where you come in!!!!

Because of the vastness of the internet, I have found some very great resources and am pooling them together into something that works for us!  But, do YOU have any special resources you use for schooling, crafts, ideas, and more?  What is your go to site (or book, resource) for all things education, especially the preschool age?  What works?  What doesn't??

Do share!!  Many thanks in advance lovely friends!  And happy weekend to you and yours!

*photo is a sample of my husband's library he inherited from his great uncle and great grandpa!  Such cool books!