Water - Page 2 of 4

Color Drop Towers

Steps:

Prepare the ‘towers’: Press a large lump of playdough firmly into the bottom of a Paper Cup or container. Flip the cup upside down so the playdough forms a stable base on the outside top.
Insert 6-8 Golf Ball Tees into the playdough base, blunt end first, so the narrow, hollow end points straight up (these are the ‘towers’ that need filling).
Create the colors: Fill several small bowls or Paper Cups with water and add a few drops of different Food Coloring to each one.
Show your child how to hold the eyedropper using their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grip) to suck up the colored water, reminding them to squeeze slowly for control.
Challenge your child to aim the dropper directly over one of the empty tee towers and release one drop of liquid at a time, slowly filling the narrow space. Try mixing colors by dropping red, then blue, into the same tower to watch them blend!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise closely. Ensure the child understands that the golf tees and playdough are not for eating or placing near the face.

Foil Drip Maze

Steps:

Prepare the maze surface: Cover a flat piece of cardboard entirely with aluminum foil, crimping the edges up slightly to create a sturdy, shallow tray (this is your waterproof maze board).
Use markers to draw a simple maze or a winding path on the foil surface. Draw a start circle and a finish circle for the water drop to travel between.
Mix a small amount of water with food coloring in a container. Demonstrate how to load the eyedropper by squeezing the bulb using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and index finger) and drawing up the colored water.
Challenge your child to hold the eyedropper over the start circle and release a single drop. Then, they must carefully angle the tray (bilateral hands) and/or use the eyedropper to push the drop along the marker-drawn path to the finish line, practicing fine control and precision.

Safety Tip:
Ensure close supervision as small objects (like eyedropper parts) and colored water are used. Always supervise to prevent ingestion of materials.

Squeeze this Puffy Paint

For this activity, you will need to use flour, salt, and water to add to the puffy paint.

In a mixing bowl mix an equal amount of flour, salt, and water.

Add the paint and mix well.

Fill the squeeze bottle with the paint mixture and let the child squeeze the puffy paint onto cardboard to create a picture.

When dry, the paint becomes hard and shiny.

To work on visual motor skills you can have the child imitate or copy different strokes, shapes or letters.

Tactile Bowl

Blow up the balloon 1/4 way.

You may tie a knot or tape the tip of the balloon to hold the air in.

Have the child cut the yarn into long strips.

In a bowl, help the child mix the glue and water together until you get a viscid mixture.

Ask the child to dip the strips of yarn in the glue mixture and then use it to wrap around the balloon, starting from bottom to top (the child might need help with the bottom part where the yarn should be rolled tightly).

Encourage the child to use a pincer grasp (tip grasp) to take the yarn pieces out of the mixture.

Continue until the balloon is 3/4 covered in yarn. Allow to dry, then pop the balloon and take it out.

To make the bowl colorful, use different colors of yarn.

Running Water

Place two containers or buckets on opposite sides of the room or the area you play at.

Fill up one of the containers with water.

You may add food coloring if you wish.

Have the child transfer the water from one container to the other using a squeeze bottle or an eyedropper.