Parents At Play, Kids Welcome

Ideally, this little "science" experiment was for the kids.  However, Jeff and I sorta took over - OK, Jeff took over.  But, we did let the kids play. And we all ended up in a giggly mess.  Family fun at it's silliest.

Here is the background... I was exploring at the Play At Home mom website and was checking out their adventure with Water Beads.  Water beads (i.e. water polymers) are used with flower arranging, however I saw at Play At Home Mom, they are also a fun play thing.  I thought, what the heck, let's try it.  Another online Mom I knew tried it with her now First Grader and 3 year old and they loved it.  What the heck! I was still on our high from our successful colored water play day (which Connor keeps asking to do again, and we WILL!). 

I learned I could purchase these water beads/polymers (polymer is just fun to say and sounds really smart) at our local craft store. They come dehydrated - about the size of sea salt - or hydrated. I purchased some of each.  While checking me out, the clerk exclaimed, "These will be beautiful in a glass vase."  Imagine her look when I explained, "Oh, no. The kids and I are going to experiment with them in the water table and play." So, maybe we should call them water polymers, because that makes us seem like a very scientific family.  Eat your heart our Mr. Wizard or Dan Nye the Science Guy!!!

The idea is these tiny little beads hydrate in water and end up the size of small marbles. They are round and fun and tactile and BOUNCE LIKE CRAZY (i.e. accidentally our some on a hardwood floor and you will be picking them up for awhile).  I was a bit surprised about the bouncy part. Our experiment was supposed to be the kids gently playing and touching the water balls in their water table. Very serene, and relaxed and a perfect family moment of peace and harmony and love.

The day/night before our play day, Jeff and I hydrated about 2 packages of beads. It made a LOT of beads, and we added in the hydrated ones also.  By play time, we had the water table filled of beads. We had containers ready and I placed a blanket under the water table to catch the few that fell.

You want to touch them, don't you?

Out of focus, but this was our starting point

Our adventure began with touching and pouring...

Connor was very focused



Calista was very busy

Then Daddy started to participate....

Big smiles all around

Yes, the big blue tub of water polymers was my idea. And YES, I totally danced in there pretending I was smushing grapes! It was really fun, really, it was :)


CC gets her water bead shower

 Next thing I knew, Jeff started chucking water beads at me! It ended up in an out and out, no holds bar water bead family fight.  Also, if you step on them, they smush, so that was pretty fun too.  Personally, I enjoyed smushing them, it was like when you pop bubble wrap, but better. 

Water beads galore on the floor

Smushed

Needless to say, after all the havoc and mayhem the water beads were a simple clean up - using the hose and a dust pan.  (This lead to us cleaning out the whole garage, which was a happy accident.  Our garage was a gross).


An explosion of fun!

Immediately after this adventure, I thought I would never do this again, it was sort of a pain to clean up (ok Jeff cleaned it up, but I helped (maybe not helped, smushed them all with my size 7 shoes and ran them over with the car). But, then I realized we ALL had fun, we enjoyed being silly and laughing and had a blast.  No one was dirty, no clothes ruined, and NO TEARS.  I think the kids enjoyed seeing their parents play and act like silly people.  I want them to know that yes, we are Mom and Dad, but Mom and Dad know how to let loose and be silly too. 

Connor being rained on by water beads.

When we do this again, I will do it in the grass.  They don't bounce well in the grass, plus it will help keep the grass hydrated, right?!