EPIC Water Play Ideas for Summer in Adelaide!

It's heating up here in Adelaide and the official start of Summer is just days away, so I've put together an EPIC list of water play ideas thanks to some of my kid blogger friends from all across the globe! There are some really great activities here that I hadn't thought of before and can't wait to try them out.

Kids Craft Room wrote this fantastic post about the benefits of water play; it's a sensory experience, it's clean, it will keep them cool while playing outside on a hot day, it allows them to experiment and explore simple scientific concepts as you'll see in some of the other posts.

(Click the image to go to the full post - all images + links were used with permission from the blogger). 


First up are some fantastic water walls! What a fun way to learn about gravity and motion as you watch the water cascade down from the top and make a splash at the bottom.

I've never thought of creating ships using watermelons or making boats out of ice blocks!

 

How about a car wash station? Big version or mini :)

 

Sinking and floating experiments are a great science based activity while the kids are getting wet!

I think this flower sensory soup is at the top of our summer bucket list! Followed closely by these pretty ice cube necklaces - Miss M would love these.

These sponge water bombs look like fun, or you could always go with the usual water balloons and this post has lots of ideas of how to play with them.

 

Ice excavating experiments are such a cool idea! You can freeze all sorts of things and as the ice gradually melts, it becomes easier for the kids to free them using a variety of tools. Below we have dinosaurs, ocean animals and mermaids!

 

This colour sorting activity is so simple it's brilliant! Set out some tubs of coloured water and ask your child to sort the balls (or anything else for that matter) into the right colours. I love this idea!

Water is a great addition to your usual marble run... Make a water slide with pool noodles or just add your marble run pieces to your water table.

 

Ready - aim - fire! Use the hose, a spray bottle or a sponge to hit those targets!

 

A variety of interesting cups, containers and utensils make water play so inviting! Add pieces of lego, food colouring or dishwashing liquid to make it even more fun. So great for fine motor development.

 

How about some STEM based activities? Check out this water wheel experiment or pendulum water painting idea.

Finally, if you don't have a water table - Kate from Picklebums has five great alternatives!

When we give some of these activities a try I'll make sure to share them on Instagram!

Thanks again to the contributing bloggers xx

Lauren