Water Table Sensory Play

Water play is VITAL for child development, and Mr. Man doesn’t shy away from an opportunity to get wet and messy… This week is perfect for us to get outside and play at the water table!

Playing with water while our new water table is being put together.

Early on we exposed him to water play in the bathtub and again with a simple bucket. That exposure quickly grew into splash pads, sprinklers, pools, lakes, and, of course, a water table!

Scooping, dumping, pouring, sea life, pond life, and lake life all get explored with water play. His new favorite is a watering can. This is great since this summer we will be planting a garden; he can practice his watering skills at the water table.

“Look, mom, I made a shower!”

We love our Pump & Splash Shady Oasis (exclusive with Costco; This one is only available in-store. Click here for a smaller one). It has already given us hours of exploration and fun and I know it will serve us well all summer long.

Infant water play

Mini-Man is still a bit too little… and unbalanced… to sit or stand at the water table. So we improvised a bit. He has to be included in the fun!

It was easy to put him in his little seat, fill his tray with water, and add teething rings to grab. He had the same opportunities to splash and find things, just in a safer and more controlled space… Not to mention, CONTAINED. I didn’t have to keep my eyes on him every second. Give this momma a break!

What are your favorite summertime, water-based, play activities? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Enjoy other sensory ideas with You’re Only Young Once, relax with Lake Life posts, or start a new hobby with a Sewing project.

Welcome to the Lake

There is nothing like living on a lake! I grew up in Michigan and our family had a cottage on a lake where we would spend a month every summer. I grew up boating, skiing, swimming and fishing.

Living on a lake now brings back all of those memories. Memories that I want to build with my family.

Papa and Mr. Man taking us for a boat ride

We live on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. We have access to eight different lakes by boat. Our home is on Lake Eustis. It is a centrally located lake on the Chain. My husband is an avid fisherman and is always after the big bass.

One of my lake life pleasures is enjoying the peace of drinking my morning coffee by the water, watching my hubby fish and the birds visiting the dock and strolling through the yard. The egrets, ibis, and heron are fairly used to us being out in the morning. As long as we keep a reasonable distance and don’t make sudden moves, they go about their business feeding on minnows and small anoles. We also get some less welcome visitors in the morning. The gators like to feed by our cypress tree too! In most cases they are very afraid of humans and swim away as soon as they see us. But we have a healthy respect for them and take no chances.

Great Blue Heron
Alligator

I hope you will follow our adventures of life on the lake(s). I am excited to share it with you. Please comment on my posts and feel free to email me with any questions.