Everlasting Bubbles

When I was a preschool teacher, I was required to provide water play in my classroom at all times. To keep the kids interested in an activity that was available day in and day out, all year long, I would introduce new water toys each week. Sometimes it would be your standard funnels and cups, sometimes it would be sail boats or a collection items that would sink/float. Turkey basters, rubber duckies, sponges, etc, etc. 

Now that Ayden is getting to an age where he can follow simple directions and likes to learn the purpose of things, every bath time is an opportunity for water play, which is so beneficial to a child's learning that a public school district would make it mandatory to have it available at all times in an early childhood classroom. Two birds, one water-containing stone. 

For his last bath, I raided the kitchen for items that he's seen many times before, but has never gotten to use during bath time:

While we were playing, Ayden noticed that all of his bubbles were gone (he is LOVING all kinds of bubbles these days). I remembered a water play activity that I offered where I added dish soap to the water and provided old fashioned manual hand mixers. The kids would crank the mixer in the water and the soap would suds up. They loved it!  That activity gave me an idea. 

I grabbed the whisk and whisked away in his bath water as if I were scrambling eggs. Low and behold, all of the bubbles came back!  

Ayden was thrilled and I have officially made the whisk an essential bath time tool. I suppose that's one way to think outside the box...

And... then there's always good old fashion splashing!  No toys necessary:

Do you have an item that you have discovered a completely different use for during your parenting journey?  

~Sarah