Skip to main content Skip to main menu

Orders placed between Wednesday, 3/27 and Friday, 3/29 may be delayed due to warehouse inventory counts.

Close

Water Exploration and Play

a messy and colorful paint pallet

Splish splash! Let’s have fun in the bath!

This activity is pulled from our Virtual ExCEL Camps happening summer of 2020! While these activities are written to fit into the larger lesson plan of the camp themes, you can complete them with your little one at any time. Learn more about our Virtual ExCEL Summer Camp here!

Appropriate Age Range: 0-8 years of age

Materials Needed:

  • whip cream, pudding, or finger paint
  • old paintbrushes

Vocabulary:

Try looking these words up if your child is unfamiliar with them: smear, mushy, dirty, clean, wipe off, sticky, rinse, rub, wet, dry, swipe, left, right, up, down

Activity: 

  • Play with different mediums in the bathtub. This may be helpful for students who are tactile averse as the substance can easily be washed off.
  • Have fun smearing whip cream, pudding of contrast i.e. chocolate pudding on a white tub or finger paint (homemade or store-bought) on the sides of the tub or walls. Check for the possibility of it staining.
  • Using an old paintbrush, try painting the finger paint or other substance on the bathtub.
  • Try to draw shapes in the pudding. Can you make a circle, a triangle, or a square in the substance?
  • How does it feel? Is it sticky?  Is it mushy?  What color is it?
  • Rinse off the substance with a cup and talk about where it went. Is the bathtub water a different color now?

Outcome:

How did your child react to touching the different substances? Did they enjoy smearing them on the side of the tub?  If they are tactile averse, were they able to tolerate this activity a bit easier due to the ability to wash it off quickly?  What were the non-verbal cues they gave that they either enjoyed the activity or didn’t like it?

Extension:

Make your own bath paint using soap, cornstarch, and food coloring!

 

Instructors: 

Andrea Amestoy, Registered Nurse/Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired outreach and Certified Orientation and Mobility Instructor at Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind

Jessica Chamblin, Teacher of the Blind/Visually Impaired. I have worked in the field of Deafblindness for five years in a variety of roles including Interpreter, PCA, Intervener and TBVI. I work for Intermediate School District 917 in Rosemount, Minnesota. I have completed the Intervener training series provided by the Minnesota Deafblind Project and currently serve on the Deafblind Community of Practice for the State of Minnesota.

 

 

Share this article.

Related articles

A pair of hands cutting blue paper over a table containing parts from the Tactile and CVI Book Builder kits.

Tactile Book Builder Kit: Equipping Educators to Meet a Multitude of Needs

At APH, we strive to create products that assist both teachers and students with unique learning needs. The Tactile Book...

A group of eight adults pose for a photo while standing around a gigantic cranmer abacus. Another adult squats with a young child near the bottom right corner of the abacus. Behind the two leftmost standing adults, a tall thin banner reading “Connect the Dots” can be seen.

Connect the Dots

We are excited to announce our new family-based education series: Connect the Dots, powered by the PNC Foundation! Thanks to...

A stack of presents wrapped in red, white, brown, and polka-dotted paper. Many of the packages have festive bows tied around them.

Holiday Traditions for All

The holidays are a great time for fun, family, and food. This time of year also includes many learning and...