Believe it or not, Summer water play does NOT have to be a hassle for parents or educators! Instead of plastic pools and inflatables, lots of kid gear, and a ton of wet laundry to tend to, think natural play invitations! Here we’ve shared a few of our favorite summer splash ideas which are nature based and require little prep and clean up.

〉〉〉 FUN BONUS TIP! Allowing your children (or students) to play in old clothes instead of swim suits allows for comfort while playing in nature, prevents excess sun exposure, and requires fewer changes of clothing and laundry!

Garden Soup

This fun toddler activity promotes exploration of nature and invites mixing, pouring, stirring, scooping, and other important developmental movements! Garden soup can be made with any natural materials on hand… think sticks, stones, leaves, branches, or whatever you have in your outdoor area. Just be sure to provide plenty of tools for such as tongs, strainers & spoons!

Sand & Water Canals

This activity is ALWAYS a blast. Here, we’ve created a play invitation with nothing more than a garden hose and a sandbox, and the children are enjoying churning the mixture and stomping! However, we’ve also enjoyed this activity with less water and added tools to build canals and architecture in the sand. Think roads, rivers, mountains and bridges, or anything in between! This activity can be done with only the body, but feel free to add building tools as well!

Color Mixing

Here, our primary students used food coloring in water, and added woodchips and fresh herbs from the garden… yet color mixing can be recreated with a number of mediums! Shaving cream or bubbles are safe and easy to clean up with a simple rinse off, and are gorgeous with added color! For color, deep vibrant vegetable juice (beets, carrot, etc.) can also be used, OR incorporate non toxic paint, clothing dye, and plain white shirts or canvases for some added art fun while mixing! The possibilities here are endless! This activity is rich in science exploration and for observing cause and effect, so get creative!

Infants Splash, too…

Infant splash play can be a very rich in experience and special time to bond with babies, because babies LOVE water. Any variation of tub is suitable for infant water play, with added natural objects and tools for basic exploration. Here, we used seashells and watering cans…. but polished stones, gems, ice cubes, or other shiny/reflective objects would also be really fun to engage with in water! Just be SURE to stay present and engaged with babies during water play! Constant supervision is required at all times!

〉〉〉 Would you like to see more water play ideas? More ideas for natural play invitations? We’ve got tons up our sleeves… let us know below what you ‘d like to see more of!