One of the things I purchased Emme for her first birthday was this bag of water beads (also known as Orbeez) from Amazon (affiliate link). I shared a video on my IG stories of Emme playing with them, and so many people messaged me asking questions! People wanted to know what they were, and said things like, “I wish I could do that but my child would eat them.” Guys, Emme definitely tried to eat these several times, but I was sitting with her and gently told her no (or squished her cheeks together and popped it out of her mouth if she beat me to it). Eventually she got tired of me bothering her and quit trying to eat them. 😂 Always supervise your children closely when playing with these! The choking hazard is probably more dangerous than the risk of eating them as they are labeled non-toxic. Either way, watch them closely of course. For everything you ever needed to know about them, read on!
What are they and how to make them
Water beads will come to you as tiny little colored pellets that kind of look like plastic. They are made of polymer and absorb water. When they are full, they smash into a gel like substance. They do not pop with water. Sometimes you can buy them already sorted by color which is nice. The recipe on our bag is one teaspoon of dried beads per 3 cups of water. They expand a LOT as they soak up the water. Basically to about marble size. I used two teaspoons in these photos if I remember correctly! That is all it takes, water and time. Usually 4-6 hours and they are plenty big enough for play! So don’t promise your kiddos you’re going to do this until you have already soaked them for hours. Lol. You can drain any excess water if you didn’t measure exactly, or leave it.
Where to use them
I have the IKEA Flisat table with Trofast bins. It is like the OG of sensory play tables. If you don’t have a sensory table, you can easily use a tupperware or any other low bucket to play in. Even a small baby pool! These would be super fun in a tupperware on a light table, and we even used them in the bathtub on Emme’s birthday! They could also go inside a bottle or balloon to be shaken. I like having a tray of water next to them because Emme likes to move them over to the water and fish for them.
How to use them
The primary use for these is obviously sensory. Even as an adult I have fun playing with these! If your children are older you can also use figurines for imaginary play in them. You can have your child sort them by colors, too! They also have a great bounce to them, so you could do bouncing target practice. 😂 Emme works on fine motor skills pinching them with two fingers and placing/moving them. She uses gross motor when smashing them. Also LOVES smashing them. She makes a little face when she does it too. I’m pretty certain she is using them like a stress ball. 🤣 Which is great! They are also act like a lens ball and give you an interesting view of whatever is behind them as they are mostly translucent. 10/10 for play honestly, even for me. 😎
Tools to try
Our dollar stores in Japan sell all sorts of fun things to use with water beads, but you can use household items you already have. Emme is 12 months old right now and particularly loves to work with a tiny wisk. These are the exact two she has but we got them here in Japan. She just has to move the wisk around the beads to get one to go in. Then she practices pulling it out of the wisk and repeats. It is endless entertainment. Seriously. If you don’t have a tiny wisk I would recommend getting one for this. Other fun tools to use are listed below. If you have a play kitchen your kids could use any kitchen tools from there. Don’t overthink it! Honestly hands are enough for these.
- Cups or bowls to pour back and forth or sort in. I used colored bowl to show Emme how to sort and talk about colors she doesn’t understand yet but it’s fun)
- Scoops or spoons
- Tongs (this is difficult, they are slippery)
- Funnels
- Jars
What to do you’re finished with them
The water beads will keep for a long time if you keep them hydrated. You can easily store them in your preferred containers in some water until they are too gross to use. I am going to leave Emme’s in her table bin until there is too much dog hair in there, feed my plants with them, and make more. 😂 Next time I will probably sort them by color and do themed sensory bins! Everything I have read about water beads is that most brands are actually biodegradable! So when you’re done with them you can also use them in potting soil for all the plants you have collected this year being at home. 😬
I had also read using salt on them will disperse the water. I had to figure out what to do with these after I filled an entire bathtub with them. 🤣 I would have saved all of them but I don’t have that many plants. Plus Emme peed in the tub right as we were getting her out sooo, yeah. What was left I actually tested the salt pouring on and it kind of worked. I poured salt all over them and left it to sit, and when I came back, it looked like the water was higher and there were fewer beads, so I carefully drained some the water without letting any beads though. Poured another layer of salt, and repeated until there was a manageable number to scoop out. I left them for my husband to scoop out and he complained there were still to many, but oh well. Filling the bathtub was worth it I swear. 😂 Emme was in the tub for an hour playing with them and just SO happy!
What else?
For more sensory bins ideas, check out my sensory bin pinterest board here.
