A wet sensory table is so much fun, and there are lots of options for fillers and accessories. And as long as you set some ground rules, you should be good to enjoy the fun! This post explains how we set ours up - plus some of those tips and tricks!
First you'll need a plastic container. You can basically use anything if you're short on time/budget, but we use a frame from Casita Curated Play plus a bin that measures about 6x22x15 (plus we have a second bin that is a shallow '40 quarts' if that helps). It's possible to just use the plastic bin on the floor or a short table as well - though it's nice for the kids to be able to stand and play. There are also all kinds of hacks around the internet involving the Ikea Flisat table... check that out if you're wanting to make your own sensory table,
Second, you'll need a theme. You don't HAVE to have a theme (and much of the time, we don't have one), but I kind of love this part for a special table. And of course it's often a theme around a certain holiday, but sky is the limit here. We've done bees, space, rainbow, winter animals, construction site, etc. Whatever the theme is, it may drive your choice of filler in the next step. (Example - Birthday theme is often a cake mix filler!) We'll share as we create from now on to help inspire you!
Third, you'll need to pick that "filler":
Water Beads: Commonly known a few decades ago only as the brand name "Orbeez", these are tiny, tiny beads that expand over a few hours to become these kind of slippery, hard, gelatin marbles... for lack of a better way to explain. Maybe I had a deprived childhood ;) but I hadn't seen these until about a year ago, and they are awesome! They appear kind of expensive, but it only takes a SMALL amount to fill a whole sensory bin. There are all kinds of safety caveats, so see those below as well!
Fake Snow: This is so much fun - especially since we live in a city without a real winter! We usually use fake snow from Amazon, and we use 1/2 cup of snow mixed with 8 cups of water to make enough to fill the table (about a gallon of snow). If you're not into the ultra fake stuff or having to buy on Amazon, you can also make snow using bulk household items too. One recipe - 8 parts flour to 1 parts vegetable oil. Another says 5 parts baking soda to 1 part hair conditioner. They're all over the internet if you want to make your own, and there are levels of 'taste safe' that you can evaluate based on your kid and your desired risk level too.
Baking Cake Mix: This is pretty cool (although also pretty messy). I'm not sure if it belongs in the wet or dry section... so I'll put it in both. And most of the wet rules apply too. It's usually 4 parts flour and 1 part vegetable oil - with maybe a little vanilla if this is a vanilla cake. ;) Warning - this is the one filler we've had that the dogs kept trying to eat...
Water: Yup, just regular old water. We often add bubbles. Our kids love to add some soap and give all their toys a bath. Or have a tea party. We've even painted and washed pumpkins in here (thanks, Busy Toddler!). It seems like this would be too similar to the bathtub... but no, the possibilities are endless. We also sometimes use a wet table to do 'science experiments' with colored water and droppers... can even add some food coloring for extra fun.
Fourth, you'll need accessories - which need to be water proof (ish)! We recommend mostly plastic and silicon. And for a themed table, this is one of the most fun parts. We (maybe I is more accurate) have fun over the course of a week or weeks stumbling upon (or aggressively searching for) accessories that fit the theme. And you better believe that I'll be sharing that here too. If you don't have time for that, our friend Emily will make it easy for you! Just visit her site at Casita Curated Play and purchase one of her bundles - then it's all done for you! She is SUPER creative and a former Montessori teacher - you won't be disappointed.
So lastly but importantly, when we talk about wet sensory tables, there are a few safety considerations.
DO NOT EAT. Don't let the kids eat. Don't let the pets eat (except maybe that cake mix one - it's irresistible lol). But for ALL others - just don't eat them. Do not. Honestly even if it's taste safe, I'd avoid it. Like seriously - especially water beads! For our littlest ones, we give them a pacifier purposely during their play session to avoid anything sneaking in the mouth. It's not flawless though - always be present and actively watching!
Allow a few hours for set up. This is not "active" set up time, but you should know that, especially for water beads, it requires a few hours for them to grow in the water to get to their full size. So don't get the kids too excited as you put them in. Fake snow, on the other hand, is almost instantaneous.
Use only waterproof accessories. We use stuff that is made of rubber, silicon, plastic, and sometimes metal (and we don't leave the metal in overnight). Wood is definitely a no no. This is kind of annoying because a lot of our sensory accessories are wood... but we made the mistake of using wood once and had to throw away a moldy scooper... so never again!
Throw out beads or snow after a couple days. After just a couple days, we usually toss ours. We also make sure the lid isn't tightly sealed while we're not using it- you don't need any mold! You're the judge here, but I'd err on the side of caution.
Sanitize toys afterwards. Again... just to be extra cautious!
Alright so it's not all completely effort or risk free, but we still like to put together these wet tables as a special treat for the kids - especially as the seasons change!
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