“You have a creative and fun mommy to bring the sand and water table into the kitchen!”
This is what my husband Randy told our 3 year old son Sammy as he watched him pour water, mix it into sand, scoop up the sand, dig toys into the mixture, laugh, talk, smile, and everything else that children do with sand and water tables. The only difference in our case was that all of this was happening in our kitchen!
It was a few days after the new year with freezing cold temperatures outside in the winter season. And I knew of no better place for Sammy’s sand and water table than our kitchen. After all, play must always go on!
I remember the exact day I looked outside onto our deck and saw Sammy’s water and sand table just sitting there. Snow, rain, and ice had all poured onto it at some point that winter and quite frankly, it wasn’t having fun in the process. It was bored and lonely. Yes, I am talking about the sand and water table being bored and not having any fun. And it needed a new temporary home other than a cold and freezing deck. It also needed little hands and fingers of a 3 year old playing in it. And I knew the perfect child for it and the perfect setting!
So like any wild and free mama would do, I decided then and there, that the sand and water table would come from outside on our deck to our warm, friendly, and cozy kitchen and that a little 3 year old boy would soon squeal with delight!
What’s the use of having a sand and water table if it can only be used in school or in warmer seasons outside of homes? Needless to say, that winter, Sammy had so much fun playing in his sand and water table adjacent to our kitchen island and when warmer weather came, I carried it back out and onto our deck.
Of course, I took safety and sanitary measures and on a daily basis, made sure that adequate towels were in place on the floor to soak up all the water as it went splish splash. I also used our mini vacuum to pick up grains of sand that our broom could not. Daily cleanup was just as important to teach Sammy as daily set up.
If you don’t know by now, we are all about that “scoop, sift, dig, and pour” life with water and sand for Sammy!
There are numerous benefits for toddlers and preschoolers as they play with water and sand tables. Right off the bat it helps with their eye and hand coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and helps to build their cognitive, social, and emotional acquisitions. Linguistic communication skills are being refined as children talk to themselves, imaginary friends, and other persons. Experimentation and discoveries are constantly being made as children learn about touch and texture of various objects. And math and science are two of several subjects at work during most hands-on experiments.
Often, sand and water tables will be converted into sensory tables during colder seasons and they offer the same advantages. The list of objects for sensory bins is countless but some of my favorites include kinetic sand, corks, rubber bands, pasta, sponges, cotton balls, leaves, buttons, seashells, beans, pom poms, rocks, cut up scraps of fabric, sticks, shredded paper, beads, acorns, and feathers. Moreover, I love how sensory bins help children to relax as well as develop their creativity.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that when designing sensory bins, one should take into account that certain contents denote multiple meanings. For instance, in some cultures, beans and rice only represent food and should not be used as play objects. My advice is to do the proper research and always know the children and families who are a part of classroom and home communities.
So there you have it…the story of our sand and water table (sandbox) housed in the middle of our kitchen and all the fun and excitement it brought us!
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Lesley, you are an amazing writer…the scenes you pull me into and allow me to prance along feeling an active participant in the story action. I remember the sandbox, the joy, you, as mother, had when it arrived and Randy set it up right there on the deck outside of the glass doors leading into the kitchen…allowing Sammy to never be out of your site. And, I say, you are an exceptional Mom, putting your child’s experiences far above aesthetics of home decor and order….sandbox in the kitchen. WHAT? I thought I encouraged freedom of expression through play as you and your siblings grew up…but, sandbox in the kitchen is a corner I’m not certain I could have turned. Lol. Freedom of expression is as important as A B Cs, and perhaps, more so in the long run of life. Your blog brings to mind the time a large item came to the house, and I mean large. The cardboard box enchanted you and Jennifer as the two of you were able to get inside of it. I encouraged you to make a playhouse of it. And, that we did, using my acrylic paints and brushes, imagination of you and Jennifer, we gave the box; oops, the house, a brick exterior, and inside curtains around windows cut into the box became delightful designs. Oh what fun and dialogue we had! So, I say to you, to Sammy, soar on to wonderful heights with places and moments yet to be revealed. I love your blogs. They bring me great memories. I learn from them. I see the amazing potential for achieving ‘essence’ of living each day. Mimi Ma
Wow! I am speechless again…thank you so much for reading my blog and for sharing the story of our past with such fun and creativity! I definitely get it from you and I am so glad that you and daddy raised us to be free and full of life and passion! I hope I can continue to model for Sammy and invite him to be free to express himself in every aspect of life. This is what is truly important. Thank you also for pointing out our home for Sammy. I would rather have a home full of life, chaos, comfort, and excitement rather than one in which Sammy and others walk on eggshells and which perfection is key. No thank you. Give me life each and every day. LOL
The pictures are gorgeous! beautiful captures!
Thank you so much Natalie! I am so glad that you love the images! I absolutely love photography and taking pictures of Sammy!
Great blog, especially in this COVID moment, as it helps parents and children, and people in general, to appreciate that our circumstances and experiences are only limited by our imagination.
Thank you for reading my blog Jennifer and pointing out its significance during the pandemic and life in general!
Sandbox in the kitchen is a great idea that I wished I would have thought of back when my son was young. I love reading your blogs and the pictures are too darn cute! Especially, these of Sammy and his sandbox. Keep inspiring others thru you teaching and love for your son.
Thank you so much RJ for reading my blogs and allowing them to resonate with you and your experiences raising your son. I am so glad you adore the pictures! It is a blessing to inspire others for, so many have inspired me. Keep reading WatchMonkeyMama and thank you again!
Such a Creative way to “Think Outside the Sandbox!” Lesley, I enjoyed reading this blog and seeing Sammy learn and grow.
I look forward to reading more of your Great blogs!
As always, thank you Gloria for being such a loyal reader of WatchMonkeyMama blog posts! I truly appreciate it! I am elated that you enjoyed this particular blog. It was so much fun writing it!