With summer right around the corner and the school year wrapping up,, it’s going to be important to keep children busy and cool in upcoming months.
While sponges are best used to help with cleaning up messes, they can also be used as a reusable and creative activity for kids.
Hosting a Sponge Relay Race
Forget the complicated activity; let’s grab two large bowls, one sponge (or two depending on how many kids are involved – the more children, the better) and some cool water.
Step 1: If preschoolers or kindergarteners are involved, measure out how many cups of water it takes to fill your bowl to make bowls about ½ to ¾ full. Draw out a simple table on a scrap sheet of paper. Include a “before” and an “after” column, with one row labeled “cups of water.” If it takes eight cups of water to fill the bowl, write eight under the “before” column. By doing so, you’re adding a unique cognitive dimension to this fun-filled activity.
Step 2: Take all of the needed materials outside and place the two bowls a good distance apart.
Step 3: Have your child soak the sponge in the water and run to the other bowl as fast as they can. If there are several children, create two teams and have the team’s race against one another.
Step 4: Encourage the children to squeeze the water out of the sponge and into the second bowl. This entices fine motor practice as well, which helps children better perform crucial tasks such as grasping, writing, and moving.
Step 5: After all of the water is gone from the first bowl, you should measure the water left in the second bowl and record it onto the table that you created in the beginning.
Step 6: Explain to the children why there isn’t as much water in the second bowl. Perhaps it dripped while they were running or some of the water was left in the sponge. This discussion helps children to learn cause-and-effect.
This DIY craft was originally posted on One Time Through.
This simple activity is fun and allows children to learn while keeping cool this summer. In need of some cleaning supplies to get through a summer with the kids home? Visit Spongeoutlet.