Wednesday is water play day at our house

This Wednesday was warm and sunny

So we went outside and created a little cove in our water table

First I added pebbles

Then covered the pebbles with shells

I hid sparkling gems at the bottom of the water

Pirate treasure to be found at the bottom of the ocean

On top of the gems I scattered sea creatures

Then we added characters and boats

And buckets for collecting the treasure

The scene was set

Ready for pirates

Ready for play

Esther and William love to play with water

They started this activity by exploring the sea themed sparkles I had added to the water

They fished for sea creatures

They found the pirate treasure chest

They moved the water around

Pouring water over the pebbles and stones

They moved the boats

Acting out storms and rescue scenes

They played together

And they played apart

I am always fascinated how with the same materials

Esther and William can play alongside one another so differently

Esther is all about stories and scenarios

William is about measuring length and speed

He likes to explore scientific concepts like floating and sinking

Esther was making families of sea creatures play together

William was adding sand to the water

Both Esther and William buried treasure in the sand

Made an X to mark the spot

And then came to find their treasure again

Esther and William loved collecting jewels in the rainbow buckets

They also used the containers for transporting water and sand

Esther made the buckets into a safe house for a seahorse and a family of urchins

It is such a privilege watching and listening to them play

After a long time of pretend pirate inspired play

Esther and William decided it was time to bring in the Octonauts

There extended play was wonderful to witness

Wonderful enough to need a whole other post to tell you about it

It involved this very tender scene of Esther and William

Giving their Octonauts pebble pillows and shell blankets

The wonder of a child’s imagination

The wonderful working of a small child’s mind

This pirate inspired water play

Started as a pirate cove

But became so much more

As the afternoon went on

A simple to set up sensory play

With so much possibility and potential