B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

T
Y P E O F
A
T T E N T I O N
E
N C O U R A G E D
Focused
M
A T E R I A L S
Large dish pan or bowl
Clean, dry sponges
D
I R E C T I O N S
Cut the sponges into pieces that your child’s hand can easily squeeze but
that are too big to swallow.
In a place you don’t mind getting wet, have your child sit in front of a
large dish pan. Put a shallow amount of water in the pan and toss in the
sponges. Let your child have the fun of seeing the sponges float when dry
and then noticing what happens as they get wet. Show your child how to
soak up the water with the sponge and then squeeze it out.
V
A R I A T I O N S
⽧ Cut a plastic bottle in half so that the top half is a funnel and the bot-
tom is a cup. Tape the edges with duct tape to cover up any sharp edges.
Make the cup more interesting by punching holes in the sides so that
when it’s full, water sprinkles out of the sides. Show your child how to
squeeze water from the sponge into the funnel or the cup and watch
what happens to the water.
⽧ Put a tennis ball in the water so that your child can chase it around with
her hand as it moves freely in the dish pan.
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Attention Games
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⽧ Add corks to the water and teach your little one to blow through a straw
and make the corks move about.
⽧ Add large chunks of ice by freezing water inside an empty milk carton.
Add food coloring and even small toys to the water before freezing, if
you want.
⽧ These same games can be played in the bath or a toddler pool.
W
H A T
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B
E I N G