Bathtub experiments: Science in the Bath | WIRED

Fun in the Bathtub: 18 Easy Ideas for Kids

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Little kids love bathing because, while for you it’s a matter of hygiene and scrubbing their dirty feet, for them, bathtime spells fun (and mess)!

Did you know that the bath is the perfect place for learning? Toddlers and preschoolers are able to explore and play in the bath while developing physical and cognitive skills.

While using fun bath toys is great, there are so many ways to make this daily activity more engaging and educational, by using items in your home.

Try these 18 simple ideas for some fun in the bathtub with your toddlers and preschoolers.

1. Sponges

Little kids love playing with sponges – they squeeze them, soak them and pretend to “clean” things with them. 

They learn about volume and water displacement and build early maths skills.

Instead of just using a sponge for washing, use several sponges of different shapes and sizes for some tub fun.  

Offer some containers too so that your kids can soak up the water from the bath and squeeze it into a container.

2. Bottles

Another great way to learn about capacity and volume is to play with bottles in the bath.

Throw bottles of all sizes into the bath – preferably plastic, aluminium or stainless steel. Try water bottles, small hotel shampoo bottles, empty sauce bottles, soda bottles, etc.

Kids love to play with water, pouring it from one container to the next as they discover how much water each container holds and how water is displaced from the bath as it fills up a container.

Ask your child questions such as:

• Which bottle do you think holds more water?
• These bottles are the same height but this one is fatter. Do you think they can hold the same amount of water?
• Can you fill it to the top?
• Can you empty half the water out?

These kinds of questions will stimulate thinking and teach your child the vocabulary of volume.

3. Containers and Cups

As a variation of the previous activity, offer your kids cups and containers of different sizes and volumes. Most sets of bath toys include cups as these are the best for moving water around.

Find plastic cups and containers from the kitchen and let your kids play around and experience the concepts of capacity and volume.

4. Watering Cans

Watering cans are lots of fun in the bath.

Use toy watering cans, real watering cans from the garden or toy cups with holes at the bottom that sprinkle the water as you pour it in.

Make a watering can by piercing holes into the base of a plastic bottle.

This teaches children how liquids behave and how water can change its form by breaking up particles and filtering through holes.

They learn that water takes the shape of the container that holds it and will escape if there isn’t solid matter to hold it.

5. Ice Play

A great way to introduce children to early science concepts – such as water changing its form – is by playing with ice blocks.

For a colour mixing activity, add some food colouring in water and make ice blocks with the coloured water. Throw these into the bath and watch your child play with them as they melt and release colour into the water.

Not only will they love the sensory experience of feeling the icy water mix with the warm water, but they’ll be learning all about how water changes form when it is heated or cooled and how substances can dissolve in it.

6. Kitchen Fun

Have a kitchen-themed bath where kids can “cook” and prepare food in the bath. This can become a great pretend play session.  

Find any tools and utensils that will be fun to play with. Funnels, whisks, soup ladles, tablespoons, drinking cups and ice trays are good ideas to start with.

Put them in the bath and let your child use his imagination.

7. Straws and Bubbles

Throw some plastic straws into the bathtub and get your kids to blow bubbles under the water with them. 

They will learn what happens when you push air into water – how it forms bubbles that surface to the top and release.

Add some bubble bath solution to the water to make some bubbles that will sit on the water. 

8. Balls

Fill the bathtub with balls of all sizes and weights. Find some that float and some that sink.

A few examples are:

• Small beach balls
• Plastic squeezing balls
• Tennis balls
• Golf balls
• Plastic outdoor balls
• Bouncing balls

Let your child play with the balls in any way – by throwing them, pushing them in the water, dropping them from a height to make a splash, etc.

Lay some towels on the floor to soak up the water splashes or just embrace the mess and have fun.

Ball activities are good for developing eye-hand coordination.

9. Natural Materials

Playing in nature and in water are two of kids’ favourite activities. Why not join them together by bringing the garden into the bath and see if it sparks your child’s imagination and creativity?

Add anything you can find to the bath – pine cones, leaves, twigs, little stones, flowers, pieces of bark, etc.

See which items float and which sink.

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10. Tea Party

Throw a tea party in the bath!

All you need is a kids’ tea set (here is a fun one) and maybe some play plates and baking items to make some cake and cookies, and you’ll be set for your tea party.

Your child will be making you cups of tea too so it’s vital that you stay and join in the fun.

11. Lego or Duplo

Have a tub of Lego or Duplo that your child loves playing with? Throw the whole lot into the bath to change things up a bit.

Your child will love doing this familiar activity in a new environment.

There are many educational benefits of Lego for young kids. Why not add this to your collection of bathtub fun ideas?

12. Crayons

Let your kids be creative in the bath with these cool bath crayons.  

Kids are often getting into trouble for drawing on walls, doors and other places they shouldn’t, so give them permission to draw on just this one household surface.

Bath crayons are easy to wash off the bath with a sponge or cloth. Let your kids be responsible for their mess by teaching them to clean the walls when they’re done.

13. Finger Painting

Feeling brave? This bathtub sensory activity will leave more than a little mess but will be a hit and is so educational.

On a warm day, sit your child in the bath with some finger paint and let the magic happen.

Then, try these finger painting ideas as well.

14. Running Water

Every now and again, let your kids play with running water so they can experience that too. Start off with a shallow bath so they don’t waste too much water.

They can use the water from the dripping or running tap to fill their cups and containers or, better yet, switch on the showerhead and let them hold it and control where the water goes.

Keep extra towels handy as it will look like there were penguins in your bathroom!

15. Role Play

Have some role-play fun by introducing a theme like farm animals, vehicles or dragons and adding some toys to play with.

Here are more role-play ideas you can introduce in and out of the bathroom.

16. Fine Motor Fun

Practise those fine motor skills by throwing some small utensils and items into the bath.

Ideas include eye-droppers, straws, medicine spoons, syringes and tweezers. 

Here are some more fine motor activities.

17. Bubble Bath

Just for fun, instead of the usual amount of bubbles, put loads of bubble bath into your child’s bath and let it form a big, foamy bath. 

Your child will love this and will be occupied for a long time, moving bubbles around, sticking them to her chin to make a beard or filling containers with them. 

18. Floating and Sinking

Have a floating and sinking challenge in the bath.

Gather household items or bath toys and one by one, ask your child to predict if they will float or sink. Then, throw the items in and see the results.

If you are bathing two kids, let them challenge each other. Discuss why some items float and others sink.

I hope you’ll enjoy trying these bath time fun ideas. Here are more water play ideas to try outdoors or in the bath.

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Science-U @ Home / Bath Fizzies Experiment

Splish splash, let’s do science in the bath! Make your own bath fizzies and have fun exploring chemical reactions while taking a relaxing soak!

• Challenging
• Messy
• 30 Minutes + 2 Days for Drying
• Indoor or Outdoor

You Will Need

• 1 large mixing bowl

• Spoon

• 1 cup baking soda

• ½ cup cornstarch

• ½ cup Epsom salts

• 4 tablespoons cream of tartar

• Spray bottle filled with water or witch hazel

• Food coloring

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil

• Hand towel

• Molds – silicone muffin cups, silicone ice cube tray, or plastic eggs work well

Directions

1. Ask your scientist to observe the ingredients. Does it look like ingredients they would like to have in the bath?
2. Measure the oil and pour it into the large mixing bowl.
3. Add all of the dry ingredients (baking soda, cornstarch, Epsom salts, and cream of tartar.
4. Add 10-15 drops of food coloring on top of the dry mix.
5. Use a spoon to begin to mix together all of the ingredients. (The mixture will still be very powdery and will likely have clumps of the food coloring.)
6. Set your spray bottle to the “mist” setting. Ask your scientist to observe what happens when the water hits the mixture, but don’t let them get carried away! Add a few sprays of water to your mixture. (The mixture should sizzle a little when the water reacts with the cream of tartar and baking soda.) Keep stirring with the spoon.
7. Add one spray of water at a time and keep mixing slowly until the mixture resembles damp sand. Once the mix starts to hold its shape when the spoon is pressed into it, you’re ready to make the molds.
8. Using the spoon or your hands, divide the mixture into the molds. Press the mix firmly into the mold and pack it down as tight as you can. (Tip: if your mixture starts to dry and crack while you are packing it into the mold, add a few more drops of oil.)
9. Let your bath fizzies dry in the mold for about 4-6 hours. Then carefully take them out of the molds and allow them to dry on a towel in a cool, dry place (not the bathroom) for another full day before using them. (It’s hard to wait, but allowing the moisture to evaporate from the bath fizzies is an important step.)
10. As the mixture dries, ask your scientist what they think is holding the ingredients together as the water evaporates from the mixture. (The olive or coconut oil and cornstarch help to hold all of the ingredients together as the water evaporates.)
11. Be sure to keep any extra bath fizzies in an airtight container. (Otherwise, they will slowly absorb moisture from the air and start fizzing too soon. )
12. Next bath time, drop one in the water and experience the fizz!

Experiment Extensions

• Want more fizz? Commercial bath fizzies are made with citric acid which reacts more strongly to water and creates more fizz. You can find citric acid at some restaurant or brewing supply stores, or online.

How it works

First, a little bit about acids and bases. An acid is a substance that can donate a hydrogen ion to another substance. A base is an acid’s chemical opposite. A base is a substance that will accept the acid’s hydrogen atom. Bases are molecules that can split apart in water and release hydroxide ions.

The baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) in the bath fizzie is a chemical base. The cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) is an acid. When the bath fizzie touches the water, a chemical reaction takes place called a neutralization reaction. The baking soda reacts with the cream of tartar and releases carbon dioxide gas in the form of little bubbles. The food coloring, oil, and epsom salts are released into the water, giving you a luxurious moisturizing bath. Enjoy!

Key Words

Acid

An acid is a substance that can donate a hydrogen ion to another substance.

Base

A base is an acid’s chemical opposite. A base is a substance that will accept the acid’s hydrogen atom. Bases are molecules that can split apart in water and release hydroxide ions.

Neutralization Reaction

A chemical reaction in which an acid and a base react completely with each other. In a reaction in water, neutralization results in there being no excess of hydrogen or hydroxide ions present in the solution.

Bath games for children

Home » Children » Education

Education

Bath games for children are not just entertainment (although, first of all, it is entertainment). But at the same time, such games can and should be given a different character – educational and educational. While the child is in the bathroom, through the efforts of parents, he can not only wash himself, but also acquire many practical and cognitive skills. Moreover, during the game, and, therefore, with a desire. And this is an additional plus, since the knowledge and skills acquired by the baby, when he himself wants it and strives to get it himself, are easily fixed and stored for a long time.

There are also many advantages for parents. Bathing the baby and at the same time teaching him some skills, parents, thus, save a lot of time and effort. Well and, besides, games in a bath for the child have considerable educational value. Bathing the baby and playing with him at the same time, mother and child, so to speak, touch souls. In general, children’s games in the bathroom have practically no drawbacks, but there are many advantages.

Contents

1. How to prepare for swimming
2. Simple games
3. Story games
4. Drawing in the bathroom
5. Cognitive experiments while bathing

How to prepare for a bath

an adult, let alone a child. Therefore:

• before bathing, we lay an anti-slip mat, so that, for goodness sake, not to slip and not to drop the baby;
• if the baby is not yet able to sit properly, it is advisable to use a special baby seat for the bath;
• and, of course, you need to stock up on rags to wipe the water off the floor, because children’s games in the bathroom are a wet business.

All children’s games in the bathroom can be conditionally divided into several categories. Let’s talk about them in more detail.

Simple games

In principle, they are played by very young children, but older ones too. So let them play for themselves: a child of any age will find their own “zest” in them. So:

• transfusion. The baby collects water in one container and pours into another. Probably, there are no children who would not love this game. In addition to being exciting, this game also develops fine motor skills;
• fishing. Of course, to start these fish (as well as other animals) you need to run into the bath. And the kid will catch them. Hands, fishing rod, net, strainer – this is the business of the baby himself. If only not with the mouth, since there is soapy foam in the water, and, besides, the baby can also choke. Of course, the fish should be light and bright in order to attract the attention of the child;
• we collect eggs from kinder surprises poured into the water. Also a fascinating activity, besides developing children’s dexterity;
• we get shells, pebbles and other objects from the bottom of the bath. Let the kid be a diver. The main thing is that he does not choke.

Story games

You can act out whole performances while bathing! For example:

• come up with and perform a small performance with the participation of the same fish, pebbles and other objects with the child. And, of course, the baby himself;
• wash the doll. Any girl will not refuse this pleasure;
• wash the doll’s clothes – why not? Again, this will be both pleasant and useful for a baby girl. In this way, she will acquire primary skills in real washing;
• as for the boy, then, of course, he will especially want to wash his car in the bath, and even, most likely, not just one, but his entire “garage”;
• transporting passengers on a boat from one side of the tub to the other is another favorite game for kids. Of course, there should be a boat and the “passengers” themselves (small toys), which mother must take care of in advance;
• and from here follows another exciting game – a shipwreck. Mom creates “waves” in the bath that sink the boat along with the passengers, and the baby courageously saves them. At the same time, the child develops a sense of compassion for those in trouble and a willingness to help them;
• the next game is the child’s primary acquaintance with the animals living in the water. So, the baby needs to be explained and shown that, for example, fish live in water, ducks swim on top of the water, and, say, seals live here and there. Of course, for this, mother should initially stock up on fish, ducks, and seals.

Drawing in the bathroom

This is the same game, but, in addition, it is also an educational and useful activity. The kid will draw on plastic or tiles that decorate the walls of the bathroom – where else? In fact, there is nothing tragic for the mother here – the walls of the bathroom can be easily washed:

• a child can draw with anything: gouache, other paints, even – father’s shaving cream. Modern stores even sell special pencils designed specifically for drawing in the bathroom;
• what the child will draw on the wall is, first of all, his own business. However, parents can take an unobtrusive initiative here and teach the baby to depict numbers and letters, along the way explaining what it is and what it is for;
• Washing off the design with water is so fun! Let the kid do it. At the same time, mom will have to wash the walls less then;
• a separate item is swimming and floundering in colored water. Of course, the baby will be painted in all the colors of the rainbow, but that’s the whole point! Well, isn’t that fun? Then, of course, it will have to be washed, but this is such a trifle!

Cognitive experiments while bathing

It also seems to be a game, but at the same time it is instructive! For example:

• we determine the properties of various objects – what sinks and what rests on the surface of the water. This will captivate the baby in itself, and, in addition, will give him primary knowledge about the physical laws and structure of the world in which he lives;
• shooting from a water pistol, when water flies in a thin stream, is also an educational, but at the same time an exciting activity;
• put the tube into the water and blow into it. Bubbles appear on the water (and even with sound). But this, too, is a certain physical law, and moreover, not one;
• yes, it’s elementary – let the baby draw water into a plastic bottle. How much in this simple process is informative and exciting! This is real magic!

Of course, these are not all the games that you can and should play with children while bathing. Any experienced mom has a lot of other, no less exciting and useful games in stock. And that is great!

Finally, watch a video about some of the children’s games in the bathroom.

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1060-RU-Bathroom curtain

Rating: 2.5

Voice: 4

SCP-1060-1 at the last stage of
Actions during experiment No. 7

Object No.: SCP-1060-RU

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-1060 in Foundation possession (currently 31) are to be kept in a 3×3 m containment cell in special containment cells. The presence and safety of each object should be checked daily. SCP-1060 may only be accessed with permission from a Level 4 administrator and for research purposes only. Use of SCP-1060 for personal use or pranks is strictly prohibited. Anyone violating this order will be transferred to D-class personnel and assigned to maintain and experiment on this object. Subjects to be used in experiments with SCP-1060 should preferably be mentally and physically healthy, without phobias or other mental disorders, unless otherwise authorized by Site 7’s head.

Personnel in charge of SCP-1060 are to monitor all current news and dispatch agents to investigate any cases that could be classified as manifestations of SCP-1060.

Description: Each SCP-1060 is a bathroom curtain with identical anomalous characteristics and appearance when inactive. The Foundation currently maintains 31 objects, although this number may increase as new SCP-1060s appear in the world at an indefinite rate. Despite their unusual and partially sentient behavior, the curtains do not appear to be organic predators, but objects produced by someone or something. All objects currently held have their own SCP-1060-n species inventory number (from 1 to 31).

The anomalous nature of SCP-1060 lies in the fact that, firstly, once in the bathroom or shower, they can replace the curtain hanging there, completely taking on its appearance and other characteristics, and secondly, they are able to materialize fears a person who decides to take a shower or bath. Experiments have shown that objects are unable to generate a feeling of fear in people (unless they know their properties), but only make things that frighten them material. In other words, if a cool-headed, level-headed person who had no anxiety prior to beginning their hygiene procedures were to bathe while closing SCP-1060, nothing would happen. If an individual with phobias or something frightened takes advantage of the bath or shower with the object, then that thing that he is afraid of will gradually materialize, first in the form of vague silhouettes and hallucinations, then in the form of a completely material and aggressive entity (SCP-1060 -n-1). If the curtain acts on a person who is in a state of horror, the embodiment of his fear will appear instantly.

Further development of events depends on the characteristics of the person affected by SCP-1060, and the degree of her fright. For example, a slightly frightened, but generally mentally healthy person can psychologically overcome the action of the object at the stage of the appearance of blurry silhouettes behind the curtain, forcing himself to believe that all this is just a figment of the imagination. On the contrary, a mentally ill person is likely to hasten the materialization of his fear. It is possible to enter into a physical struggle with embodied horror, but for rare test subjects it ended successfully. When the subject is killed, the spawned creature disappears. Other individuals may attempt to assist a person affected by SCP-1060 through the physical combat phase, in which case SCP-1060-n-1 will not disappear until all opposing subjects have been destroyed.

SCP-1060-n-1 is not invulnerable and, depending on its form, can be hit by weapons, poisons, high or low temperatures, and even bare hands. However, as a general rule, victims who experience SCP-1060’s exposure to the stage of fear embodiment are too depressed to defeat SCP-1060-n-1 without assistance.

If two or more people use the bath or shower at the same time, SCP-1060 has no effect.

New SCP-1060s appear in the world from time to time. They usually arrive in the mail as promotional packages and end up in the hands of the civilian population. Although the sender’s address and other details are always given (and correspond to some plumbing accessory company), all investigations conducted have not revealed the true creator of the objects. The person who received the package feels the urge to hang a new curtain in his bathroom, which sooner or later ends badly for him or his loved ones. Until now, parcels have arrived both in communal or simply densely populated apartments, and in houses with single residents.

History: The first SCP-1060 was discovered and contained on ██/██/200█ after several bizarre deaths were reported in a communal apartment in ██████████a. The first to die was ██████ ████████, a connoisseur of horror films, who was strangled to death with his own [REDACTED] and hung by [REDACTED] from the ceiling. The second victim was ██████████ ████████████, who was greatly frightened by the first case: a few weeks later he was found completely bled and dried. Both incidents took place in the bathroom. Agent ██████████ov was introduced into the house to monitor and determine if these events were of an anomalous nature. According to his testimony, one night there were screams from the bathroom, he hurried there with a weapon and saw [DATA EXPUNGED], which [REDACTED] one of the residents of the apartment, who decided to take a shower before bed, so [REDACTED]. The woman could not be saved, but the agent was able to survive despite fighting [REDACTED].

Following word from the agent, the Foundation dispatched several field personnel to the apartment to administer Class B amnestics to all tenants and investigate the bathroom, revealing that the curtain was the cause of the anomalous events.