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Plain Vanilla Mom

Bubble Discovery Bowl

in baby play, play, sensory play, water play on 17/04/12

Something so simple turned into such a great activity for the babes I had to share it. The weather has turned a little warm here, and while the big kids are into their water balloons, I was trying to think up something equally fun and entertaining (and wet) for the babes. I haven’t gotten around to getting a kiddie pool yet so the obvious choice was not an option. I had to get a little creative. Just as well. Good things sometimes happen when you are forced to work with what ya got ๐Ÿ˜‰
ย Baby will have a blast this summer cooling off with a Bubble Discovery Bowl. Super engaging and Super easy to make!

I started out with a plain bowl of water filled with bubbles.ย Since the munchkin man loves his bubble baths so much I thought this might work. (I used the same bubbles I normally use in his tub so as not to irritate his skin). ย He got bored of it pretty quickly though. I think largely because he couldn’t actually get his entire self in the bowl. He sure had fun jumping around when I held him standing in it ๐Ÿ™‚ That was entertaining, but it was not freeing my hands up for tying water balloons! ย So… I decided to throw in a couple of toys. ย A little more fun, but again, bored fairly quickly. Eventually I decided I would just just throw in anything and everything I could find until the bowl was full of toys. Teething rings, bath toys, balls, plastic blocks, stacking cups, whatever I could find that the water wouldn’t damage and would fit in the bowl went in! That worked!! He LOVED it! This,ย he found this VERY intriguing!

Bubble Bowl _3

Wasting no time he plunged into the bowl, up to his elbows, to uncover the toys. ย He would pull out a toy, play with it for a little bit and then dive back in for another. It ended up holding his interest for quite some time. ย I’m talking 20 plus minutes (which is huge in our little baby world). Once he emptied the bowl I just filled it up with toys again. It was a little baby discovery bowl and he was lovin’ it ๐Ÿ™‚

Bubble Bowl Collage _ 1

I love all the ideas for sensory bins I’ve been seeing but my little one is really still too young for a lot of things and everything goes in his mouth. This was our version of a sensory tub bowl for him I guess. Even though these were things he plays with every day, they were presented to him in a new way with a new element or two added in and it made for a whole new experience. One that he very much enjoyed I might add! If he can entertain himself for that length of time, in my book, that’s a successful activity.

Bubble Bowl _1

One last thought. If you do this…load the bowl up with bubbles! Originally I had (you could hardly see the toys), ย but by the time I thought to grab the camera they had mostly disappeared.

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16 Comments

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Comments

  1. Growing a Jeweled Rose says

    April 17, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    I love this! Simple, age appropriate, and entertaining ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 17, 2012 at 1:50 pm

      Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  2. Lindsey says

    April 18, 2012 at 5:43 am

    Out of curiousity, how old is your son? I was wondering what age this worked best for. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 18, 2012 at 10:41 am

      Hi Lindsey, He is seven months here and he really enjoyed it. I think it would have worked well starting at 6 months even (maybe earlier) as he has always liked emptying things ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  3. Krissy Sherman Bonning says

    April 19, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    I bet he had so much fun. BTW, those chunky leg rolls just make me want to pinch them!! So sweet. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 20, 2012 at 12:32 am

      He did, and thank you Krissy. Don’t you just love baby rolls? I could just squeeze him all day long and get absolutely nothing done! It never gets old.

      Reply
  4. Lisa says

    April 20, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    I saw this on another blog and I really want to try it. What kind of bubbles do you use that don’t hurt his skin?

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 20, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      Hi Lisa! I used his regular baby bubbly bath. I just agitated the water with my hands to get it to foam up.

      Reply
  5. Amie (Triple T Mum) says

    April 20, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    I love your take on Sensory Tubs, suitable for babies. They just love to empty the water out don’t they!

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 20, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Amie and yes they do!!

      Reply
  6. Lorissa Kearbey says

    April 20, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    I have been looking for things to do with my 11 month old…this is perfect! Thanks for the inspiration…now he can have a sensory tub just like big brother!

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 20, 2012 at 11:06 pm

      Thanks Laura! I’m glad you liked it and glad I could help ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  7. Deb says

    April 24, 2012 at 2:23 am

    isn’t it amazing how the simplest things make them happy…I filled up a bucket of water for my 21 month old grandson…gave him some of my kitchen plastic spoons…spatulas…a few rocks…a few clothes pens from my clothes line…and he will sit there and play forever…he asked to play in the bucket of water…

    Reply
    • PlainVanillaMom says

      April 24, 2012 at 11:07 am

      Sounds like he had fun! I love to watch them so engrossed in play like that ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for stoping by and sharing!

      Reply
  8. Samara says

    April 19, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    I just came across your website, what an awesome resource. This is a great idea in particular! I’m looking at things to do with my 9 month old daughter, and my sense is she’s going to love this. Thank you Jen! I

    Reply
    • Jennifer Haas says

      April 19, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and saying hi! I’m so glad you found something that inspired you ๐Ÿ™‚ I love that bubble bowl. She sounds like a great age for it! Honestly my kids still like stuff like that even now at ages 3 & 4. Have fun & take care.

      Reply

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Hi There!

Welcome! I'm Jen, just your average well caffeinated, camera wielding, multitasking, plain vanilla mom to three boys. I love photography & am addicted to Instagram (oh & Starbucks). So, grab a cup of coffee and take a minute to peruse the pages here. I look forward to getting to know you better! Read Moreโ€ฆ

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