a little water play

It has been H-O-T the last couple days here in the Bay Area- definitely feels like summer already. But oh wait, it's only April! I think we're in for a hot one this year. Anyway, after work yesterday, I decided to set up a little water play station for Hayden as a change of pace, and also something fun to do in the heat.  We plan on getting a little baby pool later this summer, but for now I filled my biggest pyrex dish with water. I brought out a set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, a colander, a set of tongs, and 3 wine corks (because they float in the water and gave Hayden something to practice reaching for).  Oh yes - these pictures were taken post-snack (strawberries) so that explains the red face/shirt.

We set up camp on a towel in the backyard and played in the water for a good 30 minutes or so (a long time for a baby attention span). Hayden loved pulling everything out of the water and dropping it back in. He liked pouring water from the different sized cups and spoons. He also enjoyed just putting his hands in the water and splashing it around. We both ended up a little wet-  which felt nice in the heat.  When he was finished, we gave some of our thirstier flowers a nice drink of play water and headed inside to dry off. 

 We are all about finding exploratory play experiences for Hayden that aren't complicated or over stimulating. We've found that he enjoys simple activities with real-life objects even more than a pile of toys!