Duck Pond Sensory Play

We are lucky to have a ton of ducks near the ponds in our neighborhood. Recently we spotted some new baby ducklings, and it has sparked a renewed interest in ducks. This simple duck pond sensory play is a fun way for kids to engage in pretend play and water fun with a duck theme.

Find more pond theme ideas in our printable lesson plans

for home preschool and preschool classrooms.

Last year we had fun with duck pond fine motor races and rubber duck math. We were able to reuse those ducks and some basic materials we use for many of our play dough and sensory activities to put together this sensory bin in just a couple of minutes.

Materials

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• Rubber ducks
• Drift wood pieces
• Aquarium gravel
• Glass gems
• Small rocks
• Small aquarium plants
• Plastic bin
• Water
• Food coloring or liquid watercolors

Instead of preparing the small world for the girls I left the materials out next to the bin of water. This way they could enjoy creating their own small world. As they get older I’ve noticed the enjoy planning out the layout and design of their small worlds almost as much as the pretend play itself.

As she began to play Tinker investigated which materials would sink and which would float. Then she moved the objects around to get her duck pond ready for ducks to move in.

Once the pond was ready, she introduced each duck to the pond one by one.

She helped them swim around, told them where to find food, and showed them where to find friends. It was sweet to see her acting as a little hostess in welcoming everyone to the pond.

We’ve had this bin out for almost a week (removing the materials and covering the bin after playtime), and it’s been fun to see all the ways the girls have used it for play.  I should warn you that it didn’t take long for them to figure out these ducks can squirt water, so you may want to either develop a rule about that or set this up outside. As for us, some of the loudest giggles have been from the girls squirting water into the bin and at each other… a great way to cool off in the (almost) summer heat!

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Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

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Home Preschool In the Small, Small Pond Theme Lesson Plans

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