We got our fine motor and sensory play on while learning about color combinations!
I was having so much fun I forgot to take many pictures, but this activity hits SO many different, wonderful areas. First, it's fun! It will keep your kid engaged. On top of that, it's wet, it's cold (or warm, if you want) and serves as a great sensory activity. And if you are working on fine motor and grip strength, this involves scooping, pouring, using a syringe, and squeezing a ball. If that wasn't enough, you can sneak in a science lesson about color combinations and the scientific method!
What you need:
three medium to large glass bowls
food coloring or Dab a Dot markers
measuring cup/spoon/other scooping tool
syringe
sponge
water
tray (optional, to contain spills)
This is a great activity to talk about the scientific method:
Ask a question. (what will happen if I mix red and blue?)
Gather information and observe (research - who might know? dad? google?)
Make a hypothesis (guess the answer.)
Experiment and test your hypothesis. (mix it up!)
Analyze your test results. (what color did you get?)
Present a conclusion. (make a poster of your results.)
From here, I'm sure you can figure out what to do - two bowls of different colors, use one (or all) of the tools to transfer water from each bowl into the third bowl, check out what color you get! Write it down, pour it out, start over.
A quick note - I don't have food coloring here and, given the pandemic, don't foresee running out to get it anytime soon. So I used dab a dot markers to color our water. I simply "dabbed" them several times into the bottom of the bowl before adding water and it colored the water nicely. We have one of those sponge ball things we used, but a kitchen sponge will work just as well.
Have fun, little scientists!