Bath time fun

Anya has always enjoyed playing with water and being in a bath. Though we don't have a fixed bathtub, she has a small plastic tub of her own. I make her tub ready with warm water, give her toys, empty bottles or natural material like leaves, pods etc. to play with and she can easily spend an hour splashing in water or filling bottles. But as she is growing up, things need to be jazzed up a little bit.  Here are a few ideas that I have tried: 

• Water polo: I made her sit in her bathtub, filled another small tub with water and kept it at a distance. Then I gave her a big rubber ball which had to be thrown into the smaller tub. She had fun aiming the ball. Sometimes she made it, sometimes she didn't but at all times, she had fun.This activity would be more fun with a sibling around as they could take turns to aim and field. With Anya being alone, I had to be around all the time to hand over the ball back to her. I like activities where she is self-dependent and I am free to do my stuff but anyway, it was good for a change.
• Sink or float: I gave Anya a few things like pebbles, leaves, twigs, ball, blocks etc. Then I showed her the concept of float or sink. She wasn't much impressed. I repeated the activity after a few days and she wasn't interested still but I am not giving up. After a couple of years of parenthood, you learn that nothing goes waste. It might seem that things are going unregistered but they always register. If you are consistent, kids surprise you one fine day by just uttering that word or demonstrating that concept.
• Water gun: Which kid doesn't like spraying water! Hand over a sprayer or a water gun and ensure endless hours of fun.With Holi just gone, water gun is already in bathroom. I will leave it around for some more time.
• Empty bottles: Give empty bottles of different shapes and sizes. It's better if they are transparent. Anya simply enjoys pouring water from one to another.
• Paper boats: I had forgotten how to make a paper boat. I learnt it from a friend and made one for Anya to float in her tub. Alas, the boat didn't last long! Anya sank it and the next I saw, she had turned it  into a soggy ball. At another time, I gave her a boat shaped pod and she had a lot of fun floating it around. She even put a few passengers in it and watched it float, topple, balance. 

While searching for more fun activities, I found these:

• Coloured ice: This activity is great for teaching colors. Anya knows her colors now, but she loves to play with ice cubes. So I am going to try this activity in summers. Planning to freeze ice using natural colors - beet root for red and mint leaves for green. You can use food colours too.Can't wait to see how she reacts to this special treat.
• Making rain: Give a strainer to kids. When they dip it in water and lift it up, there will be some rain....for dolls!
• Painting: What better place to create a mess than a bathroom where you can wash your kid plus the walls immediately afterwards. Give some colors for finger painting, stick a few sheets on bathroom walls and let them have fun. 

I will keep on a lookout for more ideas and keep adding here. Have a fun-filled summer!