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Unregistered 04:03 AM 06-30-2016
After reading Nannyde's link to a thread from 5 years ago, I'm curious about everyone's stance on water play that is here today.

Do you do it? I do some forms, but not sprinkers and kiddie pools. First, it's rarely that hot here. Second, it's a liability I don't want. Third, we have lots of room to hike on. Fourth, I view it as a huge liability. I wrote that twice but I mean it. I have kids all 4 and under, and most are 3 and under.

But we do have a water table.
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KSDC 05:02 AM 06-30-2016
I take my children to the neighborhood pool almost daily in the summer time. We do sprinklers and water play. And today we are doing a Mud Day!

As long as they are closely supervised, I think that water play is a good thing for children.
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DaveA 05:09 AM 06-30-2016
Other than water table activities I don't do water play with the kids. it's just a headache I don't want.
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Unregistered 05:14 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by KSDC:
I take my children to the neighborhood pool almost daily in the summer time. We do sprinklers and water play. And today we are doing a Mud Day!

As long as they are closely supervised, I think that water play is a good thing for children.
OP here. Okay, I can not imagine taking my 6 kids to the pool, especially since none of mine can swim! Do you have older kids? Less kids? How do you do it? I used to have enough trouble keeping just my ds above water before he could swim.

Do you just put life jackets on them and let them go? Inquiring minds over here!
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Unregistered 05:17 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by DaveA:
Other than water table activities I don't do water play with the kids. it's just a headache I don't want.
OP Here. You're south of me, climate wise, but still comparable. It's not a huge consideration where we live, I don't think. In warmer states and climates, I might think more about doing it.
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Play Care 05:32 AM 06-30-2016
We do water table only here. Kiddie pools are not allowed by licensing. I used to do sprinklers and honestly? The majority of the kids didn't like it. They argued and bickered the entire time, and within 5-10 minutes they were done. It took longer to set up than the time they play with it.

We do have a splash pad at our local park and depending on my numbers and what kids are here, I'll take them there.
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Thriftylady 06:02 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
OP here. Okay, I can not imagine taking my 6 kids to the pool, especially since none of mine can swim! Do you have older kids? Less kids? How do you do it? I used to have enough trouble keeping just my ds above water before he could swim.

Do you just put life jackets on them and let them go? Inquiring minds over here!
I have taken my five to the pool. There are lifeguards there, and the pool is sectioned off in different depths. So the shorter ones have to stay in the 2-3 foot roped area unless with me. Some of them can't go past the four foot, unless with me. Two of mine can pass the swim test the lifegaurds give to go to the diving boards. So, I figure if they give the swim test and say it is passed, the liability is on them. But I still keep a close watch on them. I trust it, because my daughter is a lifeguard. I know from her that they will NOT let them in the deep water if it is iffy.
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Unregistered 06:04 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Play Care:
We do water table only here. Kiddie pools are not allowed by licensing. I used to do sprinklers and honestly? The majority of the kids didn't like it. They argued and bickered the entire time, and within 5-10 minutes they were done. It took longer to set up than the time they play with it.

We do have a splash pad at our local park and depending on my numbers and what kids are here, I'll take them there.
OP here. I think driving the kids around would be fun sometimes, but I've never made the leap. Liability again. But there are a lot of things around here that would be a blast for the kids.
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Play Care 06:09 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
OP here. I think driving the kids around would be fun sometimes, but I've never made the leap. Liability again. But there are a lot of things around here that would be a blast for the kids.
We walk. It's just under a mile. Littles go in the stroller. I keep one seat "free" for kids who need a break, but my kiddos prefer to walk.
I do drive kids to preschool during the school year but I refuse to be driving around all summer.
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Unregistered 06:25 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Play Care:
We walk. It's just under a mile. Littles go in the stroller. I keep one seat "free" for kids who need a break, but my kiddos prefer to walk.
I do drive kids to preschool during the school year but I refuse to be driving around all summer.
Jealous!
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sharlan 06:33 AM 06-30-2016
We go to the beach once a week - I have 8 kids. I stay on the sand with the littles and my 20 yo granddaughter stays in the water.

We go to Raging Waters once a week - I stay in the kiddie area with the littles while my granddaughter goes on the slides with the older ones. Anyone who doesn't listen to my granddaughter, sits in the kiddie area with me.

We have an above ground pool that the older kids swim in. Again, my granddaughter is in the pool with them.

I quit using water tables when my last analyst told me that they had to be dumped EVERY SINGLE time we came into the house.
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Blackcat31 06:42 AM 06-30-2016
We celebrated International Mud Day yesterday.

It was awesome!!

We do water play, mud play, snow play, rain play, squirt gun play, sprinkler play, ANY kind of FUN outdoors and we're in!!!

The dirtier and messier the better!!
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Luvnmykidz 07:11 AM 06-30-2016
This summer we are doing water play weekly here, usually on Wednesdays. I have a big tarp that we lay on the ground and some buckets that water toys are in as well as a small water table that is also placed on the tarp. That is for the younger crowd. For my school ages we set up water balloons, water guns and they have the sprinkler or water hose to play with as well. We have a select few days that we will go to the pool as well. The pool is sectioned off in depths as well as their is a toddler pool that the infants and toddlers can sit and play in. I have an assistant or volunteer with each child 2 and under. The pool doesn't require that, but it's more comfortable for me that every child 2 and under has their own adult. Then I have an adult with the other kids as well. Last summer we did water play on Tuesdays and the public pool on Thursdays. It was a big hit with the parents and the kids enjoyed it as well as us adults. There were lifeguards througout the pool area in each section, but I still made sure I had enough help with me to make the activity safe and enjoyable. As far as the number of kids goes it varies because I also offer drop in services, but I can have 8 kids at a time, plus I have 3 of my own that are not included in my license. We also do a ton of field trips weekly. We have gone to plays, splash parks, pottery studios, musuems, the zoo and much more. We sometimes do 3 field trips a week. I have a 15 passenger van with commercial insurance so transportation isn't an issue. I enjoy doing trips with the kids and being able to work and still allow my kids to not miss out on summer fun because of my career choice. We take everyone on our trips also, meaning if a kid hasn't behaved during the week then they may be excluded and parents are responsible for finding alternate care, and also all of our infants go as well. No one stays behind and we haven't had any major issues while out. We enjoy fun, messy, exciting activities. So if it's messy or fun, we're there!
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Luvnmykidz 07:13 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
We celebrated International Mud Day yesterday.

It was awesome!!

We do water play, mud play, snow play, rain play, squirt gun play, sprinkler play, ANY kind of FUN outdoors and we're in!!!

The dirtier and messier the better!!
BC that looks so fun! We may have to incorporate that in our calendar of celebrations.
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Unregistered 07:36 AM 06-30-2016
OP here. Okay, I just can't with mud. I'm sure it's fun if you like mud, but I just can't. Maybe it's a sensory thing with me. We do all kinds of other messy play, but mud grosses me out.

I don't know why, I mean we pick up frogs and toads, spiders and bugs, splash in non-muddy puddles...but mud itself makes me cringe. When I see the outdoor mud kitchens I want to vomit. Maybe because I know my littles would eat it. Oh yuck.
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NillaWafers 07:53 AM 06-30-2016
I have a concrete mix of tub I fill with water occasionally. I might do more water play once my grass is settled in, but I just planted it in may and don't think it could handle the stress right now. Maybe at the end of next month.

I don't really prioritize water play. Summer is really hot here. Right now it's been like 95 with 60% humidity, just too hot for the afternoon! We go out in the morning but my yard is totally shaded then.
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Crazy8 08:14 AM 06-30-2016
I do a sprinkler day once or twice a week (more like once since I am only open 4 days a week now). Kids come in swimsuits w/sunscreen on. We go out early because that is when the sun is in the back and when it is not too crazy hot. Then I am only changing them once and usually I continue outdoor play after we shut the water so that they are not even coming inside in wet swimsuits. I have found this the best solution for me!
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KSDC 08:28 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
OP here. Okay, I can not imagine taking my 6 kids to the pool, especially since none of mine can swim! Do you have older kids? Less kids? How do you do it? I used to have enough trouble keeping just my ds above water before he could swim.

Do you just put life jackets on them and let them go? Inquiring minds over here!
My neighborhood pool has a wading area that starts with "zero entry" access an only goes to 3 foot deep. It is separated by a wall from the deeper areas. This summer I have a 3 year old, 2 four year olds, and a five year old that I watch in that area of the pool. I also have a few older school age children this summer. My policy is that they also have to stay in the wadeing area with me unless their parents have determined that their swimming skills are strong enough to swim in the deeper parts with out my direct supervision.

I am in a small rural town. So, the pool is never very crowded and has a good group of life guards watching the children.

I love taking the kids swimming. All of my littles are quite the fish!
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Unregistered 08:48 AM 06-30-2016
Not sure I could be comfortable with having dcks in water without my direct supervision, no matter that there is a lifeguard.
If there is one thing I have heard 1,000,000 times it is that you can never sign away your liability.
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Blackcat31 09:11 AM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
OP here. Okay, I just can't with mud. I'm sure it's fun if you like mud, but I just can't. Maybe it's a sensory thing with me. We do all kinds of other messy play, but mud grosses me out.

I don't know why, I mean we pick up frogs and toads, spiders and bugs, splash in non-muddy puddles...but mud itself makes me cringe. When I see the outdoor mud kitchens I want to vomit. Maybe because I know my littles would eat it. Oh yuck.


Well, those aren't my feet in the photo...

It was a fantastic activity and every single one of my kids got dirty/muddy. Some VERY willingly and others with a bit if trepidation but eventually ended up right in the middle with everyone else.

The youngest one I had participate is 20 months. No one ate it, no one got it in their eyes or their mouth. (we did have wet wipes and fresh water READILY available)

It was one of THE funnest activities I've done in a while and the kids were heartbroken when it was time to stop and clean up.

Oh, and as for me....I didn't get a single drop of mud on me other than my feet. So any sensory issues I might personally have weren't an issue.
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Mike 05:09 PM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
OP here. Okay, I just can't with mud. I'm sure it's fun if you like mud, but I just can't. Maybe it's a sensory thing with me. We do all kinds of other messy play, but mud grosses me out.

I don't know why, I mean we pick up frogs and toads, spiders and bugs, splash in non-muddy puddles...but mud itself makes me cringe. When I see the outdoor mud kitchens I want to vomit. Maybe because I know my littles would eat it. Oh yuck.
That actually looks like fun.
I'd try not to get too dirty myself, but most kids would love it. I know as a kid, I did.
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Snowmom 05:33 PM 06-30-2016
LOVE the mud idea. I bet it wouldn't take that long to clean up as long as you have a hose handy before going inside.

We do sprinkler days once a month. Most of mine don't really care for it either.
Most of the time, I just aim it at the playground slide. More fun than the grassy yard.

We DID just have a big water balloon fight day. Those "bunch o balloons" self tying 100 packs are awesome. I bought 3 bunches and they went in a matter of minutes. Of course, the kids didn't like picking up all the pieces in the yard before going inside.
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HL0605 06:07 PM 06-30-2016
We do water play 2 or 3 times per week. We have baby pools, 2 water tables and a sprinkler. I usually do it in late afternoon right before pick up, and change the kids back in to their clothes outside either right before or when parents come to pick up. I let parents know that if they want their kids to be dressed and ready to go when they get there, they need to text me when they are on their way. Most parents just change their kids when they get here though. It can be rough on my yard, so I sometimes have a week or two when we take a break from the pools and sprinkler and just use the water tables.
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Unregistered 06:11 PM 06-30-2016
I've never had a wading pool. I don't want one

I have two water tables and we use them every day during the summer.

We do different forms of bubble play here and there during the week, we wash play houses & bikes when the mood hits , we paint with adult size paint brushes with water on the deck every day , etc.

I have a sand kitchen.....water and sand. It's fun too!

I get the sprinkler out a few times each month. It's one of those rope sprinklers that wiggle.
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Unregistered 06:14 PM 06-30-2016
Ha well, being in Santa Barbara, we would look ridiculous if we didn't do water play every day. I only have my one dck and my 2 personal kids. So our experience isn't really like others'. But, yeah, anywhere I have worked here, every program for kids does water tables, toy car washes, etc every day. Most places do mud every day too. Cause you would just rinse off outdoors right after. It's not so difficult with this perfect weather. The difficulty is paying the rent! 😭
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MarinaVanessa 10:42 PM 06-30-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Ha well, being in Santa Barbara, we would look ridiculous if we didn't do water play every day. I only have my one dck and my 2 personal kids. So our experience isn't really like others'. But, yeah, anywhere I have worked here, every program for kids does water tables, toy car washes, etc every day. Most places do mud every day too. Cause you would just rinse off outdoors right after. It's not so difficult with this perfect weather. The difficulty is paying the rent! 😭
I know what you mean about not doing water play every day. I'm in Ventura, CA. Hello neighbor!
Water play for us is a water table. I fill it, they play, I dump it, we go back inside. I'm not about to mess with anything more complicated than that 😂😁😃
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Josiegirl 03:19 AM 07-01-2016
Water play ends up being a couple times a week for us. And we just drag the hose out, fill up the water table to play in and a 5 gallon bucket to rinse our feet off , then I shut the hose off. My faucet in the basement leaks terribly so I try not to use it very often.
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Controlled Chaos 11:58 AM 07-01-2016
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
I know what you mean about not doing water play every day. I'm in Ventura, CA. Hello neighbor!
Water play for us is a water table. I fill it, they play, I dump it, we go back inside. I'm not about to mess with anything more complicated than that 😂😁😃
I have family in Ventura! I love it there. So beautiful.

We have outdoor water weather here for 3 months.
My water play looks like this:
2 days a week: 2 big tubs I fill with water/boats/funnels etc - its like two big water tables but no legs.
1-2 days a week: Sprinklers
1 day: spray bottles, watering cans
1 day: nothin lol. We usually take a walk along the river at least once a week.

I have a big wading pool for MY kids, but it is never out for dcks. Emptying it and sanitizing it sounds like a huge PITA and not worth it to me.

I also tip my hat to those that manage to take dks swimming. A dcp friend of mine asked if we wanted to go to the pool with her tonight and I almost cried. No, no I don't want to desperately try to keep my 2,4and6 year old from drowning for a few hours. That sound like He11 to me.
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craftymissbeth 01:03 PM 07-01-2016
When I was licensed, I never did any type of water play. It was way too much of a hassle.

Now that I'm legally unlicensed (I only care for children related to me), we use a wading pool or sprinkler and only on days that aren't miserably hot. Or any day that I just don't feel like it. Or days that follow days when no one could follow the rules. Or...

Actually, we still rarely do water play
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Play Care 01:29 PM 07-01-2016
Originally Posted by Snowmom:

We do sprinkler days once a month. Most of mine don't really care for it either.
I've said this too. I can't recall a group in 11 years who liked sprinklers. Last year I did sprinklers and I got a lot of pictures of smiling kids. But, had I been video taping, their parents would have been HORRIFIED.
Arguing, bickering, whining, etc. etc. etc.
And, I realized that getting 8 kids in to suits, sun-screening, getting out water toys, setting up the actual sprinkler, etc. only to have about 10 minutes of water play was insane!
So, my new "rule" for any daycare activity is the work to enjoyment/playtime ratio. If the amount of work *I* have to put in, is significantly more than the amount of fun/playtime the kids get out of it, we don't do it.
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e.j. 11:52 AM 07-02-2016
I have a couple of water tables the kids love to play with and we also fill up squirt bottles the kids use to squirt plants, grass, playground toys, patio chairs, themselves...anything but each other. I used to have a kiddie pool and I would also let them run through the sprinkler but like someone said in an earlier post, it took longer to set up and put things away than it did for the kids to play and it damaged the grass so I stopped doing that with the kids.
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Hunni Bee 02:31 PM 07-02-2016
We.do.water play at.my center. Its honestly more trouble than its worth. Most of our kids have pools at home or belong to country clubs, etc with nice pools...so sharing a small sprinkler with 45 other kids is pretty lame and there over it after about 20 minutes . We wish we didn't have to do it.

At my old center I took my ten or so kiddos to the pool weekly. There was a one foot baby pool there. It was awesome...the most trouble I ever had was getting them.to bring their suits every week...I got some second hand suits and towels and then.everything was good.
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Pestle 04:04 PM 07-02-2016
I have 2- & 3-year-olds, and it's between 90 & 100 degrees for a good three months here in East TN. So we do the sprinkler almost every day. I don't want to deal with the baby pool liability. I have a baby pool--it's used as a ball pit, never with water.
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CityGarden 07:51 AM 07-05-2016
Water table offered almost daily, lots of mud play, play outside in the rain, etc.

I would not do sprinkler play or pool play or any water play that required the children change into bathing suits.
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Pestle 08:22 PM 07-05-2016
All my kids are potty training, so it's not much more effort for me to pull all the clothes all the way off and, an hour later, put them all the way on again--we do it halfway a zillion times a day, anyway.
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mom2many 08:42 PM 07-05-2016
We had the drought and water restrictions here in Ca last year, so this was the first time in almost 30 years that we weren't able to cool off in the sprinklers.

I used the water tables and the kids absolutely loved that. I even put ice cubes in them, when it was super hot. We do have an in ground pool, but it's off limits to my daycare kids.

This year, I finally got AC...so shamefully I've been a wimp with water play and opted to have the kids play outside in the morning and stay inside, when it starts getting too hot in the afternoon.

Bottom line- I definitely used water play to help manage the heat and now it's simply not a necessity!
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