Exploring the Pond: Simple Activities for Pond Play {Guest Post}

I am so excited to have Kerri from Joys of the Journey guest posting at Buggy and Buddy today! She’ll be sharing some easy and fun ways to make a trip to the pond an absolutely wonderful learning experience for children. I just love the homemade items she created to help encourage all kinds of sensory exploration and fun! (Even if you don’t have a pond nearby, the homemade toys would be great for any type of water play!)

Exploring the Pond with Kids

The pond is an amazing place to explore. There are so many things for kids to learn and discover by visiting one and it’s totally free entertainment. My little guy will happily play at our favorite little pond down the street for hours if time allows it! He loves to try and catch the minnows, sift through the sand and splash in the water.

Easy to Make Homemade Toys for Water Play

On our most recent visit, I brought along a few simply made items to add to his fun and learning experience. Before we left, we gathered a few sticks from the backyard and made a simple fishing pole with a larger stick he found and some twine, a little raft, and a sand sifter from some tulle and an old embroidery hoop that I had.

He enjoyed playing with all of these homemade toys, but the sand sifter was his favorite. Each time he sank the sifter under the dirt in the pond and came up with something, he got so excited! He also used the sifter to collect all of the treasures he found like small plants, algae and different shells.

For the sand sifter, I cut out two circles from some tulle a little larger than the 7 inch embroidery hoop. I took the hoop apart and placed one circle of tulle on top of the inner hoop and one on the bottom and stapled them to the hoop so they sandwiched it and then put it back together. That’s it! So simple and my little guy enjoyed it so much!

He used it to sift, to collect things and for catching minnows with it like a net. Pond play invites children to use their imaginations while playing and promotes creativity while learning to appreciate nature. My little guy put different found treasures on his wooden raft and pulled them around the pond. He caught imaginary fish, sharks and dolphins with his fishing pole and had a blast just splashing around in the water and playing with the sand!

Talking with Your Child

Talking with your kids about the different plants and animals they discover enhances their learning experience. My little guy found clams, snails, different kinds of algae and small lilypads. We talked about the animals that once lived in the shells and how the plants on the bottom of the pond help them hide from predators and keep them safe.

Incorporating Related Children’s Books

Books also help implement learning about the pond’s environment. Read a few before you go or bring a guide like this one with you. My little guy also enjoys this great coloring book that has the most beautiful pond coloring pages.

Have fun and enjoy discovering all the wonders of the pond! We sure did!

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So many great tips and fun ideas for a trip down to the pond! (I’m definitely going to try some of them for our next beach adventure!)

Please be sure to visit Kerri over at her blog, Joys of the Journey, and let her know how much you loved her post on Buggy and Buddy. You are sure to find tons of inspiration for all kinds of outdoor play, crafts, and learning. (Not to mention her site is full of amazing photos!)

Here’s a couple of my favorite posts from Joys of the Journey. Be sure to check them out!

Nature Salt Dough Craft

Simple Science: Sensory Experience with Homemade Goop

Backyard Nature Hunt & Craft