There are lots of elaborate water tables and sensory bins online that can feel intimidating to put together. But it can be simple to prepare a fun DIY water table or sensory bin for almost any theme. I have an ocean animal water table featuring sharks that I prepared in about 5 minutes!
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DIY Water Table or Sensory Table
I love the DIY sensory tables my daughter-in-law, Chea, and I put together in September 2015!
To put together the DIY sensory table, we used the directions for “The $30, 30-Minute, Do-It-Yourself Sensory Table” from A Teaching Mommy. Ours cost a bit more than $30, although the price will vary according to where you get PVC pipe. We were able to get our PVC pipe at Lowe’s. We didn’t want to cut pipe and were lucky that the guys at Lowe’s were willing to cut it for us.
I found the specified storage container for the sensory tables at Walmart.
The sensory table is designed to be disassembled. We found it best to hammer the pieces together after assembling the table to avoid having the table collapse. So ours are more permanent, which is fine. I have a sensory table available at all times on my balcony or next to my balcony door. My grandkids are absolutely in love with sensory bins/tables!
View this post on Instagram
You can see the sweet Instagram Story Highlight where Caleb is spontaneously singing “Baby Shark” by going to my Instagram page and watching the Reels Links Highlight.
Note: Thank you to my daughter, Chrissy Chitwood, for making and editing our videos for Instagram and YouTube!
Materials Used for the Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
I already had all the materials needed for this in my kitchen or in my educational materials bins, so I didn’t need to buy anything.
- DIY sensory table or water table (While I love using this as a table, you can just use the container on the floor.)
- Plain water
- Blue food coloring
- Ocean animals from Safari Ltd. Ocean TOOB and Sharks TOOB
Feel free to adapt your water table for your family. You can make it as elaborate as I want. These are just the materials I used for a simple but fun water table.
While the DIY water table is perfect for use outdoors in warm or hot weather, it can be used indoors in any weather. I have it on my balcony right now, although it’s very portable and easy to move indoors or out on the lawn.
Ocean Animal Vocabulary
Safari Ltd. TOOBS give lots of opportunities for learning vocabulary, and they’re very appealing to young children. Using the figures is a great way for young children to learn the names of ocean animals, including types of sharks (perfect for Shark Week!). You can help your child learn the names of the ocean animals by using the Montessori 3-period lesson.
Shark Nonfiction Books for Kids
More Shark-Related Resources:
Montessori-Inspired Shark Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Fish Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Shark Printables and Activities for a Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
Free Fish Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fish Activities
Favorite Books for a Fish Theme
Free Fish Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
- August Themed Activities for Kids
- Non-Scary and Montessori-Friendly Resources for a Shark Tooth Dig
- How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
- Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin
- Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Ocean Unit
- Montessori-Inspired Resources for World Oceans Day
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Math Activities - Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
- Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
- Coral Reef Kit and Sensory Bin
- DIY Coral Reef Water Table with Practical Life Activities
- Free Ocean Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ocean Activities
- Free Ocean Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
- Free Ocean Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- The Best Ocean Books for Kids
- How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
- Ocean-themed, Editable Name and Word Tracing Pack in Print or Cursive
Helpful Animal Classification Posts
- Living and Non-Living
- Plant and Animal Sorting
- Montessori Animal Classification
- Free Zoo Printables and Montessori-Inspired Zoo Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Animal Units
- Montessori Vertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
- Free Amphibian Printables and Montessori-Inspired Amphibian Activities
- Free Reptile Printables and Montessori-Inspired Reptile Activities
- Free Fish Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fish Activities
- Free Bird Printables and Montessori-Inspired Bird Activities post
- Free Mammal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Mammal Activities post
- Montessori Invertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
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This is so awesome and so easy to set up! Thank you for the inspiration! I have a couple toddlers who are going to love this.