Gel beads (or how we learned to love messy hands)
Posted: September 29, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: activity, toddler, water beads 5 Comments »2 bonus points for everyone who got the Strangelove reference *dorkDORKdork alert*
I keep reading about these magical-wonderful-amazeballs gel beads that you can get at the craft store, in the floral section:
One of the 4 packets I got for $2 each - at this point I’m not ENTIRELY convinced the tablespoon of beads will soak up ALL THE WATER. I remember sea monkeys, jerks. You can’t trick me twice.
With a little help (and a large dose of the skepticism you might have sensed above), I poured the beads in the water and set it on the counter overnight…
The good news? We only lost a few to the tile. The bad news? My bare feet found every. single. one.
HOLY CRAPP!
They didn’t change color / container by magic – this is the pink and purple batch. Somehow I didn’t take pictures of the clear batch when complete. **facepalm**
So 4 packets swollen up and poured in a 3 gallon bucket looks like this:
Next time? Bigger bucket, same amount of beads. This was just BEGGING for dumping on the floor.
And an almost-2-year-old who normally hates messy hands but ADORES water beads looks like this:
MOM! MOMmomMOMmomMOMmomMOM!! MOOOOOM
Pushing the beads through a “tunnel”. Notice the omnipresent stick.
I don’t know, where IS my hand? *giggle*
“I remember sea monkeys you jerks” – HA! This looks like SOOOOO much fun! What a great idea. Consider it stolen.
I remember thinking I would actually have little trainable pets #sosad #gullible…
I was so excited, it never occurred to me they’d die. Or smell.
I had no idea that you could make water beads!!! How easy are they to smush into oblivion?
Actually remarkably hard – you have to slice them with an edge (fingernail or jar lip)! We played for 20 minutes, was able to put the lid back on for tomorrow!