Enhance student counting skills by freezing small plastic manipulative into ice molds. Little plastic counting bears or similar items can be placed into either ice cube trays or larger shaped molds if necessary. Provide a plastic baggie or colorful plastic bucket for children to use to collect their treasures. The children can use spoons to move the frozen items around to speed up the melting process throughout the school day. Once the items float freely, the students simply reach into the table and collect the items. Make a chart on the chalk or bulletin board so each student can write down the number of items collected. You can adapt the activity by using plastic eggs filled with an item at Easter time or using magnetic plastic fish and mini plastic fishing poles with magnetic ends.
Turn the water table into a massive Jell-O container. Allow the students to help with the mixing and pouring of the mixture, but use caution, since hot water is required as a base. The children can use large wooden spoons to stir the mixture before leaving at the end of a school day. Allow each child to bring a plastic item from home to drop into the mixture before it hardens. The project works best during cold weather when you can wheel the water table outdoors overnight for the Jell-O to set. The following school day, have the students help wheel the table back into the classroom and discuss how the temperature caused the mixture to cool and harden to incorporate science outcomes. Let each student use the wooden spoon or a small plastic shovel to dip into the Jell-O and find their item.
Water table jewelry-making requires just a few boxes of uncooked pasta and liquid watercolor packets. If you have more than one water table or can place small buckets inside a single water table, you can use more than one color for the craft project. Allow the children to help pour the uncooked pasta into the water and stir it around until it becomes soaked in the color and appears "painted." Scoop the pasta from the water and place onto a table or trays to dry. Once pasta has dried, the children can string it onto a piece of yarn and wear as a necklace or headband.
Conduct a float or sink experiment. Children can bring in two items from home to test during the activity. The teacher can choose to provide additional items for the project. Make a wall chart with the name or photo of each item to allow the children to record their results after putting their items in the water. Discuss the similarities and differences between the items which sank or floated in the water.