Soapy Water

Soapy water is a great thing for the sensory table (aka the sand and water table), especially if the dishes in your play kitchen are looking a little scary. Load the table up with warm water, a swirl of dish soap, and all the dish cleaning items you can find. Make sure your center's kitchen won't miss them if you don't have some set aside just for play. Keep plenty of towels on hand, preferably a separate one for each child given the MRSA scare that's in the media right now. Be prepared to allow children to bring other things from around the room to clean. If possible, remove toys that can't be dunked so kids can feel useful in helping to keep their room clean. Let them use towels to dry off clean things if the table gets too full of stuff, showing them that when you remove some toys they can clean others. The dolls in our room generally get a bath, so make sure they are the kind that can get submerged.

Speaking of MRSA, current health guidelines dictate that children with open cuts on their hands are not to share water tables or other substances. Keep a supply of completely sealing bandages on hand, such as the tattoo-type, so you don't have to tell a child they can't play. If a child appears to have MRSA (a boil-type wound with pus), send him/her home and instruct the parents to take the child to their doctor as soon as they can for treatment.