Don’t go chasing waterfalls this summer – MTA has a great range right here!

When it comes to sensory activities that delight children of all ages, it’s hard to beat the benefits of sand and water play, which has been proven to boost language development, encourage collaborative play, and offer opportunities for fine and gross motor skill development. 

Although popular all year round, water and sand play come into their own over the warmer summer months, where children are naturally drawn to provocations and play experiences that offer them a chance to dip their hands into cool clear water which is just waiting for little hands to explore. 

The team at MTA have gathered together the following selection of the very best of sand and water play, specially designed to support children and educators to enjoy, explore and learn with. 

STEM focus 

With so many services looking for ways to incorporate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) into each learning day, it makes sense to combine STEM resources with exploration options like sand and water play. 

First on MTA’s list is this Canal and Water Tower System, which is made from treated New Zealand pine. Budding engineers can design their own canal systems at different heights and explore the way the water flows, studying the cause and effect elements of their designs on the speed and flow of the water. 

Next is the Waterfall and Water Tray Set which allows children to explore scientific and mathematical concepts such as gravity, direction of water flow, volume of water and filtration in a play-based way. 

To use the set, educators set up the water channels, splash tray and pump, placing a bucket of water for the hose to sit into, from which the children can pump water. The wide table allows a number of children to stand around the table to play which will help develop their social skills and encourage them to work together promoting teamwork.

Class sets 

Anyone who has spent time with toddlers will tell you – just when you think you have enough red buckets, green spades, or yellow sieves, you learn that they are, in fact, high currency amongst young learners, and too much is never enough!

One item children are sure to gravitate towards is the Green Toys Watering Can, a classic set which encourages children to help take care of the world around them. The set includes one watering can, one hand fork and one scoop. 

With the 30 piece collection of Heavy Duty Buckets, Scoops and Sieves the worry over competition for buckets and spades in favourite colours eases. Excellent for outdoor play, the heavy-duty plastic buckets, scoops & sieves resist wear and tear to provide many years of use in the sandpit or for water play. 

When combined with the 21 piece Rolf Super Set, services are guaranteed to have an outdoor environment which encourages children to explore and learn alongside one another, building and creating sand castles with the use of the different toy implements including rakes, buckets, sieves, moulds and spades.

Lastly, these Viking Toys – Eco Mini Chubbies will add a fun dimension to children’s sand and water play, allowing them to engage in dramatic play with an assortment of cars, trucks, boats and even planes which are the perfect size for little hands. These high-quality resources are made from a renewable sugarcane plastic, making them an ideal sustainable play addition.

Sand and Water Tables

The Wooden Sand and Water Table with Pouring Set  has everything children need for exploratory constructive and creative fun with sand and water textures, housing two large clear plastic containers and lids, as well as two smaller plastic containers (without lids) in the middle. 

Children can fill the containers with sand and/or water, and can test their creative building ideas. They can also use one of the 6 rainbow translucent buckets, or one of the 6 rainbow translucent jugs to fill with sand or water to help them perfect their sandy sculptures, or just make a big fun mess!

For younger children, the Weplay Sand and Water Table has a multilayer design which allows children to experience variation in depth. The stand, which is included, can be adjusted according to the height of the children, while the wheels attached to the front of the stand make it easy to transport. Most importantly, the table comes with a secure lid to maximise safety. 

To review the full range of MTA products, please visit the website here. To connect with your local consultant, reach out to MTA by phone on 1800 251 497 or email sales@teaching.com.au