Metallic Water Table Summer Activity

The discovery of the metallic water table was one of the best days of my educator life. But, seriously, you’ll say the same once you try it!

A young girl smiles at the camera and stands behind a table with 6 small plastic containers on it. Each container is filled with water and a different color of metallic paint (green, purple, silver, gold, red, and blue). In the background are green grass and pink potted flowers.

A metallic water table is DAZZLING

I know, I know, dazzling is a strong word, but it checks out.

A splash of metallic paint into a water table makes for the most mesmerizing water table of your dreams.

It looks and feels magical.

Related: Metallic paints also look beautiful on our GIANT 10-foot Summer coloring banner!

A young girl pours blue metallic paint into a clear plastic bucket of water.

A metallic water table is the PERFECT summer activity

Who doesn’t want an activity that will keep kids playing and learning for hours that sets up in a snap?

There just aren’t enough adjectives to describe how beautiful, spectacular, stunning, shimmery, and breathtaking this is!

Also, it’s low-risk talking it up so much because you’ll feel the same when you see it.

Looking for more water table ideas? You’ve come to the right place:

Six jars of metallic paint sit on a wet table next to a clear plastic container for a metallic water table simmer activity. The colors of paint include silver, blue, red, purple, gold, and green.

Materials

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Metallic kids’ paint
Shallow bins of water – the ones pictured here are from the Dollar Tree, but here are some similar ones on Amazon
Whisk or spoon

A child holds a hose and fills up plastic containers on a table outside for a metallic water table summer activity. behind her are grass and large pink potted flowers.

Directions

You can set this up in the same amount of time it takes you to say, “THIS IS THE COOLEST WATER TABLE EVER.”

Add water to shallow bins, add a splash of metallic paint (start with 1-2 tablespoons), and mix.

Note: Kids enjoy setting this up just as much as they enjoy playing with it, so it’s basically two activities in one, a BOGO, if you will.

Related: Look how cool this technique works for spooky Halloween potions, too!

A young girl stands at a table with colorful bins of metallic water. She holds a large plastic bottle and is about to scoop purple metallic water into it. In another bin is a small plastic container floating in red metallic paint with colorful plastic insect toys inside.

Is a water table sensory play?

It is!

Kids are using their:

✋🏼 Tactile sense (touching)

👀 Visual sense (seeing)

👂🏻 Auditory sense (hearing)

When kids connect different senses while they play, they’re activating a multisensory experience which aids in acquiring + retaining new skills, building their foundational knowledge, and teaches kids how to use their whole brain while learning.

Sensory play is the best.

A young child stirs purple paint into a. clear bucket of water on an outdoor table. Inside each bucket is a splash of metallic paint.

Does this stain?

It shouldn’t.

It hasn’t ever for us.

When adding a tablespoon or two of paint to a ginormous bucket of water, it gets so diluted that it just doesn’t stain.

I mean, I wouldn’t do this activity on top of a family heirloom blanket that has been passed from generations and is the only relic of great great great grandma, but outside on the concrete or grass?

You should be golden. (Wait, you shouldn’t be golden. Ah, you get the idea! 😂)