Let's get some Montessori water activities on your practical life shelf! Don't have space for a shelf? Don't worry! Just keep some of these object handy for when kids seem ready for a bit of water play.

1. Pour water from two tiny pitchers back and forth. Any glass or ceramic creamer-style will work for the Pre-K crowd, but for toddlers, tiny metal creamer pitchers are best.

2. Spoon water with a ladle from a big bowl to another big bowl.

3. Spoon little floating objects (corks?) from one bowl into another bowl.

4. Spoon little sinking toys (marbles?) from one bowl into another bowl.

5. Try tongs instead of spoons for #'s 3 and 4!

6. Use a baster to transfer water from one bowl to another.

7. Use a funnel to fill small vases with water from a pitcher. Then dumping the water back into the pitcher. This is is preparatory work for the flower arranging work.

8. Squeeze a sponge from one bowl to the other to transfer the water.

9. Gather small objects from around the house (that won't be hurt by water). Find out which ones float and which ones sink.

10. Experiment with color mixing. Three small glasses of colored water (red, yellow, blue food coloring) and several small empty bowls. Use an eye dropper or a pipette to make different colors in the bowls.

11. Whisk one drop of dishwashing liquid in a big bowl of water.

12. Try an eggbeater in #11 instead of a whisk!

13. Try grating some bar soap into #11 instead of using dishwashing liquid. (Supervise this one closely.)

14. Fill two bowls with water, one hot and one cold. Add one piece of ice into each. Which melts faster?

15. Use a medicine syringe to transfer tiny amounts of water from one glass to another.

16. An outside game: Fill a giant plastic pitcher or watering can. Pour the water into a large bucket. Haul the bucket to a kiddie swimming pool and fill it up. Then play!

17. Have a tea party with real tea (rooibos or berry tea are caffeine-free options.) 

18.  Scrub a section of the kitchen floor with a small bowl of soapy water and a sponge cut in half.

19. Put a water-safe baby doll into a large bowl or tub. Add a small pitcher of water, one pump of liquid soap, and a small washcloth.

20. Mustard/ketchup bottle squeezing. Fill an old squeeze bottle with water and squeeze directly into a bowl.