How Often Do You Change Your Water In Your Water Tray?

[Guest]

We have recently changed our sand tray for water, but the water in it quickly becomes murky, even after an hour's play. It's very difficult for us to change it every day because it's huge and there is no way to get it out of the room to empty it, plus the tap to fill it up involves is a trek through the school with heavy buckets.

 

Does everyone else change theirs everyday? Is there anything you can put in the water to help keep it clean?

 

Also I'm hoping to put some bubble bath in the water, does anyone have one they can recommend that is all right for children?

[Lucie]

we change ours everyday, this is a chore but luckily the tray has a tap so we can open that and fill up a bucket.

And we use fairy liquid to get bubbles. (don't know if this is ok or not, but not had any problems so far)

 

lucie x

[Guest]

We change our water at least once a day sometimes 2 if the little darlings decide to put soil in it or wash the bikes. We also are having to top it up throughout the day as it is outside and it goes cold very quickly.

[Panders]

We are lucky our water tray is near the kitchen. so it's easily filled or topped up, we only change the water once a week, or if the children absolutely throw in so much sand from the sand tray that nobody will go near it to play with it anymore!!! Sounds like you need a nice swanky new one with a drainage pipe to make life easier for you, perhaps a bit of fundraising for that sometime.

 

Regarding bubbles - I use anything which is prepared for children - so Matey, or Johnson's Baby Bath stuff, have occasionally used a small amount of anti-bac soap when anything else in short supply.

[JacquieL]

Oh dear it doesn't sound as if there is an easy solution for you. You can use a tube and bucket at the side below the water level, suck the water up the tube, not as far as your mouth , and quickly lower it into the bucket.

I have always changed water twice each day so that it is clean for the afternoon. I have also used children's bubble bath and washing-up-liquid to make bubbles. A lovely smell and with children's BB you can get different colours.

[Inge]

also changed it daily at least... often found it didnt last all day anyway and needed a top up...

 

bubbles were any child friendly ones.. but we did sometimes use any of we had no one with an allergy.. there were some lovely scented ones.. vanilla ice cream I will always remember that one wafting around the room...

 

Inge

[Guest]

I don't think water should be left in a tray for longer than a day.

 

Weekly changing sounds grotty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Panders]

Yes does sound grotty - now I come to think about it - just something that we got into the habit of I suppose - time for a change!!!

[Guest]

I add Milton sterilising fluid to my water in the paddling pool, AquaPlay and in the bubble fountain in the garden (since I discovered the children drinking from it!) Mrs O liked my thinking!

 

Nona

Edited March 6, 2010 by Guest

[Guest]

Oh dear it doesn't sound as if there is an easy solution for you. You can use a tube and bucket at the side below the water level, suck the water up the tube, not as far as your mouth , and quickly lower it into the bucket.

I have always changed water twice each day so that it is clean for the afternoon. I have also used children's bubble bath and washing-up-liquid to make bubbles. A lovely smell and with children's BB you can get different colours.

You can now buy a tube with a with a small hand pump from an aquatic/ fish centre for just a few pounds - you need never suck on a tube again.

[Guest]

You can now buy a tube with a with a small hand pump from an aquatic/ fish centre for just a few pounds - you need never suck on a tube again

 

They are a good idea.

 

We change ours daily at least and wipe out with neat sterilising solution on a Friday evening. We invested in a Community playthings water tray and its the most efficient emptier I've used. When it gets near the bottom I use one of those giant car wash sponges to soak up the excess and squeeze into a bucket so no lifting the tray. We have a problem with sandy hands playing in it but have found it best to leave over night to dry then sweep out with a soft brush and dustpan the next morning.

[Alison]

we like matey its resonable and mild

 

your not really suposed to use washing up liquid because of children splashing in their eyes

 

as for "sucking the water up the tube" if you put the whole tube in the water wait for all the air bubbles to escape and place your thumbs over each end then put the one end of the tube in the bucket then release your thumbs its just as effective and not need to get a mouth full of yuck and the children can learn to help too

[Guest]

This is my first post woo hoo!. When I worked in a pre school nursery we had a huge water tray (too heavy to lift) we found that the kids loved emptying it with jugs and cups which could be put into buckets then easily lifted to the sink to be emptied. We always had plenty volunteers.

[wellerkaren]

We change ours daily, and the children help to do this with jugs and bucket.

Edited March 7, 2010 by wellerkaren

[dublinbay]

This is my first post woo hoo!.

 

 

Hi Jools5, welcome to the forum and congratulations on making your first post. Hope it's the first of many!!

 

We change our water tray in between sessions. It has a tap on one end and is small enough to be lifted out of it's frame to empty completely and quickly.

 

We use children's bath stuff for bubbles.......they have a lovely smell and remind me of when my children were babies.

[apple]

Hi we change ours daily too- sometimes twice if it gets murky. Like Biccy, we have a community playthings tray (bought with money raised from a sponsored event- parents knew exactly what we wanted to purchase and how much it was going to cost so they had a goal to aim for)- You might want to think of this as an option Kariana to replace the heavy one you have.

After emptying we spay it down with anti-bacterial spray (diluted milton is ideal).

[Guest]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Changing to a different water tray is definitely not an option, however I think I'll add some Milton tablets next time and see if those help to make it last for an extra day or two. We really can't be changing it everyday and since we are a year one class rather than a nursery it isn't being filled with anything other than reasonably clean toys, most of which have been in the water before.

[Panders]

Would just like to say that ours is open for use for about 8 hours during the week, some days the children are busy with it and other days hardly at all. Whilst not changing the water daily or twice daily which appears to be the norm on here, ours never gets so rank that it has caused any problems, give it a go your way and just monitor how much it gets played with, you may be able to have a system whereby you can exchange a bucketful of used water for fresh everyday until Friday when you can empty the lot.

[Guest]

After reading all these posts I'm shocked no one has mentioned health and safety

It is unhygienic to have the same water in the trough all day. We change ours with each nursery session and would do it more often than that if required. I appreciate some troughs are easier to empty than others but I dread to think what germs may be lurking in the water after a day or longer......yuck!!

[Guest]

So..what about the sand in your sand tray...or the dough...how often is the Duplo washed...and the markmakers relaced...?