Hi, not quite sure if you're after smaller water tray activities or water activities in general - swimming, paddling pools through to canoeing.
A few other smaller ideas: - Water squirters
- Water balloons
- Baby dolls and water tray baths
- Oasis & flower arranging
- Melting play: Chunky chalks and Gloop premixed - then added to water. Can the chalks be broken and dissolved.
- Kitchen or toilet tissue roll added to the water.
- Bath bombs & volcano type resources - bicarbarbonate of soda & vinegar.
- Apple bobbing
- Role play action figures - ocean landscape
- Moat building in water tray with buckets of sand - knights and princesses
- water hoopla - ring lasso: float balls and capture with hoops
- Magic grow creatures
- Magnetic fishing - hook & loop
- Splash balls
- Water pumps and fountains - cup or champagne glass fountain
- Mopping up - what can absorb all the water in a water tray.
- Paper making
- Marbling inks & print taking
- Foil bottom for reflection - how to weigh/keep it in place.
- Wind up toys
- Bubble blowing
- Floating lights & radios
- Thermometers and access to warm & cold water
- Shaving foam cream: ask how high a mountain can be made when the children are squirting the foam into the water.
- Leaky buckets - plan for making 'leaky buckets & holes from sections of one/two litre drinking bottles: provide scissors and hand drills.
- Buckets of water for car & bike washing
- Pond making - use a water tray to collect rain water and use it as a nature watch.
- I've not tried this but it looks good: Fashion In The Tub Bath Toy amazon link. Use light food trays or white boards that float in the water tray to assemble the designs on.
Each activity will have its own associated risk depending on the resources used. What supervision is available and where staff are positioned - deployment.
Check to see if your activity has a risk of ..
Choking
Suffocation
Strangulation
Drowning
Injury - cuts, knocks, bruises, slips, trips, falls.
Allergic reaction
Poisoning
Electrocution, burns and scalds
Statement that Children can drown water that is 5cm or 2" deep - source:
CAPT Child safety week factsheet on drowning
Accidents and children from rospa and
CAPT
accidents and Child development
Hope this helps xx