Yesterday we made a simple pond in our water table with sticks, cholla wood (logs), ivy, rocks, frogs, snakes, turtles and insects. Learning about ponds and muck is fun. Even if you don’t have a pond nearby, you can make a sensory bin pond with natural items and small toys. You can also create your own muck. What child wouldn’t want to do that?
This pond is quite clean but you could certainly add some dirt and more grasses to make it more realistic. 
Then we went outside and made our own little muck ponds in deli dishes. First we added bark, grass, dirt, grass clumps from the garden, rocks and then water. We’re going to let them sit a few days and see what happens (if anything) or we’ll stir them up and play with it next week. It’s sure to be messy, stinky muck by then!
After watching our mini ponds a few days, we noticed small bugs, the water evaporating, the water becoming stagnant and the dirt turning to a thick mud. Using a stick, you can dig in the muck and see what’s in there. Add water too, if the little pond starts to dry up.
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow
Tuesday 17th of May 2011
Ah anything with dirt is a plus to Henry! :) The muck ponds look so fun to make!
jenny
Saturday 14th of May 2011
Fun, sensory, creative, playful learning experiences! Thanks for sharing them with us.