Water the Desert Activity

Explore earth science while practicing important fine motor skills with your preschoolers using this Water the Desert Activity. Don’t forget to add this quick and easy idea to your list of STEAM activities for your next desert preschool theme!

collage of desert activity images with text: Water the Desert Sensory Activity for PreschoolersWe’re getting ready to wrap up our desert theme and today I’m excited to share this adorable desert sensory tray. Our topic for the day was Plants of the Mojave and this engaging and hands-on fine motor activity couldn’t have been more perfect!

cardstock desert scene next to dish of water on plastic trayThis post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if an item is purchased through one of these links.  For more information, please see my full disclosures.

A huge thanks to Experience Early Learning (formerly Mother Goose Time) for providing us with their Experience Preschool curriculum for free in exchange for sharing our honest and authentic stories resulting from our personal experiences. It’s been such a huge blessing to us! As always, my opinions on awesome stuff for little kids are 100% my own.

preschooler squeezing water onto cardstock desert sceneToday’s activity was definitely a favorite! Baby girl had a wonderful time watering the adorable desert scene we created using colored cardstock.

preschooler filling eyedropper with waterNot only that, but it was a great way to explore natural and earth science concepts in an engaging and hands-on way. After all, little kids learn best through play and today’s water the desert activity was no exception.

preschooler filling eyedropper with waterWater the Desert Activity

Supplies

  • Squirt Bottle
  • Water
  • Colored Paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue

preschooler squeezing water onto cardstock desert scenePrep

Glue a piece of brown paper to the bottom of blue paper to create a simple desert scene. Cut out a few green paper plants and glue them to the scene.

preschooler holding up cardstock desert sceneEncourage the child to explore watering the plants of the desert scene with the squirt bottle. Observe how she aims and controls the bottle.

preschooler's cardstock desert sceneFor this activity, we used eyedroppers instead of a water bottle, which meant the perfect opportunity to practice important fine motor skills including pincer grasp.

preschooler dripping water onto cardstock desert sceneDon’t forget to check back if you’re interested in seeing what we’re up to next week with our bees and butterflies preschool theme from Experience Preschool!

collage of desert activity images with text: Water the Desert STEAM Activity for Preschoolers