Inexpensive Pool Toys

Now, I tend to use toys quite a bit when teaching lessons, but many of the pool toys seem to deteriorate rather quickly in the chlorine. In today’s video, we’ll look at an inexpensive pool toy alternative.

I went to the local Dollar store and picked up 10 sponges and 3 permanent markers for just $6.30. Then, to make them a little more kid friendly, I drew some animals on the sponges. I like to do a rough draft with pencil and paper first before drawing on the sponges. With some of the animals, I’m drawing both front and back so that my sponge animals can do front and back floats.

Once my rough drafts are complete, I’ll use them as a guide as I use the permanent markers to draw on the sponges. Depending on the markers, you may need to go over your designs a couple of times. Here are the finished products.

Before taking them to the pool, I’ll run them through the dishwasher to make sure that the marker ink won’t run or wear off on the kids hands. Over time, the sponges may get dried out, but they bounce back nicely. If they get faded, you can easily put on another coat of marker, and running them through the dishwasher again never hurts especially during the cold and flu season. Have fun at the pool!