When I offered infant care in my home childcare, there were moments that required care beyond classroom learning or management — moments when infants needed extra love and a bath after accidents, spit- ups, or illness.
Yes, the real work of caring for babies. During those years, I kept a small infant bath in my program. It served a very practical purpose, helping keep infants clean, comfortable, and cared for with dignity. As my program evolved and I no longer offered infant care, the bath was no longer needed in the way it once served us. Instead of tossing it or donating it, I found ways to reuse it.
This activity took place in our home childcare setting using a repurposed baby bath on a light table to support open-ended play and inquiry.
I suppose I lean toward repurposing materials — perhaps rooted in my upbringing, where we learned to make use of what we had. Materials don’t lose value simply because their original purpose has passed. I have a keen eye for finding worth in once-loved objects – the trash to treasure concept.
This sanitized infant bath now temporarily lives on our light table and has found new life.
Its perforated surface resembles a pegboard — something that attracted me to purchase years ago — and now it invites children to explore light, shadow, symmetry, and fine motor coordination through open-ended inquiry.
I added a variety of materials to this provocation, and the children have been deeply engaged all week. We introduced translucent sticks (similar to drink stirrers), translucent rings, and pegs from a light board. The children even added buckets, combining rings and sticks to create imaginative “coffee drinks,”- the beauty of using open-ended materials for their schematic play.
If you are a home childcare provider with an infant bath tucked away, I encourage you to look at it again — perhaps as a material waiting to be explored in a new way. Repurposing a baby bath on a light table is one of the many ways open-ended materials support learning in home childcare.
If you enjoyed seeing how we use open-ended materials, you may also like this process art experience we shared here.
Until next time,
I am Miss Sue, your educator in the trenches, walking alongside you.
