These toy turtles by Learning Resources are one of my favorite new items. My students love them and I use them for so many things. While this is a glowing review, I didn’t receive anything in return — I just think they’re that great and I use them often, especially in my sensory bins. I actually have two sets of them now, one for water/water bead play and one set that stays dry for sand, cornstarch and even rice.

First of all the little turtles are adorable. They’re very durable and each one has a different shape and color on its back as well as a removable shell, so the shell fits the turtle like a puzzle piece, which is great for learning shapes and colors, but also its a good fine motor activity.

They work great in the water beads and of course for water and sand play, which we use for class themes like creatures of the ocean, the beach, reptiles, sea turtles themselves, endangered species, and so on. While I use them for classes and private sessions, there also the plain ol’ bath toy, perfect for everyday use (and yes, they do squirt water). I did notice on a few of the reviews on Amazon that some parents complained of water getting inside the turtles. I haven’t had this problem, but I also have two sets. One mom plugged up the hole with glue (which I thought was a pretty good idea).

A couple of books I use regularly with those lessons are Splashing by the Shore  — Beach Activities for Kids by Lisa Mullarkey, I’ll Follow the Moon by Stephanie Lisa Tara, and Old Turtle by Douglas Wood. Whether you use the Smart Splash Shape Shell Turtles by Learning Resources and the suggested books for a rainy day at home with your child, for a preschool lesson, a large or small group, all of these items work perfectly for a fun and educational lesson .