Do you remember the craze and almost immediate controversy of water beads as a toy from a few years ago? I can't remember when it was, but my son was either not born yet, or still too young to get in on the fun at its height. Regardless, the things are still around and they are still super fun! However no store in my area carries them as a toy, but lucky me (and my son), they still exist as a floral arrangement item. Lately my local Dollar Trees have been getting them in, and I have been buying them every chance I get. The first ones I found were clear, and though these are fun, if they fall on the floor, they are nearly impossible to find. A couple of weeks ago I started finding the colored variety as well, and these are so much more satisfying.
These are just the best toys ever because there are so many ways to play with them. We drive small trucks through them.
We use a measuring spoon to sort them by color.
We pour them through a funnel to see where they will bounce.
Even just squishing them in your hands is super satisfying. Pinterest has lots of ideas on other ways to play with them, so be sure to check out some of those posts as well.
There is a warning on the jar that states very clearly that these are not a toy, so do be careful about letting kids play with them without supervision. Another warning, these things bounce like you wouldn't believe, so I recommend a deep tub to play with them in.
I currently have a jar of the clear ones I've been trying to dry out to experiment with soaking them in colored water to see if that changes their appearance, unfortunately these things take forever to dry out in the humid part of the country I live in. I can't wait to get these things out this weekend because I have a new jar of purple ones to add to our mix.