During the summer time we took the kids to a local fair. We walked past a young boy selling something. I asked him what he was selling.

He showed me the water beads and said, "These will keep your kids entertained for hours!" I replied, "You don't know young kids, do you? NOTHING keeps them entertained for hours." Ha.

I asked his age and he told me that he was 12 - and was running the booth for his mother. He was earning 50% of sales. I'm always interested in helping and supporting young entrepreneurs so I purchased some of the beads.

My kids had a blast with the beads: watching them grow in water, feeling them in between their fingers, bouncing them on the floor and more. We've played with the beads a few times now. They don't last long if the kids pull them apart but I allow them to do that with a few of the beads - so they can see what's inside and feel the texture, etc.

When I searched Online for more beads, numerous websites popped up. Simply type in "gel balls that grow in water" and various sites (and prices) will appear.

I found the beads on websites such as:

WaterBeads.com

WaterBeads.net

Amazon

RainbowWaterBeads.com

MagicWaterBeads.com

Ebay

More...

The beads would certainly be a fun party favor, stocking stuffer or Valentine's Day gift (rather than attaching suckers to the classroom cards, etc). You could purchase a few colors and mix them up inside a zip-lock baggie so that each child gets a rainbow of colors rather than ONE color only.

Prior to being placed in water:

Growing in water:

Expanded:

What do they feel like?

Mixing around:

Let's share!