Bath time is a special moment for parents to bond with their kids, to spend time playing and having fun together.

What begins as a very calm and relaxing experience with newborn babies starts becoming a more engaging activity as they grow up. Splashing water around and playing in the tub becomes one of the most amusing pastimes for children of 18 months and up.

Every mum and dad knows that adding some fun to the bath is not only a big help in the daily routine but is also a great way to connect with the little ones. Turning the bath time into a pleasant experience helps to stimulate a healthy and playful parent-children relationship.

 

From traditional water stations to more creative ways of playing in the bathtub

Bath Cascade is a new water toy intended for children from 2 years up. This is when they usually start running all over the house, taking their toys with them at all times, and asking to bring the craziest things along with them in the bathtub.

As toy designers, we have a deep interest in this kind of behaviour, since it is a never-ending source of inspiration for original ideas. This is why we started wondering about a new toy that could be interesting and stimulating for kids to play with during the bathroom…

While the market offered many water station toys promoting a structured way of playing, we wanted to stimulate inner creativity and will of experimenting in children. With Bath Cascade, we aimed to create a non-structured toy, which could spur imagination and free the will to explore.

 

How we came up with the idea for Bath Cascade: observing the kids playing

At HAPE, we make a lot of play observation experiences in cooperation with Nurseries and Kindergartens to study the behaviours of children.

In this case, we invited children from 2 years and up to use our toys as they prefer. Then, we observed how they play in the water, what they like to do, how they feel, what are their manual skills, preferences, and so on. To us, these are precious learning moments. The close observation of children playing under the supervision of the educators always gives us inspiration and feedback about our products directly from their intended target.

We watched how they grab and manipulate the toys, their interaction with the water and the different objects. We were amazed by their unconventional approaches, and the unpredictable personalities they ended up giving to each character according to their shape and mechanical function.

This was the starting point for us to go all the way and develop funny features that distinguish every character in the Bath Cascade. The observation experience is where the personalities of our creatures took shape. This is why the lazy Crab swings calmly, the merry Star moves fast, and the playful Octopus sprays water in every direction.

 

The Bath Cascade: a bath toy to explore, have fun and grow up with

The playtests are an integral part of the story behind each one of HAPE products. The Bath Cascade was the outcome of our desire to let children free to experiment with the water element, exploring many effects and stimulating their imagination.

The cute animals become their friends and funny accomplices in creating many different water games.

 

The Bath Cascade includes:

–          A bucket for pouring water.

–          Two water slides to convey water in the different elements.

–          A funny Crab who spills water from one side or the other, depending on how you pour water in it.

–          A cute Starfish who twirls like a watermill: the more water you pour in, the fastest it rotates. Your children will have loads of fun watching it spin again and again!

–          A surprising Octopus who creates a beautiful rain effect spraying water from each tentacle.

 

The Bath Cascade is not the type of toy children will soon lose interest in, since it grows with them. It offers lots of funny effects to repeat over and over, and new paths to explore. Kids will enjoy using it differently according to their age. After gaining confidence with each piece, they will start combining the elements to create more and more complex paths.

 

Toddlers around 2 years will play with each element separately and gaze fascinated at the water effects, repeating basic movements over and over. Besides, the funny looks of the characters will stimulate the youngest kids to invent stories with them as protagonists.

Once learned the fundamentals, your kids will be able to create many water paths, playfully exploring the principles of hydraulics. You will be surprised at how they will become confident in creating different effects to have fun with. Moreover, you will observe them improving their manual skills, imagination, and ability to engineer water paths.

 

What are the favorite water activities of your kids? Share it with us: you may inspire our next creation!