Indoor water table/sensory table

[mickyc]

OK ladies what are your thoughts?

I want to do something fun with my kids. Winter seems to be dragging on and on and I want to add something to our daycare room. I have been toying with the idea of a water table or sensory bins but the whole thought of it makes me cringe lol. My daycare is in my basement and it is all carpet except for a small area where we eat/do art. I don't want to make a pile of work for myself as far as cleaning up kids and my floor afterwards. I also don't want it to be too time consuming and costly to prepare.

Ideas would be appreciated. Also I don't like the idea of putting food like rice/macaroni in it! I don't like to waste food lol. Is there somewhere I can buy a big bag of something for cheap?

I have also thought of blowing up an outdoor pool inside and filling it with balls. The only reservation I have is I don't want the kids to end up putting a hole in the pool with the other toys or end up with the balls all over. Also my new little boy always has toys in his mouth and I don't want him to bite the pool either.

What do you ladies do to switch things up a bit?