Disclaimer: Although we've bought lots of Aquabeads over the years; I was sent a selection of extra boxes to help create this post. The review words and opinions are my own. All photos are copyright property of Me Becoming Mum.

We’re living through the strangest of times. Even though lockdown restrictions are easing; the summer holidays stretch before us like extra, child-care free weeks we never needed. Read on to discover some fun, mess-free things you can make with your children using Aquabeads.

Encourage their reading

with an Aquabeads bookmark

Before Covid-19 took over the world as we knew it and lockdown began, Squidgy loved to read. As time went by, she began to stop wanting to read, and the more I nagged (because lets be honest, that's what mamas do!) the less she wanted to. Having her very own Aquabeads bookmark has changed all that. Now she wants to head to bed early and get in some reading before bed!

What you need

Making a bookmark is easy, all you need is:

A book to check the length.
Although you do you… so make it any length you like.
A design idea in mind.
With all the rainbows around through lockdown, this seemed an obvious choice for us.
Aquabeads in a variety of colours.
You can buy packs to start your collection or you, like us, already have some, you can top up colours with refill packs.

Send love to your loved ones

with an Aquabeads card

One of the hardest parts of being in lockdown has not being able to see family and friends, especially with newborn babies, birthdays and more in that time. Making cards with Aquabeads is easy, and the girls loved getting creative for Easter, Father's Day and more. For some they came up with their own unique designs, others we put them together using Aquabeads templates.

What you need

Coloured card
Envelope
Glue gun
This will ensure your design stays stuck to the card even during transit.
Your chosen template
Aquabeads in a variety of colours.
You can buy packs to start your collection or you, like us, already have some, you can top up colours with refill packs.

Personalise their bedroom

with Aquabeads name plaques

What could be more fun than adding a unique, personal touch to your children's bedroom thanks to an awesome new name plaque. You could make it out of recycled materials (like we did!) or go professional with wood, nails and more. We decided to use Aquabeads as decorations and write the room name on; but there is no reason why the you couldn’t make an Aquabead name too! Once complete it will make a lovely finishing touch to a bedroom wall or door.

What you need

Cardboard / wood for the base
Why not cut up an old delivery box and upcycle it?
Plain(ish) coloured paper
Wrapping paper is a good alternative if you don't have coloured paper at home. Alternatively you could paint your base but this will then require time to dry.
A design idea
Why not give your children a pencil and a piece of paper and ask them to come up with their design first?
Aquabeads in a variety of colours.
You can buy packs to start your collection or you, like us, already have some, you can top up colours with refill packs.

Let your imagination run wild

Bookmarks, cards and name plaques are just three simple ideas for using Aquabeads to get creative at home. That's not all you can do though, so why not try using your imagination and creating something completely unique such as:

Create an aquarium with an old shoe box, coloured paper and sea creature templates.
Make some Aquabeads animals, flowers or other shapes and use them to decorate a photo frame.
Help your children design their favourite animals as a decoration. All you need is a loop hole and some ribbon so it can hang in your window (or on your Christmas tree later this year!)

How to make your Aquabeads creation

Choose your design. We went for a basic rectangle for the bookmark, but why not experimenting with ripples, spirals or other more adventurous shapes? For cards you can make any design you like, rainbow seemed appropriate given the recent circumstances.
Choose your colours. Place your colours in the order you like to create your chosen shape on the template tray.
Spray your creation with water. Once sprayed, leave them for a minimum of 20 minutes to dry.
Not sticking properly? Turn it over, and spray the back of the design and leave it to dry.

About Aquabeads

There's no mess

One of my favourite things about Aquabeads is the fact it is a mess-free activity (unless of course someone knocks over the storage box…) Thanks to only needing a spray of water to set the creation; this activity is one that my children are able to do with very little input from me.

Squidgy created her special "Dad" creation for John on her own. She loved the opportunity to be creative and make something completely unique without a template; despite also enjoying using templates to make princesses, unicorns and so much more.

You can find templates online

If you're stuck for ideas, why not check out the printable templates on the Aquabeads website? We first discovered these at Easter and they are awesome. The girls both loved sitting at the dining room table creating Easter bunnies, baskets and more using the templates. I think it was the quietest time we had during the whole of lockdown.

If it breaks, it's easy to fix!

The great thing about Aquabeads is they are super easy to fix should an accident (inevitably) happen! Simply lay them back on the template tray, spray over a little more water, and leave them to dry.

P.S. If you want to avoid your Aquabeads creation breaking, try to ensure there isn’t any lines of single beads. The structure will be stronger with more beads joined next to one another.

Where can you buy Aquabeads?

There are a number of places you can buy Aquabeads sets and refill packs.

Buy in store

If you want to head into town now shops have reopened, there are plenty of spots to pick up your Aquabeads in store. From Argos to The Entertainer, you’re bound to find them on your local highstreet.

Buy online

If you don't fancy heading out to the shops for ‘non-essential' shopping, there are plenty of places to shop for them online and have them delivered from Amazon, Smyths Toys, Argos and more.

The great thing about Aquabeads is that they are only limited by your imagination. So now you have a few fun ideas, go crazy and get creative with your children this summer.

For more reviews of products and services we use in our lives as parents raising our two girls visit my reviews page. If you have any questions about Aquabeads, feel free to ask in the comments section below.