Sand & Water Table Recommendations

I have taught preschool for many years and have used water/sand tables from fancy to cheap. We always called them sensory tables.
My best advice to you is is this...
Go to Walmart and buy two big plastic wash tubs. FIll one with sand and one with water and place them side by side on a child's table or on the floor or ground. You may be able to find pretty large ones at a Home Depot or Lowes.
This will give you the same effect as an expensive sensory table, and will be moveable, easy to clean and easy to store when not in use.
Those big water tables get dirty and icky after just a short time, especially in summer heat. They are a pain to clean properly. And to be honest with you, having one at home is amusing for a month or two. Then the kids get bored with it. Like you said, why break the bank?
There are many ideas out there for neat filler ideas. A few of my favorites have always been...
Potting soil with silk flowers and little shovels. The kids like to "plant" a garden.
Beans or rice with cups and spoons for pouring.
Various tube pasta with yarn for stringing.
Jello, or plain clear gelatin for less mess. If you have a smaller wash tub you can make it right in the tub- this way it's more fun to break it up!
Sand with plastic dinosaurs and palm trees.
When the sand is about ready to replace anyway- fill some cups with colored water and provide water droppers to drip the colors onto the sand.
Ice cubes and water droppers.
With water, it's always fun to provide some things to clean, sponges and a small bottle of watered down tear free shampoo to make the suds.
Set up a drying rack and have the wash their doll's clothing.

If you keep changing out the the contents- a sensory table can be entertaining for many hours!
Have fun!
-S.

This isn't a table, but I took underbed storage bins (the kind with lids), filled one with water and one with sand. Instant sand and water play, for a fraction of the price of the tables...

We have the Step 2 sand/water table. It is very sturdy and has a cover and umbrella. Very happy with it as is my 3 year old. We got it when my son was about 1 1/2 and he is still very entertained by it.

I second the storage bins. That way they each have their own and don't have to share. Or they can share but keep the bins far enough apart so they don't dump sand into the water bin and water into the sand bin.

We have the Step 2 one and is a hit with kids of all ages. We have only used it with water - I feel like sand will get too messy. I can change the water often, which it needs often if left outside (gets buggy, pine needles, etc). It came with a little umbrella which is cute and protects from the sun if left outside. It came with some toys, but I added other plastic cups, scoops, boats, etc...

if you're looking for something really cheap just buy one of those flat, plastic, under the bed storage containers put it up on something, a low table, a bench, or leave it on the ground, and put sand in it. They're small, easy to store away in winter, and easy to clean up and bring in the house for winter time water play. Otherwise we have the step2 table and it has lasted for almost 3 years now. My son, nearly 4, loves it and always has. My daughter, 22 months, enjoys it however not as much. She's a bit more active than he was.

We got ours from One Step Ahead. It has a cover that they can drive little cars on. It's pretty much just a water table because we also have a sandbox and when we filled one side with each, it kind of became a mud table. My daughter ia 19 months and played with hers for 2 hours yesterday! She LOVES it!

Hi K. ! I'm A., I work in a daycare and we have water tables and sand tables too. For outside home use, I'd try to look and compare prices at wal-mart.
It's what you put into these tables that makes it interesting for your little ones. I have good ideas for your youngest. In the toddler room at work, sometimes, they get to bathe the dolls. with wash cloths and you don't even have to put anything into the water except if it's outdoors and its warm, add cool water. If it's indoors warm water for a more cozy effect. In the Winter time, indoors, we put snow ! They wear their gloves and limit it to 15 min. tops.
You can even purchase a kiddie pool and fill it with sand and that way they can sit in it and have shovels and pails and all sorts of sand toys. Even plastic cups work . Doesn't have to be pricey at all. Just use your imagination. I want to buy a water/sand table also someday for my twins, but when they're a little older, they're only 15 mths.
Have fun and good luck with the shopping !