Step2 Naturally Playful Sand & Water Center

by Step2

• Features two sides of play - one for water and one for sand
• Wood crafted styling blends well with natural landscapes
• Includes 8-piece accessory kit: umbrella, 2 bridges, 2 boats, 2 pots and 1 shovel
• Umbrella designed to provide your children protection from the sun
• Elastic tie-downs keep lid secure and legs are detachable for easy storage

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 26 x 46.5 x 20.8 inches ; 30 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 27.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Origin: USA
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001PGTNK6
• Item model number: 787800
• Manufacturer recommended age: 24 months - 8 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #1 in Toys & Games > Sports & Outdoor Play > Sandboxes & Accessories
  • #45 in Toys & Games > Preschool > Pre-Kindergarten Toys
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (235 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Step2 Naturally Playful Sand & Water Activity Center is a Step2 favorite! It's a perfect combination of sand and water play for your children. Features bridges, ramps, cups, boats, an umbrella and a molded cover to keep out debris.

Product Description

2 years & up. This sand and water table is loaded with action, including two bridges, ramps, cups, and boats. The included umbrella keeps the play table safely shaded from the sun, and the cover fastens on securely at night for protection against the elements. The lid also doubles as an exciting track for cars! Assembly required. 21"H x 26"W x 46"D.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

702 of 703 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Going on our 6th year with this toy... March 15, 2010

By Value Mommy

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Below I'm going to cut and paste my first review of this toy, one I posted almost 3 years ago. My five stars still hold true although I have had some leg weakness since then (but we've owned the toy 6 years now and I've got three bigger kids--7, 5, 3--leaning on it in every direction as well as an 80 lb. labrador retriever who has taken to standing in it to look over the fence, ahem...anyway). I am about to rescrew new holes in each leg and the table and fill the legs with stand to make it stable again but it is completely worth it given the joy it has brought my children. The water cover is still 100% effective and the toy still looks practically brand new. I have bought one more new umbrella since my last review. So, that's two new umbrellas and some leg maintenance in 6 years. Not bad. I'm determined to keep it because it is a great place for us to do lots of messy science experiments and activities, as listed below, that are best kept outdoors.

Old Review from May 2007:

First of all, we have had this toy for 3 years and it still looks like the first day it came out of the box (in the BLAZING Texas sun). Also, it has been moved around too many times to count and is still as strong as ever. It's durable. Plus, it really does keep water out and the cover stays put tightly even through the most violent and windy thunderstorms. The umbrella is awesome, although I did have to replace it once due to weathering. I soooooooo don't care. Read on...

I'm on my third child now and if there is one thing I'm sick of, it's the toy that's a one-trick pony. I'm really looking for more versatility in a toy. That said, let me tell you why we will keep this toy until the kids outgrow it even though we also have an 8x10 ft. sandbox in the back yard.... Sure, it's a sand and water table but we've done it all:

(1) sand alone

(2) water alone

(3) potting soil/trowels/silk plants/plastic pots

(4) landscaping stones and small Tonka construction vehicles (aka "the quarry")--sometimes the small trucks even deliver to the Tonka Mighty and it goes on for hours

(5) bubble solution to use with the large wands and even the small and different wands (so that the kids aren't fighting over the tiny opening of a tiny bottle of bubbles that inevitably gets spilled all over the patio)

(6) a Mommy-made iceburg (colored blue) on the hottest summer day with dollar store penguins and polar bears--you can even shave the iceburg to make snow (I used a putty knife) and put crushed ice (if your refrigerator makes it) in the water to make it a happier habitat

(7) dishwater and play dishes with sponges and scrubbers to play clean-up without making a mess at the sink like they do inside

(8) aquarium gravel/toys/plants with pretend fish

(9) sand over buried "fossils" (pretend dinosaur bones found at the local dollar store) -- Put a small layer of sand on the bottom of the table, place bones all over that, add more sand to fill, then saturate all the sand with water and let it dry completely (left in sun, might take a day or two depending on temps). That way, they'll actually be able to kind of chisel the bones out instead of just easily moving the sand.

(10) sand sifters and dirt with various sizes of rocks that I spray painted gold -- super fun day!

(11) measuring spoons/cups/jugs that teach lessons about volume -- pair with bath color tablets to learn about color mixing!

(12) Did you know that Little People LOVE to go to the beach? (Off subject, they're also not opposed to a tumble in the dishwasher!)

(13) any number of arts and crafts activities that I would rather do outside than inside (making slime, papier mache, etc.)

(14) tin pans/muffin cups paired with dirt/sticks/water mud for mud pies

(15) sand castles, of course!

(16) dinosaurs and various animals add a tremendous amount of play value to your basic sand environment.

Well, that's all that I can remember doing in three years time as I sit here writing this review, although I'm sure there's more. As if all that isn't enough, this table is a great size. No elbowing for more space here. There's room for 6 kids. Yep, one on each end and two on each side. True story.

Do you miss sipping iced tea and reading a magazine or chatting with friends? It can happen again while your toddler plays happily and safely. I LOVE this toy. Can you tell? Read more ›

246 of 247 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sand + Water = Mud! Good for ages 1-8... May 31, 2009

By Y. R. Wu TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

One question you need to ask is do you want one side sand and one side water, or do you want two sides with mud? You should decide otherwise your kids will decide for you.

Seriously though, we have a 1, 3, and 5 year old and all three enjoy this. I'd say that ~8 years might be the upper limit at which point kids might start to get bored...

UPDATE: I'd still stick with ~8 years as the upper limit, ours are now 3, 5, and 8 and it's clearly the younger two that enjoy this the most. We're not on about our 5th year with this....

I'd recommend not filling the sand side up all the way as the kids enjoy it just as much with only an inch or less of sand. Also you end up buying sand less often this way - it seems universal that they DO NOT want to keep the sand on the table.

Note that there is a water drain ONLY on the "wet" side so you may have to bail the "sand" side out when they start moving the water around.

It came with a few boats, bridges, etc. Naturally, Hot Wheels and other toys will end up here. Consider adding a few empty yogurt cups, plastic utensils, etc to the mix. It's amazing how much fun and unstructured play they can have with these.

The umbrella is a nice touch as our deck is very sunny. If you don't need it for this toy you can still use it elsewhere as it's basically a beach umbrella with a shorter stick. The original umbrella is in a matching color, though if you need a replacement it seems Dollar stores sell one that is identical except for color. UPDATE: We bought another umbrella at Harbor Freight - same style except it tilts for better sun protection.

My one complaint is that the top tends to collect water.... It's designed to drain, but the top will sag, particularly because kids like to sit and stand on top. I put an empty yogurt container over the umbrella hole before I put the lid on and it helps prop up the top enough for (most of) the water to run out.

UPDATE: After ~5 years outside it had collected some algae and mildew on the lid and sides, but a quick blast of the pressure washer this spring cleaned it up and now it looks as good as new!

Otherwise very sturdy just like all Step 2 products.

If you've found this review to be helpful or have questions/comments, please let me know! Read more ›

80 of 84 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Leaks but worth buying April 23, 2009

By Kirsty Hanvey

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I purchased this even after the reviews about leaks in the legs. The design really is a bit silly as there is no reason to have holes for the legs as you screw them in via the side. We put it together and it leaked, I took it apart purchased some sealant at my local hardware store and reassembled. No more leaks and my little girl (16 months) loves this table. We only put water in both sides as that's entertainment enough for her. We live in Texas and I'm afraid of snakes and bugs getting in, so once she's ready for sand the fact that it's not on the ground and has a cover will help. I can see how it would be a little heavy with sand if you need to constantly move it but overall it's a great product. If we didn't have to use sealant to get it to stop leaking I would have given it 4 stars.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for summer & all year long! May 4, 2009

By J. Bellucci

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

We bought this last summer for my at the time almost two year old daughter. It was very easily assembled & we dumped a bag of sand in it for immediate play. The difficult part is the water because its so fun the kids love to mix the water with the sand (fine) and the sand with the water (messy). We have had to spray the water side out a couple times which is easy enough to do and let the water/sand mixture fall under the table through the drain. We've had this now for a year. It is very durable. We have no problem with the drain. The cover still works great (although is a little discolored from the sun/weather). Its still a hit. We would buy this again in a heartbeat! It is a gift that has been enjoyed by everyone!!! (oh...and this only requires 1 bag of sand to fill the sandbox the guy at the store told us it took 2 so we ended up with an extra - one bag will be just fine!!!)