Water

Ian's rain drop painting made with diluted tempura paints, eye droppers, and a straw.

Eric's rain drop painting made with diluted tempura paints, eye droppers, and a straw.

Ian and Eric spend hours playing with water.  They dance in the rain, splash in puddles, "paint" the porch, wash things, fill containers, and water plants.  They also make their own streams, dams, and lakes in the yard and at the beach.  This month we tried a "Frozen Balloon" activity (Preschool Art: Clay and Dough by Kohl).  I filled various shaped containers and balloons with water and froze them.  The boys made ice sculptures using spray bottles, salt, and paints.  They also experimented with the ice in the wading pool.

Ian and Eric love the humorous and educational puppet shows from Small Wonders by Garrett and Thomas and Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach and Purcell.  Sometimes we use our puppets and puppets borrowed from our local library.  Other puppets we make from paper, felt, and wooden sticks.  Usually we repeat the puppet show several times.  One of the puppet shows we did this month is "Water, Water, Everywhere" (Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach and Purcell), which is about Wally the Water Drop's journey through the water cycle. 

Books:  We Use Water by Nelson;  Water Up, Down, and All Around by Rosinsky;  Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Aardema;  A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Wick;  The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Waldman;  Hey, Frog! by Grobler;  I Am Water by Marzollo;  Did a Dinosaur Drink this Water? by Wells