So this post is in celebration of all those puddles. Every one. Everywhere....
1) Whirlpools
Swirl a stick around very quickly to make a
whirlpool. Add a Lego man and see what happens…
2) Puddle Jumping
On a really wet day, go for a puddle jumping walk. Think about the route which will provide you with the most puddles to jump in or over. Consider the clothes and footwear you will need to wear. At each puddle you encounter, decide whether you are going to:
- Jump over it
- Wade or splash through it
- Do something else
Make a note of your decisions and which worked best. Become an expert in puddle jumping.
3) Build a little boat
Find material which floats, such as bark. Leaves threaded onto twigs
make good sails. How can you make the boat move from one side of the puddle to the other?
4) Shrinking Puddle Art
On a hot day, draw a line around the edge of a puddle on a hard surface with a stick or a
piece of chalk. Go back a while later and see if the puddle has shrunk. If you
do this every hour you can keep drawing around the puddles. Draw funky lines
and patterns between the rings.
If you only have puddles in natural places, then use pieces of string to mark the edges of the puddle. Decorate with natural materials lying nearby between the pieces of string.
Does the size of the puddle affect the speed at which it shrinks? Is there anything you can do to speed up the process of evaporation?
5) Sing a Song of Puddles
Invent a puddle song and dance to do around a puddle. For example “The
Hokey Cokey” song where you put your right foot in, your right foot out, etc.
6) Puddle Splash
Try and splash all the
water out of a puddle. How long does it take? What tactics work best?
7) Stone Drops
Drop a flat stone into a clear deep puddle. Watch it
sink. Now find some smaller stones and see if you can get one to land perfectly
on top. Is there any particular size or shape of stone which works best for this activity?
8) Stepping Stones
Try finding ways of stepping through a puddle without your feet touching the water.
9) Do Puddles have Plugs?
If not, how can they be quickly drained? Where will the water be channelled to? What equipment is needed for you to undertake this job?
10) It's Puddliscious
Have a good sniff of a puddle. How can you describe its smell? Is it possible to change the smell of puddle water in some way using only natural materials?
As usual, it would always be great to hear any other ideas you have for exploratory play around and in puddles. Meanwhile, have fun!
Try finding ways of stepping through a puddle without your feet touching the water.
9) Do Puddles have Plugs?
If not, how can they be quickly drained? Where will the water be channelled to? What equipment is needed for you to undertake this job?
10) It's Puddliscious
Have a good sniff of a puddle. How can you describe its smell? Is it possible to change the smell of puddle water in some way using only natural materials?
As usual, it would always be great to hear any other ideas you have for exploratory play around and in puddles. Meanwhile, have fun!
6 comments:
Some lovely ideas here Juliet. I especially like the the hokey cokey around the puddle - may try that myself
Great ideas, though at the moment I am glad to report no puddles anywhere in sight. But will store these ideas up for when they inevitably return!
Thanks for both your comments. I'm pleased you have no puddles Kierna after such seriously wet weather you've had recently. Everyone needs a dry spell from time to time.
Such great ideas. With four lovers of puddle playing (me, hubby and the two girls) we will be sure to try these out. thanks for sharing. :)
Laura - you are welcome - one can never have enough ideas about puddles - just great play places.
What about marking cm/inches onto the back of your wellies using a ruler and permanenet pen - then you can measure how deep the puddle is with your feet!
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