Imagine

We had a great discussion about things that live in water. We talked about how some live in fresh water like rivers and lakes and some live in salt water like the ocean and the gulf. We gave the children each a piece of clay and asked them if they could sculpt a water creature of their choice. It was a great way to keep the conversation alive. "How do fish breathe under water" was asked. A friend told us that fish have gills and not lungs. We asked "Can humans breathe under water?" We all agreed that humans and most other mammals cannot breathe under water. One of our friends wanted to make a lobster so we talked about what we needed to sculpt in order for people to know it was a lobster. Lobsters have claws, jellyfish have tentacles and sharks have fins.  Look for them on the window sill in our red room. They came out great!

We invited the children to make a rainbow. These simple compositions were a great way to start a discussion about rainbows. We asked "What makes a rainbow?" Ezra said "The rain", Maya said "The sun". Arlo told us "We can only make a rainbow if the sun shines on the rain". Maya said "Rainbows come when it's sunny and rainy at the same time". We found this great poem. Storms come. Storms pass. I am countless droplets of rain  Left floating in the silent air. I reflect all the colors of sunlight. I am the rainbow.

Using fabric to symbolize water the children created different water environments. They made a waterfall that flowed into a river which flowed into the ocean. We talked about all the living things that find their home in and around water. They built bridges across the water revisiting the concept of connection. Water continues to be a subject of interest for our class. We are still exploring how important water is not just for humans but for all living things.

We learned there are different types of clouds, and that not all clouds bring rain. We can tell the weather by the kinds of clouds that are in the sky. Storm clouds are called cumulonimbus. They are tall, puffy and grey. They bring the rain. We invited the children to paint storm clouds. They turned out beautiful! Look for the them in our work room to the left of our back door.

We made it rain inside a jar! We learned that clouds are part of the water cycle. They are made up of tiny water droplets. The droplets form clouds that move across the sky. When they get heavy they fall back to the earth as rain. With cheese cloth stretched over a jar and cotton balls placed on top,  we used water and droppers to fill the cotton balls with water. When the cotton balls got too heavy and could hold not a drop more water they "rained" into our jars.

Since we've been talking about water this rainy day provided a great opportunity to go outside and think about how the rain changes our environment. What does the playground look like now?  Arthur told us "The wood looks darker". Eloise said "It looks drip droppy, it's lighter when the rain is leaving". Titus noticed "The concrete is shiny". What does the rain sound like? Mateo told us "It sounds like tiny rocks hitting the umbrella" Emma said "It sounds like sprinkles falling and like the bathtub". We read a book about the water cycle. It said "All the water that is on the earth now is all we ever had". The same water is used over and over again. We are realizing just how important the rain is.

We talked about all the places we find water. The children drew some great pictures of oceans, lakes, waterfalls, rivers and puddles. We also got some drawings of snow and rain because water can also live in the clouds.  Look for them hanging in our preschool red room.