Today’s play-of-the-day that starts with the letter p is Puddles because a puddle can be full of lots of kindergarten readiness fun and learning. To children, puddles are an invitation to connect with nature. Just stepping in a puddle is fun; splashing in one is even more exciting.
In this puddle activity, mom Laurie Wallach-Rhodes added a few plastic bottle caps to a puddle. Her two children used two nets to play with the caps that floated in the water. They scooped and watched them float, returning them to the water over and over. Just like a puddle where we can only see the surface of the water and not what’s underneath, we only see the surface of the play. We can’t see the thinking that’s happening. For a start, there’s problem solving, how to get the bottle caps in the nets. There’s exploring cause and effect, the nets can also push some of the caps away by making the water move. Holding the nets and moving them just right takes concentration and coordination. Imaginations can create fish, boats, or even alligators. The puddle might be a wide river traveling afar. (Thank you Laurie and girls for the photo.)
These are just some of the learning and fun possibilities with a puddle. Just in case there are no puddles where you are today, would you like a rain-check?