Hello, my fellow home educators. Today, the children asked me to play with green water. Instead of providing them with green water, I offered them blue and yellow water for their play. Here are snippets of their play. We value outdoor play, discoveries, and learning in our all-season nature school.
See the YouTube video below.
The children added blue water to yellow water.
This cascade water table is from Community Playthings. See the set HERE
See the article Making The Most Of Water Play
Instead of telling children the outcome of color blending, we support hands-on learning. More color combinations can be added to this form of play and learning. See another of our color-blending activities with baking soda and vinegar.
Children love to play with water. This kind of science activity can be done using any container. Family daycare providers can engage children in many forms of play and learning without using worksheets or rote learning. Due to our smaller ratio many times, family home daycare providers have the capacity for individualized learning and play. Below are some learning opportunities this activity provides.
Learning Opportunities
- Science exploration – The children blend colors, pour water, and observe the force of water going down the slide.
- Sensory Exploration – This activity stimulates the senses: feeling, seeing, and hearing the water.
- Motor skills – they engage with their fine and gross motor.
- Creativity – This activity evokes curiosity, awe, and wonder.
- Mathematics – measurements and learning about volume and capacity – engaging in having less, more, half, empty, some, or full water containers.
- Language development – children use language to describe what is happening in the activity.
- Social skills – the children work with others while engaging in the activity – taking turns and sharing.
May the outdoor play at your home daycare be filled with exploration and discoveries. Until next time, I am your partner and educator working alongside you in the trenches.
xoxo Miss Sue – a Home Child Care Professional
See this short video of their play.
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