Its Raining.....INSIDE!!

We had been talking about what causes rain to form. 

I then provoked the children with the question, “do you think we could make it rain inside the classroom?"

We then proceeded to do this several different ways.

1.       We used eye droppers to drop water on cotton ball “clouds” until they were saturated and “rained” down.

2.       We poured very hot water into a large glass bowl and covered it with a tray and then watched the condensation form on the sides and top until it “rained” down into the bowl.

But the last way was the best…..

We hung two large hooks above our water table (we did have to find a support beam-water is VERY heavy).  We originally tied rope to these hooks and then added pulleys.  From this we hung a large planter box with the bottom removed so the holes were free on the bottom.  This way the box could be raised up and down so the children could reach it, and yet it could be high enough to give the effect of rain falling from the ceiling. 

At first the children filled the large basin using pitchers and water from the water table. 

The following week we filled a large bucket on the floor with water and added a water pump.  This reenacted the water cycle effect of the water coming off the lakes and oceans rising up to the clouds and the forming rain.

Physics and Earth Science at four years old!




To see what some others are learning with their play, you've been invited to come over and play at the Childhood 101 "We Play" link up