Hands-On Water Exploration

Science and Math Concepts made fun!

Water is used in our lives everyday, in one way or another. This exploration in particular helped with the development of basic math and science skills, such as questioning, sizing,volume, investigating, questioning, discussing, and formulating ideas. 

When the pieces were first laid out it looked easy to put together, but upon further implementation it was discovered- it's not that simple!

Once a few of the pipes were connected, the conversation with my older son turned to a discussion on concepts related to the water's flow, appearance, and effects within the pipes. What makes it flow one way or the other? How can we make it go this way instead of that? What is water pressure and how does it change?

This water exploration also gave my toddler a chance to work on important motor skills. Whether it was working on his Fine Motor skills by piecing the parts together or his Gross Motor skills by jumping over the pieces on the ground.  He could persist until he got it right, feeling that sense of accomplishment.  He not only built upon his already existing skills, but worked and built upon his relationships with the world and how it works and engaged in cooperative play along the way!
 It's all about the journey and fostering new discoveries along the way! So, get creative, ask open-ended questions and watch as new investigations and explorations lead to new found information.

"Hands-on learning involves the child in a total learning experience which enhances the child's ability to think critically. The child must plan a process to test a hypothesis, put the process into motion using various hands-on materials, see the process to completion, and then be able to explain the attained results." -http://www.ncrel.org