Water Table Tales
The water table is a favorite area of exploration in the outdoor learning environment. None the less, the play becomes repetitive and the interest wanes over time if nothing changes.
For a little “WOW” effect, I added blue food coloring to the water. There was a lot of speculation and discussion among the children about how the water became blue. (I had put away the bottle of food coloring.)
I didn’t give away my secret. There’s time enough for that later. Part of the fun of teaching preschool is to see the look of wonder and amazement on their faces. One day the water will be green. Another day it will be orange. Yet another red. One day I will reveal the secret and they can then choose and add the color. But let me have a little fun until then!
I asked the children to find a place to sit or stand where they could see.
Then I told them a tale:
There once was a lion who had sailed away from home. The lion’s boat had sunk and he couldn’t return to his island. The lion was crying loudly, “Boo hoo hoo hoo!” A sailor heard the lion crying. The sailer offered to take him and his damaged boat back home. They sailed for days and days. The sailor wanted to stop along they way, but the lion knew the little island wasn’t safe. “No! Don’t stop! There are dangerous creatures on that island!” So they sailed around the island. But the lion told the sailor, “No! No! Not this way! There is a sea monster who will eat us up!” So they sailed the other way around the little island. They sailed for days and days… and days and days. (I repeat this and get them to join in saying “days and days and days!”) Finally they made it to the lion’s island. The lion’s friend was so happy that the lion had returned. They all worked together to repair the lion’s boat. The sailor stayed some days to rest before he sailed safely home.
I made up the story because of the resources I had on hand. My story inspired some of the children to engage in imaginary play and make up their own stories with the same and different resources.
Some children preferred to explore the blue water. What happens when we put sand it in? Does it turn the sand blue? They enjoyed filling containers with the colored water. They discovered the water changed color when put in colored containers. It turned green in the yellow bowl.
If you don’t have a water table, any plastic container that holds water will do. So head outside with your students to inspire some watery imaginary play and story-telling in the fresh air!
