Chalk Round the Puddle
What you need
- a stick of chalk
- wellies and a coat
How to do it
- Once the rain stops, find a puddle on a path or patio and draw round its edge with the chalk.
- Splash and stamp in it, and see what the splashes do to the edge.
- Come back to it later and look: is the water still up to the chalk line?
- Draw a new line round the puddle each time you come back, and talk about where the water might have gone.
Why it matters
The chalk lines show a puddle shrinking, which is hard to see just by looking, and coming back to check turns it into an experiment.
What they're learning
- Watching change
- The water pulling back from the line.
- Bigger and smaller
- The puddle now, and the puddle later.
- Drawing round
- Following an edge with the chalk.
What to look for
Notice them heading to check the puddle on their own the next time you go out.
A tip
Chalk on a wet path draws thick and bright, and washes away in the next shower.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: draw round it once, splash, then draw round it again
Harder: draw round two puddles, one in the sun and one in the shade, and see which shrinks faster
