Water, Water Everywhere!by Kellie Geres and Glenda Propst
Regarding Nannies Development Team
A great idea for a theme week or events during your own Camp Nanny. Perfect for these hot summer days!
For the readers …
Books
o Babies: Water Water Everywhere, baby einstein
o Older: Down comes the rain by Franklyen Branley and Ajmes Graham Hale
o We Hate Rain! by James Stevenson
o Do I Have To Take Violet?by Suci Stevenson
(deals with older sibling issues being saddled with a younger sibling in a beach setting)
o The Berenstain and Too Much Vacation / The Berenstain Bears Go to the Beach
by Stan and Jan Berenstain Bears
And for older kids (tweens and teens),
The Arm of the Starfish and A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle
Make sure to check out your local library. They have all sorts of funny books about animals, kids, and characters in the bath. Ask your librarian for tips.
Songs:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Row Row Row Your Boat
My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean
Outings
A water park, the pool, the lake
At home - water balloons water gun fights, slip and slide
Water Safety Tips http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/water_safety.html
Art Projects
For tots:
Put chalk and paintbrushes on paved area for experimenting with water and chalk, and how "painting" with water darkens the pavement.
Squirt Bottle Painting
Squirt Bottle
Water
Paint
Large Paper (Kraft Brown Paper is good)
Chain link fence
Clothes pins
Fill a squirt bottle with a 1 part paint 2 parts water mixture. Hang your large paper on a chain link fence with clothes pins. Squirt out a painting with your paint squirt bottles. I recommend you make up a couple different color bottles.
**Wear a smock**
For tots:
Put chalk and paintbrushes on paved area for experimenting with water and chalk, and how "painting" with water darkens the pavement.
Squirt Bottle Painting
Squirt Bottle
Water
Paint
Large Paper (Kraft Brown Paper is good)
Chain link fence
Clothes pins
Fill a squirt bottle with a 1 part paint 2 parts water mixture. Hang your large paper on a chain link fence with clothes pins. Squirt out a painting with your paint squirt bottles. I recommend you make up a couple different color bottles.
**Wear a smock**
o Painting with Water:
Give the child a bucket of water and a large paint brush and let them paint whatever they want outside.
o Squirt bottles/paint brushes to paint the driveway on hot days.
o Set up a water carnival in the yard: Wading pool is extra special if the end of a toddler slide is put into it.
o Balls and water toys can also slide down the slide.
o Buckets and shovels can be used to fill with water and pour on the adults feet...adults make appreciative and "woo...that's cold!" remarks.
o Have spill proof bubble wands, and pans of water for making bubble piles.
Activities
Sink or Float an inexpensive dishpan or bucket works well for this activity.
Talk about how some things sink and some things float and then take various objects and talk about if you think they will sink or float. Then put them in the water and see.
Float eggs in salt water versus regular water to see if there is a difference.
How can shape help objects float?
Take some modeling clay and container ½ filled with water. Drop balls of clay into water. Ask "Did your ball float or sink?" How can you change shape so it will float? Have child shape clay into boat. Test shape by placing in water. Determine which shapes float best and talk about why.
Puzzles with water scenes for rainy day
If it rains - Mud puddle walking in the rain
Messy Fun: Take dirt and add water: Watch what happens and talk about it.
Give the child a bucket of water and a large paint brush and let them paint whatever they want outside.
o Squirt bottles/paint brushes to paint the driveway on hot days.
o Set up a water carnival in the yard: Wading pool is extra special if the end of a toddler slide is put into it.
o Balls and water toys can also slide down the slide.
o Buckets and shovels can be used to fill with water and pour on the adults feet...adults make appreciative and "woo...that's cold!" remarks.
o Have spill proof bubble wands, and pans of water for making bubble piles.
Activities
Sink or Float an inexpensive dishpan or bucket works well for this activity.
Talk about how some things sink and some things float and then take various objects and talk about if you think they will sink or float. Then put them in the water and see.
Float eggs in salt water versus regular water to see if there is a difference.
How can shape help objects float?
Take some modeling clay and container ½ filled with water. Drop balls of clay into water. Ask "Did your ball float or sink?" How can you change shape so it will float? Have child shape clay into boat. Test shape by placing in water. Determine which shapes float best and talk about why.
Puzzles with water scenes for rainy day
If it rains - Mud puddle walking in the rain
Messy Fun: Take dirt and add water: Watch what happens and talk about it.
Make Music with Water:
Get several cups or glasses the same size. Fill them with different amounts of water.
Gently tap with spoon to see how they sound varies with each different amount.
Try different shapes of cups, or glasses vs. ceramic vs, plastic etc.
Get several cups or glasses the same size. Fill them with different amounts of water.
Gently tap with spoon to see how they sound varies with each different amount.
Try different shapes of cups, or glasses vs. ceramic vs, plastic etc.
Make your own rainbow:
I like taking small bowls and one large container of water to a water friendly area and allow the children to fill small bowls and then add food color to change the water, then allow them to mix the waters together and the use paint brushes to decorate paper, fruit or any other water friendly surface. They love the colors and then once they mix them it's even more fun.
Another way to make a rainbow (Prism)
Take a glass of water on a sunny day and hold it or set it so that the sun shines through it.
Look for the rainbow.
Take a glass of water on a sunny day and hold it or set it so that the sun shines through it.
Look for the rainbow.
A water wave bottle with food coloring/water & mineral oil.
Investigating the different forms of water - frozen ice, snow, steam liquid - how it gets that way.
For small children, simple "tea" parties and pouring water from pitcher to cup and cup and cup.
Washing hands & mopping the floor.
Sand and water table
Talk about fish and other things that live in water.
Investigating the different forms of water - frozen ice, snow, steam liquid - how it gets that way.
For small children, simple "tea" parties and pouring water from pitcher to cup and cup and cup.
Washing hands & mopping the floor.
Sand and water table
Talk about fish and other things that live in water.
Cornstarch & water makes an amazing concoction.
Experiment
Cornstarch And Water
Is It Liquid Or Solid?
In Drilling Fluid: The Lifeblood of the Well you can read about Visplex*, a substance used in the drilling fluid that transports cuttings from the bottom of a borehole to the surface. Visplex has the unusual property of being able to change form. When it is at rest it is a gel. When it is in motion it becomes a free-flowing liquid.
A mixture of cornstarch and water also changes viscosity depending on whether or not it is agitated, but in a different way. Investigate for yourself and see how it behaves.
Tools & Materials
To conduct this experiment you will need:
o 1 pound (500 gram) box of cornstarch
o About 1 2/3 cups (400 milliliters) of water
o Mixing bowl
o Variety of small tools and objects for exploring such as:
o Small coin
o Small rock
o Popsicle stick
o Metal spoon
o Plastic spoon
o Notebook or pad and pencil, or a computer to record your observations.
To conduct this experiment you will need:
o 1 pound (500 gram) box of cornstarch
o About 1 2/3 cups (400 milliliters) of water
o Mixing bowl
o Variety of small tools and objects for exploring such as:
o Small coin
o Small rock
o Popsicle stick
o Metal spoon
o Plastic spoon
o Notebook or pad and pencil, or a computer to record your observations.
The Experiment
Here's what to do:
Make a cornstarch and water mixture. Pour the cornstarch into your bowl and then add the water. Mix the two together by lifting the mixture from the bottom of the bowl to the top with your fingers until there is an even consistency.
o Play with it. Use your hands, a spoon, a stick...
o Make note of properties such as size, shape, texture, weight, hardness.
o Consider these questions, and test them out for answers:
o How does it behave when you stab it quickly with a finger?
o How does it behave when you rest a finger lightly upon it?
o Can you pick it up?
o Can you break it?
o Can you pour it?
o When does it behave like a solid?
o When does it behave like a liquid?
o Can it suspend a solid, such as a small rock, a coin, or a piece of wood? Do these objects float on the mixture or sink into it?
o Record your observations in words and drawings. It's good to work with a partner and take turns playing and recording. It's difficult to write or type with this gooey mixture all over your hands.
LET IT SLIDE
To make a backyard water slide, all you need is a grassy hill and about 30 feet (9 meters) of thick plastic sheeting. (Do not use plastic garbage bags. Plastic sheeting thicker than a garbage bag is available at hardware stores.)
First make sure there are no rocks or sharp objects on the hill. Then position the plastic, securing the corners and sides with U-shaped plastic garden stakes. Adjust the sprinkler so it sprays on the sheeting and slide away. If you do this with friends, always slide a safe distance apart.
SQUIRT FOOTBALL
Here's a wet variation of a traditional touch football game. Divide kids into two teams. Each player carries a squirt gun. Players tag each other by squirting. The longer you play, the wetter you get and the harder it is to hold onto the football.
CRASH COURSE
Set up an obstacle course using lawn chairs. Fill four buckets to the top with water. Put two full buckets at each end of the course. Divide a group of kids into two teams. At the word "go," the first racer on each team picks up a bucket and runs to the end of the course, trying not to spill the water or bump into the other runner. Then the runners each grab a second bucket and run back to the starting point. The next runner on each team grabs the two buckets and runs the course. The team with the most water left in the buckets wins.
Set up an obstacle course using lawn chairs. Fill four buckets to the top with water. Put two full buckets at each end of the course. Divide a group of kids into two teams. At the word "go," the first racer on each team picks up a bucket and runs to the end of the course, trying not to spill the water or bump into the other runner. Then the runners each grab a second bucket and run back to the starting point. The next runner on each team grabs the two buckets and runs the course. The team with the most water left in the buckets wins.
SELF-PORTRAIT
Wearing a bathing suit, use washable finger paints to make colorful designs on your arms and legs. (Keep paint away from your eyes!) When you're finished painting your "masterpiece," hose off or run through the sprinkler.
Wearing a bathing suit, use washable finger paints to make colorful designs on your arms and legs. (Keep paint away from your eyes!) When you're finished painting your "masterpiece," hose off or run through the sprinkler.
WASH-A-THON
One way to make money and stay cool is to water your neighbors' gardens, hose down patios, or wash cars. Make sure you have the right equipment, then put up signs in your neighborhood to advertise your services.
One way to make money and stay cool is to water your neighbors' gardens, hose down patios, or wash cars. Make sure you have the right equipment, then put up signs in your neighborhood to advertise your services.
Caution: Water can make certain surfaces slippery. Be careful!
You can be a "water detective"!
Investigate to find out how much water a leaky faucet wastes in one day. Find out if there are any leaky faucets in your house.
You will need:
• a faucet
• a watch or clock
• a piece of paper
• a pencil or pen
• a one-cup measuring cup
• a bucket
• a pitcher or watering can
1. Turn on a sink or bathtub faucet just enough to make it drip. (If there is a faucet in your house that really leaks, use that one.)
2. Write down the time.
3. Place the bucket under the dripping faucet.
4. Leave it there for one hour, and then turn off the faucet. (Or move the bucket away from the leaky faucet.)
5. Fill the measuring cup by pouring from the bucket or dipping the cup into the bucket.
6. Empty the cup into the pitcher or watering can. Write down the amount of water you measured.
7. Keep pouring and measuring until the bucket is empty.
8. Count the number of cups of water. (If you lost count, repeat the pouring and measuring from the pitcher or watering can.)
9. Multiply the number of cups collected in one hour by 24 hours in a day. Look at the chart to see how many cups of water make one gallon, and then divide this number into the number of cups you collected to find out how many gallons of water the dripping faucet would waste in a day. Use the water in the pitcher or watering can to water flower beds or houseplants.
10. Check all of the faucets in your house or apartment (don't forget outside faucets!) to see if any of them leak.
IMPORTANT! Talk to the adults at your house about getting leaky faucets fixed. Usually a faucet that leaks just needs a new rubber washer.
Materials:
3 clear plastic cups (we used disposable cups)
Mercury/old fashioned thermometer
2 pieces of white paper
1 piece of black paper
clear cover (we used press n seal or saran wrap)
cold refrigerated water (necessary)
1/2 cup for measuring
journal
• a faucet
• a watch or clock
• a piece of paper
• a pencil or pen
• a one-cup measuring cup
• a bucket
• a pitcher or watering can
1. Turn on a sink or bathtub faucet just enough to make it drip. (If there is a faucet in your house that really leaks, use that one.)
2. Write down the time.
3. Place the bucket under the dripping faucet.
4. Leave it there for one hour, and then turn off the faucet. (Or move the bucket away from the leaky faucet.)
5. Fill the measuring cup by pouring from the bucket or dipping the cup into the bucket.
6. Empty the cup into the pitcher or watering can. Write down the amount of water you measured.
7. Keep pouring and measuring until the bucket is empty.
8. Count the number of cups of water. (If you lost count, repeat the pouring and measuring from the pitcher or watering can.)
9. Multiply the number of cups collected in one hour by 24 hours in a day. Look at the chart to see how many cups of water make one gallon, and then divide this number into the number of cups you collected to find out how many gallons of water the dripping faucet would waste in a day. Use the water in the pitcher or watering can to water flower beds or houseplants.
10. Check all of the faucets in your house or apartment (don't forget outside faucets!) to see if any of them leak.
IMPORTANT! Talk to the adults at your house about getting leaky faucets fixed. Usually a faucet that leaks just needs a new rubber washer.
Materials:
3 clear plastic cups (we used disposable cups)
Mercury/old fashioned thermometer
2 pieces of white paper
1 piece of black paper
clear cover (we used press n seal or saran wrap)
cold refrigerated water (necessary)
1/2 cup for measuring
journal
SUNSHINE
Steps:
o Start by placing the pieces of paper in the sunlight (better if outdoors)
o Next, place a cup over each of the different papers
o Measure out a 1/2 cup of water into each cup
o Set up journal to read cup with white paper, cup with white paper & cover, cup with black paper. Also note an area for time on the side-starting temp., 10 minutes, half hour, hour.
o Take starting temp of water
o Have child make a hypothesis and note it-ask "why" they think that will be the result. For fun, add your own hypothesis unless you know the outcome already.
o Cover one of the cups on white paper with plastic wrap
o Test each cup after 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour and log it in journal. At the half hour mark, you should see a huge different between two of the cups.
