Due to heavy rain, thunderstorms and winds, we were not able to be outside much today.  We didn't mind though because, here in Connecticut, we desperately need the rain.  Puddle jumping between storms and a visit Nana and Pop Pop was what our day entailed.

Rain, Rain Come and Stay
Bean and Budder discovered the puddles collecting in the yard and had a blast getting soaked up to their chests while jumping into them with their galoshes. You may not have thought much about this, but puddles offer a terrific learning experience for children.



Supplies You Will Need

• Rubber-soled shoes or galoshes to prevent slipping and to protect feet
• Raincoat and rain hat if no one wants to get soaked
• Lots of puddles!

What to Do

• Jump, jump, jump in and over the puddles!
• Find natural objects around the yard to toss into puddles and float on top.
• Discuss what happens to each object when you throw it in a puddle.  

  The Challenge

• Who can jump over a puddle?
• How big a splash can be made?
• Who can blow a leaf or stick across the top?

Great Ideas

• Talk about how puddles are formed from rain, what happens when you splash in them and what happens to them after it stops raining.
• Discuss the water cycle and how fresh water is formed.
• Teach about the glaciers and ice caps and how 70% of our fresh water is contained within them.
• Measure the width and depth of different puddles.
• Look into the surface of a puddle and note how and why it acts like a mirror.
  

Additional Tips

• Take the back seat and allow the children to explore on their own

Safety Tip

• Never allow kids to drink the rain water once it is in the puddle.
• Never allow them to jump barefoot,  you never know what is on the bottom.

Benefits to Your Children
Encourages exercise,  a sense of delight and inspiration.  Provides the opportunity for lessons in physics, natural history and ecology.

Helpful Links

• Learn more about the water cycle at http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html.
• Learn about glaciers from this video:
  
  Glaciers and their effects
  

  More educational games & videos on Glaciers at NeoK12.com  

• Find a description of the Laws of Reflection on Wikipedia