Encourage experimentation in outdoor water play.
Resources
At least one small plastic bath; a wide selection of plastic pipes and guttering; a range of lengths of plastic tubing and of hoses, transparent and opaque; funnels in a variety of sizes; containers such as jugs, watering cans and buckets; independent access to water Play possibilities
* Creating different pathways for water.
* Constructing with unusual equipment.
* Exploring the properties of water.
* Making stories about Shirley's travels down the pipes.
* Exploring various ways to transport water.
Things to say and do
* Can we make the water travel upwards?
* How can we make the water flow more quickly/more slowly?
* Is it possible to block the pipes and stop the water coming straight through?
* Add small-world people and animals to encourage the re-enactment of some of Shirley's adventures.
* Offer this activity outside in a variety of weather conditions so that the children can see the way that the sun, wind and rain can impact upon it.
* Add food colouring to the water, particularly if using transparent equipment, so that the children can follow the journey of the water easily.
* Add glitter to the water to give the activity a magical feel.
* Offer a range of art materials so that the children can draw their adventures, perhaps inspired by the endpapers in Time to Get Out of the Bath, Shirley. They can add to their drawings as play progresses.
Possible learning outcomes
Uses language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences
Uses talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events
Uses developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems
Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change
Uses their imagination in art and role play and stories
