April showers bring May flowers, and many inquisitive toddlers! Surrounded by days of rain, the toddlers were curious about the puddles they saw forming as they observed through the classroom window. They were excited to step foot outdoors to investigate, prepared for this weather in their rubber boots and blue muddy buddy suits. If there is even one small puddle on the playground the toddlers will find it! Over this particularly wet week the children explored the weather on the playground. They found a few small puddles on the bike path, and the water pooled over the sandbox, so they enthusiastically jumped in it, creating big splashes that only encouraged further engagement. They sat near, or just inside the puddles and reached in with their hands to scoop and feel the cool liquid, not always happy about the flecks of dirt that stayed on their skin afterwards, but still captivated by murky liquid in front of them. Discoveries were made, and with the warmer temperatures here, worms were found. Educators assisted in the worm hunts and all sizes of this creature were discovered. "Snake...?" Yes, some were that BIG that the toddlers were hissing and calling them by a much larger creatures name. But soon all knew them by their proper label. They held them, walked them around the playground, showed them to their friends and set them down on the stumps for observation. "Just see." was heard as a child attempted to communicate how to approach the worm. Its important as the toddlers develop their language that they are guided to use it in ways that allow them to appropriately communicate and connect with their peers, and the educators are always nearby ready to role model helpful phases as these interactions evolve.
On the most recent trip outside, during a gentle rain, the children moved off the playground and ventured around the school property. They walked through many little puddles until they came to a big discovery- two large puddles on the back field! They waded through these puddles, as they were deeper than the shallow ones on the playground. Bending over to move their hands through the muddy water they learned that a few rocks were present. Jumping in puddles already provides a way to explore cause and effect in nature, but dropping rocks into the water gives a new way to experiment with this concept. With some extra space and an educators supervision some of the children picked up the heavy rocks and plopped them into the water. What a splash! Water went everywhere! This had to be repeated, as toddlers learn well by experiencing things multiple times. The further the rock went, the bigger the splash! Then a stick was noticed nearby. Was this a walking stick? Was it for stirring the puddle? Did it float? How far could it reach? I believe through the hands on research that took place all of these questions were answered.
Time outside on wet days provides so much! The children are provided natural sensory materials- puddles, rain, sticks, rocks, mud, grass, and worms. Using their senses they can explore the world around them. Big body play is evident, as they jump, run, and pick up materials of various sizes. As they are busy playing, they build on the connections they have started forming with each other, increasing their social and language skills. So, is a little mud and some wet boots worth a trip outside on a rainy day? Absolutely!
