Super-Sized Learning

Tired of the same old, same old? Super-size it and make the "same old" a brand new experience loaded with SUPER SIZED learning!

With a little imagination and cleverness, you can super-size almost any learning opportunity you currently provide young children.

WHY would you want to SUPER SIZE learning?

Take a look at the following picture:

What happens naturally when children are presented with something SUPER SIZED?

1) They need to problem solve
2) They need to determine what they need, then ask for it. (whether it be people or tools to help them out)
3) They need to use more muscles.
4) They need to coordinate their bodies.
5) They need to collaborate with others.
6) They need to strategize.
7) They feel empowered!!

That's just a few of the benefits super sizing play (aka: learning) provides! This blog has some of the successful ways I have super-sized play and thus, the learning that goes along with it. Feel free to use these ideas, then put on your own thinking caps and clever pants and see what normal, everyday play opportunities you can supersize for super sized learning in your programs!!

Super Sized Marble Painting
All you need is a large, sturdy box (this is a treadmill box and it's HEAVY), large paper, paint and a variety of balls to supersize the typical marble painting!

Look at the focus, the teamwork, the muscles and coordination!! This picture is at the beginning of the process, where the children are using trial and error to figure out how this is going to work.

Further into the process, they have learned that standing up helps with lifting the very heavy box. They have also named themselves "Parkers Side" and "Ty's Side" in order to coordinate the movement of the balls.



Through the process of trial and error and cause and effect, it was discovered that the box could be tilted this direction too. It was also determined that we needed more paint (FIrst determining, then asking for what you need is a valuable life-long skill).

Super Sized Playdough

Make at least 3 batches of homemade playdough..step back and watch out for super-sized learning!! I have used anywhere from 3-8 batches at a time! Plop the playdough onto the center of the table in ONE LARGE MOUND. Stand back, and let the children take the lead from here!

For extra fun, hide special items inside the playdough! Our favorites? "Monster Playdough" (only, I never told them it was monster playdough..they took what they found and created monsters out of it!!) "Treasure Playdough" (jewels and necklaces) and "Creepy Crawly Playdough" (plastic and rubber bugs!!) and "Snowman playdough" (buttons, small wooden dowel pieces painted orange).

Keep in mind, when plopping a "theme" playdough...do NOT, I repeat do NOT lead the children -- follow them!!! They may not see what you see in the playdough and THAT'S OKAY!!! For example...the snowman playdough actually became "birthday cake" playdough! They used the "carrot noses" for candles!! :)

Strategize
It takes more then just fingers to manipulate a large mound of playdough. Lindsey has found it necessary to use her entire arm in order to create enough pressure to smash the playdough down!



Cleverness
Have you ever seen a child manipulate a small batch of playdough with both of their ARMS?! I don't think so!



Pride
Little Trillian is feeling mighty fine about himself as he cuts through this massive, and challenging mound of playdough! Look at him working those all-important gripping muscles!!

Practicing Social Skills
This super sized mound of playdough has pirate treasure hidden inside. Super-sizing playdough gives the children the opportunity to share, cooperate, imagine, compromise, use more muscles in different ways and is just plain FUN!!

Super Sized Puzzles
Floor tiles found at Sam's Club make an AWESOME super-sized puzzle!  Plop these gems into the environment and let the children make and therefore OWN the discoveries!!

Using Big Muscles is Empowering
The fact that the puzzle piece is BIGGER then Erik is and HE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD IT!! This is extremely empowering for a young child.

Determination and Persistance
Little fingers have to work harder to manipulate large pieces. Determination and persistance are big players when the going gets tough! It didn't take long before an older child came to the rescue to assist this younger child with properly connecting the puzzle pieces. Older children filling the role as leader and helper is very empowering for them.

Teamwork....enough said.

Super-sized Imaginations!
As if staying on the path, safe from hot lava wasn't difficult enough...then the children added SNAKES to the challenge!

Creative Ideas!
This was the third day of super-sized puzzle play. Can you guess what they have made?! A great, big, huge game of Candyland!! A grand example of children leading their learning. There is number recognition, one-to-one coorelation, large motor skills, children taking on leadership roles, pride in ownership (this was entirely their idea...I had ZERO to do with this...I am just the photographer)

Inventive Minds
Bergen was the first to take the puzzle pieces and build UP with them. Very clever, very outside-the-box, and very impressive! This became a present game, and then a giant jack-in-the-box (ironically, that IS Jack in the box!!)

Super Sized Ramps
Read more about how this super-sized play evolved at my blog, www.playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com . You will find it under the category, "ramps".

Think outside the box for some SUPER SIZED ramp fun!

Think Outside the Box
When the children were telling me what they knew about ramps, one said "Hey! My nose is a ramp, Nita!". Another child quickly added to that by holding onto her long hair declaring it was a ramp too! This made me think outside the box for some super fun, super-sized indoor ramp fun!! Read more about this, and see more pics by clicking HERE.

Trial and Error
Setting up a super-sized ramp like the one above involves lots of trial and error, lots of problem solving (see the stack of containers to get the ramps exactlyl the right height and angle?)

Hidden Learning
The children, on their own started recycling the water...quickly catching it at the bottom of the ramp and returning it to the giant tub of water. The balls got tossed in for fun as they watched them travel down the ramp. They learned the balls traveled faster with water poured after them.

Ramp Painting
These PERFECT cardboard ramps were discovered during a dumpster diving expedition to our local appliance store, and yes, that is the treadmill box once again! Add some bowls of paint and ramps and you have a great opportunity for super sized learning! The children loved to adjust the ramps to get the results they wanted.

Compromising
Ella and Ty are debating the angle of the ramp. Ella wanted her ball to make a bouncing trail, while Ty wanted his to run smoothly across the paper.

Organizing Bodies and Minds
Super-sized play requires organization of thoughts and materials. I love how Avery is using her entire body in order to carry more balls. She obviously cares a great deal about staying clean (sarcasm here folks)

Super Sized Goop
If it's fun in smaller quantities...then it's over the top GRAND when you super-size it!! Take goop for example! This simple cornstarch and water mixture is a hit...especially when feet can get involved too! A simple dip in water cleans it right off!

Yes please! Plenty of goop and space for free exploration!

Self Motivation
I love to observe children organizing themselves. I had nothing to do with this line. Look at them patiently waiting their turn! They are motivated by the fun and the fact that they own this adventure....and their feet LOVE it! Notice the purple bucket? That is the default washing bucket. It is present whenever something is messy. This gives sensitive children a safety net knowing that the ick can be erased immediately.



Sharing

FEELS GOOD!
No explanation needed. Clearly, she is LOVING the opportunity to be IN goop! Super sized play provides super sized sensory experiences that awaken the senses and gets brains thinking of endless possibilities!

There you have it...a small list to get the juices flowing. Now,...go put on your thinking caps and creative pants and see what fun play opportunities you can SUPER SIZE for SUPER SIZE LEARNING!!

Water Snakes

You have all heard me refer to plopping in pretty much all of my posts.  I cannot tell you how this method of "following" children has changed my program for the better. 

The children are learning valuable, life-long skills and also amazing me with their cleverness, organizational skills and their willingness to learn through failures (which I believe to be over -the-top important).  In a nut shell...they are so excited to TRY their ideas out, and as they fail, they make changes that either leads to success, or the realization that their plan didn't work, so lets try something else!

A plop, by my own, self-made definition is (insert vision of me putting on instant, IQ-boosting spectacles and clearing my throat): an object, book, story, song or mystery word that is quietly placed (aka: plopped) into a child's environment while sharing no (zip, zero, none, notta) pre-conceived adult ideas in order to give ownership of discovery to children. The "plopper" is prepared for what could POSSIBLY happen...but is willing to drop those ideas in order to follow the usually BETTER possibilities a child's mind imagines!

In other words....set something out...either in the wide open, or hide it amongst the environment and wait for the children to discover it.  However you choose to plop your plop....just plop it...set it out there.  Then, step back ready to observe, gather materials upon request (I insist my crew ASKS FOR WHAT THEY NEED...so, if they need more materials, all they have to do is ask)  If it is a story, share it with the children and let it motivate their play...enhance it with a song or other plops that might go along with it.

On this particular HOT day, as we were heading outside, I was thinking what can we do today.  I move all of my messy, busy hands supplies out to my garage for easy access in the summer months, so I took one look at my shelf and started to grab.

I simply grabbed foam beads and plastic lacing.  I purposely cut the plastic lacing too short to be necklaces and too long to be bracelets.  I did this just so their creative minds would have to take this "regular" activity in an entirely new direction.

I then put it all in a bucket of water (see pic below)

When you use the plopping method, you don't say a word.  You simply plop down the materials and quietly observe.

Instantly the bucket was surrounded by eager fingers.  The children's observations were so accurate as I overheard "HEY....these beads can float!"  "Brrr....the water is cold"  Then the plastic lacing was being compared  "Mine is longer"  "No, look, mine is longer"  So already, look at the learning.

It did not take long for them to realize that these were not going to be necklaces or bracelets.  So then...what should they be?

WATER SNAKES!!!

The children quickly gathered the plastic rain gutters and asked if they could use the hose (I love it when children ask for what they need!) 

Let the water snake rides begin!!

Gavin, who is a dragon fanatic (check out this blog to learn why he is dragon nuts, and why there are always dragons to be found at my house) decided he wanted his dragon to take a ride with his watersnake.  (now, you and I both know this is not going to be possible...BUT the point of plopping is to let children make discoveries....so I said nothing, just photographed and observed.

The photo below shows his first attempt.  He is so excited about his "wonder if..."

Of course the dragon just sat there...and did not move at all.  The water snake did not move either. 

Time to investigate.  Gavin picked up that dragon and took a closer look:

Here is a picture of his second attempt (note that he has ditched the water snake...he is thinking that was in the dragons way, preventing it from flowing down the gutter).  There were several more attempts (hmmm..remind you of a scientist?  Children are natural scientist, never content with trying something just one time.  They MUST try it again and again to see if it will work, or in this case, not work in order to form a conclusion)

After the fifth or sixth attempt, Gavin gathered the information he had just learned and proudly shared it with everyone:  "HEY GUYS!  The dragons dont float!"

Notice the angle Alayna is holding the hose in the photo below?  That is intentional.  She has learned through trial and error, that the water snakes go the fastest if the water hits them just so.  This is her very own discovery, and it gave her much pride to share that new knowledge with everyone.

The photo below shows Jack taking extra care as he places his watersnake into the gutter.  He has learned that if he puts the snake in upside down (the knot last, instead of first) his snake comes apart by the end of the 10ft. gutter.  Again, a discovery he owns and a deduction all of them made. 

Patience and consideration for others are very important, life-long skills.  I have learned that when it is a child-led occurance, patience comes much easier for young children.  I have been amazed at how long they can patiently wait for their turn, when it is their decision.

So there you have it.

A simple plop:  foam beads, plastic lace and water presented quietly with no preconcieved notion, just presented with the freedom to explore them.  I took the backseat to see what kind of adventure would ensue.  The children added to the plop as they saw fit, and the rest is history! 

Those three SIMPLE materials created a morning (and several more) filled with boundless trial and error, scientific process, small motor development, creativity, imagination, cause and effect, patience, cooperation, collaboration, sharing and discoveries!  The best part?  If you ask the children what they did....they will tell you "OH..we just PLAYED!!" 

Play is a child's work.  Let them play....play counts!

When a Plop Flops

Doesn't this look like fun?

Yep.  I thought so too.  It was a rainy day, my crew has energy and we hadn't played inside for weeks (thanks to gorgeous weather outside).  A ramp day was a PERFECT PLAN.           
 read more about ramp day

Lesson learned....once again, children teach me.

I thought the ramps would be fun, but when the children arrived, they played with the ramps and balls long enough to make a mess (5 minutes). 


Then, every single child migrated over to the markers, paper and tables and sat down to draw.  Of course!  Duh!  That is something we hadn't done for weeks! ( It is so windy in SD, drawing on paper outside is usually a frustrating event, yet, full of fun and valuable learning too! )

So, I let them draw....right?

Wrong....I totally reverted back to my "old ways" of telling children what we are going to do.  I was feeling frustrated about the fact that I had gone through all the trouble of setting up the ramps, and no one was playing with them. 

Do you know what I did?!  I completely broke the main rules of "plopping".

Basically a plop is:  to quietly place something new into the environment, and then FOLLOW THE CHILDREN'S LEAD.   Be PATIENT and see what evolves.  QUIETLY observe and leave your adult ideas out.

Instead of following my own rules, I said:
"Okay boys and girls.  Finish up your drawings and put the markers away.  We are going to play with the ramps."

The silence in the room was louder then all of them screaming.  The looks on their faces spoke volumes.
 I had made a mistake, and it felt awkward and icky.  My children had grown accustomed to my "plopping" ways of planning a plop, and then stepping back and following their lead, adding to the plop when asked, and assisting the children only when necessary in order to achieve their thoughts and ideas.  ( I am a huge fan of fostering young children to ask for what they need in order to solve problems and try new ideas)

I quickly saved the moment by saying:

"Would you all like to get out the great big paper and draw on the floor today?"

The smiles and excitment quickly returned as everyone finished their pictures and helped move the tables out of the way.  We drug out the roll of paper (children helping gives them ownership of the activity), rolled it across the floor and Ty cut it.

Immediately everyone found a spot around the paper and the illustrated stories began.  Children were collaborating and compromising as paper space was shared and story lines crossed.

So....what about the ramps?

I simply plopped magnets next to the paper ramp.  This time, I followed my rules,  just look what evolved:

Learning through trial and error.  Making new discoveries is very empowering for young children!  Sharing those discoveries builds confidence!!

In order for the boys to build these creations, they had to be aware of where there hand was
even when they couldn't see it.  GREAT for proprioception development, spatial awareness, visual planning and
sense of pride!

 The plop flop led to this set up on another day:

Ty created a swing!!  This swing idea later turned into airplane controls!!  Minds at work.  Using
imagination to invent something new!

When a plop flops....a lot of learning occurs, for the children AND me!!

What I learned:
1)  Children enjoy making choices and leading.
2)  Making children follow my plans just feels wrong. 
3)  I CAN trust children to lead their learning.
4)  Adding to the original plop can sometimes save a flopped plop.
5)  Relax.

What the children learned:
1)  How to communicate their needs.  They needed a quiet day...and they told me loud and clear with deafening silence, body language and facial expressions.  Quickly followed with words.
2)  They were empowered when I listened to their needs.
3)  They learned through trial and error using the magnets on the ramp.
4)  Putting magnets together when they can't see their other hand was GREAT for their proprioception development (awareness of how our body moves through space and where it is in space)
5)  Creativity, imagination, teamwork, cooperation, compromise, sharing, solving problems, learning through errors, persistance and making discoveries (to quickly name a few more!!)

Firework Painting

As we approach the 4th of July, I wanted to highlight a fantastic thing we did last year, but instead of writing about it all over again, I decided to just put a link to the original!

Happy Fourth everyone!  Take time to enjoy your family and friends!!

Firework Painting

The Power of Reactions

Children like to cause reactions. 

They like to know that they made something happen, it makes them feel powerful.  I saw an article in Oprah's "O Magazine" where adults were sharing their favorite childhood memories, and the memory that spoke the loudest to me was this one: "I remember rolling an apple down the hallway.  I must have been very young because I remember feeling this overwhelming satisfaction that I had made something happen."

Making something happen is very powerful for a young child.

A toddler spots a tower...what will they do?  Knock it down.  Why?  To see the reaction. Not only will the tower fall down, which is a reaction...but they will also, more often then not, get a reaction out of the tower builder too.

A child kicks a ball.  It rolls.  More often then not...they will kick it again, just to see if the same reaction will happen.  If their cause (kicking) will have the same effect (rolling ball).

We, as early childhood professionals need to provide opportunities for young children to make things happen...for them to explore their world through cause and effect, for them to cause a reaction.

Why is this important? 

Young children crave reactions and the power that accompanies them. They will find a way to cause reactions whether good or bad.   So..give them opportunities to create reactions, so they don't look for ways to cause a negative reaction in you or the other children!

The following ideas actually evolved from a failed one.  Both include the always crowd pleasing combination of baking soda and vinegar. 
I thought it would be fun to use a sifter to sprinkle baking soda onto puddles of vinegar.  Sadly, baking soda is too fine, and it falls right through the sifter.  

(dah dada daaaah!!) Plastic salt shakers to the rescue!  Same concept...just a different mode of transportation and execution for the baking soda!  Just look:


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The environment is set.  Supplies are ready.  Pipettes, cups of colored vinegar, shakers of baking soda, and an empty container sitting on a non-slip mat (I learned to do this the hard way...when children are focused, containers can slide away and land on the floor!!).




Squirt.....then shake, nice and neat....this of course didn't last long as the container filled with a kaleidescope of colorful vinegar and fizzing reactions!  Soon there was shaking and squirting, squirting and shaking...reactions everywhere!



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It was fun to observe as the fizzing puddles started to appear.  One puddle, then two..then soon....one giant puddle, all contained by the walls of the bucket.



Teamwork

Lots of teamwork created a BEAUTIFUL rainbow, and a container-sized puddle of fizz!

Squeezing, grasping, muscle control (if the shaker hit the vinegar, it would clog the holes of the shaker making it useless) and working together....all valuable life-long skills.

NOW...fast forward to ANOTHER day.......

Brace yourself for.....

VINEGAR GONE WILD!!

Remove the container, and set that vinegar and baking soda reaction free! 

****IMPORTANT NOTE:  BEFORE setting the vinegar free, we all sat down and talked about the fact that there was now vinegar in the spray bottles, and we must not spray our friends or the grass (and of course, we talked about WHY, if you give guidelines remember to explain the WHY).  My crew did WONDERFULLY at following those simple guidelines.  Why?  First of all, because they LOVED the opportunity and didn't want to lose it. They also thrive on opportunities to earn our trust.
 "Danger" makes young children feel responsible and important...children respect danger.  Is vinegar all that dangerous?  Of course not...but just enough to garner an opportunity for trusting!*****

Free the vinegar!! (just keep it out of the grass!!)

 Little hands and fingers need strengthening.  The more opportunities for squeezing the better!  Finding the right motivation is the key.  Children will try and try until they are successful if they are provided with the right motivation!

****TIP***** 

I first filled the bottles about 1/4 of the way with water, then the coloring and then the vinegar.  Water downed vinegar gives you the same reaction and makes the vinegar last longer!  Later, we added one more element that caused a fun change to the reaction....read on!

First the shaking



Then the spraying...ahh teamwork!!

There is a lot of learning to be found in causing reactions. Both negative and positive reactions hold many lessons and provide children with life-long skills. 

Negative reactions (causing someone else to react to something we did in anger or disapointment is what I consider a "negative reaction") teach us about feelings, consideration and respect.  We learn how to express our feelings with words and feeling of compassion.  We learn an awareness of how others feel too.

Positive reactions can hold a treasure chest full of learning....teamwork, expressing ourselves, sense of pride, learning from trial and error, persistance, cooperation, sharing and patience just to name a few!


Collaboration at it's finest.  Erik took the lead roll and felt great importance when he told Amelia when it was time to shake more baking soda on.  They made their own pile of fizz for about 3 minutes...that's when the other children needed Erik and his purple vinegar STAT!

Thanks Erik!  Purple was just what this fizzing puddle needed!

 For an added twist, I added bubble solution to the vinegar bottles...this causes a slower, foamier fizz.

I loved all the teamwork that came out of this.  I thought there would be teams of shakers and sprayers, but it was fun to watch the sprayers join forces to create colorfull puddles of fizz!

I have found, that when provided with opportunities to cause positive reactions, most young children show little interest in hunting down negative reactions. One of those reasons is they just don't have time because they are consumed with the task at hand.  The other is their desire to cause a reaction is satisfied.



Teamwork is a good thing, yes...BUT there is something to be said about having all the supplies to yourself!



If you're going to set the vinegar free...it's only fair that you set those piggies free too!!!

Make sure there are opportunities for children to learn through cause and effect every day!  These opportunities can be as simple as kicking or throwing a ball, they do not need to require a lot of supplies or set up.

Here is a quick list of some of our favorite "cause and effect" activities off the top of my head:

1. balls of all sizes
2. parachute with various objects to be tossed around (if you don't have a parachute grab a bedsheet or table cloth)
3. water and cups
4. rice and cups
5. ANYTHING that can be poured and dumped
6. ramps (see post for ideas)
7. paint brushes and water for outside play (my crew LOVE to paint the cement with water and make it change color!!)
8. bikes, cars, push toys
9. Squiggles (see post)
10. baking soda and vinegar variations  (see post)
11. goop (see post)
12. bubbles (post 1 and post 2 about bubbles)
13. shop vac  (toy #1 at my house!  A shop vac that is STRICTLY FOR PLAY) My crew LOVE to suck up colored rice or fluffy pom poms, then turn it off, open it up and dump their hard work out just to do it again!  They also love the blow side (my shop vac sucks and blows).  We have a blast blowing light plastic ball-pit balls around the room, silk leaves or silk flower pedals too!  On the suck side we love to see what objects the suction is strong enough to pick up (books, various toys, containers, paper etc.) 
14. "Rainbow Rain" -- at an easel, the child colors lines with washable marker at the top of the paper, then sprays the lines with water and watch as the colors run down the paper!
15. Absorbing colored water with papertowel.  Put out cups of colored water and pipettes..let the children squirt colored water onto the table, then lay a piece of paper towel on top...watch as the colors are absorbed into the paper towel.   

This is a small list that will hopefully get your creative juices flowing!!

Once again, I firmly believe:  PLAY COUNTS!!

One Thing Always Leads to Another

All that was plopped was a 10 ft. plastic raingutter bridged between two tables and held in place with sticky putty (that you use to hang things on the wall) and a mixture of magnetic items  ( 1-2" pipe cleaner bits, paper clips and magchips) and mag-wands.  ****KNOW YOUR CREW!! ARE THESE ITEMS SAFE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR GROUP OF CHILDREN??****

My only expectation was that the children would discover moving the items in the raingutter using the mag-wands UNDER the raingutter.   We had previously made some other discoveries through magnet play, and I wanted to see if they would take that knowledge and apply it to a different situation. 

At first, my crew used the mag-wands on top of the raingutter..fun, but not as fun as what I had invisioned.  I quietly observed...and waited for more discoveries.

Eventually, through trial and error, the discovery I was patiently anticipating happened.  Superman (on the right in the above photo) discovered it completely by accident...actually, it was flower child on the left that discovered it, but it was Jack's wand that made it happen.  Flower child saw the pipecleaners mysteriously moving as Jack was just carelessly dragging his wand along the outside of the raingutter..,  They both were thrilled, even though Superman really didn't have a clue as to what he had done to cause such excitment!

As always happens when children are given TIME to PLAY, one thing leads to another.  My crew (or as one of my reader's refers to young children, my "littles"  LOVE THAT!!) added the next plop: metal balls from a Magtastik set I bought several years ago.  ****please note, this toy has been recalled due to some smaller pieces in the set...BUT, the metal balls that came in it are AWESOME for magnet play!*****

Two year old Molly is making things happen, a BIG deal for a two year old!

Adding the balls created conflict.  Conflict in play is a GOOD THING.  How else can we practice conflict resolution if we never have conflict?  The balls took up the entire space in the raingutter...no ball could go past another ball.  The other conflict was the pipecleaner pieces made it difficult to maneuver the balls.  Problem solving and conflict resolution....both resulted in teamwork.... LOVE IT!!

As interest and motivation fades, we "professional brain developers" get the esteem honor of assisting in one thing leading to another.  We can have just as much fun as the children by staying one step ahead of them and quietly plopping new things that takes the current play in yet another direction. 

After observing some pretty impressive conflict resolution and problem solving,  I thought it would be fun to add some color mixing to this activity.

Enter plop #3 stage right:  paint. 

The "littles" had removed the assortment of smaller magnetic objects (pipe cleaner bits etc.) in order to run the balls more smoothly (YES! Problem solving!), so I just quietly squirted in some yellow paint and stepped back to observe.  OH THE EXCITMENT!!

One color isn't nearly as fun as two!  So blue was added next, and shortly after...red was requested!

I love that the children cannot see their hands when they are doing this activity.  It helps with their spatial awareness (aka:  proprioception....just being aware of where our parts are in space and moving them where we need them to be without looking at them).  I also love that they were making things happen in an entirely new way!  How empowering!



Gavin is testing his own hypothesis:  Can the ball be passed from one magnet to the next?



The child on the right was having a lot of trouble with her ball getting stuck in the paint, and the magnet losing contact with the ball.  She showed a tremendous amount of persistance...never once did she give up...she just tried and tried and tried.  Persistance is a very valuable, life-long skill!

Again...one thing led to another with a little assistance from me.  As the larger magnetic balls started to get difficult to manuever from the increasing amounts of paint,  I traded them out for the smaller magnetic balls similiar to these available at Discount School Supply (mine are slightly bigger then regular marble size, the ones on this link have a 1 1/4 inch diameter)

The awesome thing about the magnetic marbles is they are smaller, and can squiggle all over the place, leaving behind really fun trails!  They could also STRING together (which happened to be our mystery word on this day!)

The children were mesmerized by the squiggles they were making in the paint.  (Squiggle would be a GREAT mystery word to accompany this activity as well!  You could combine it with this SIMPLE plop)

Ty was proud of his discovery...the balls can string together AND he can make them hang from the side!!

  

The boys are testing previous knowledge with new materials...SUCCESS!  It works! 

Working independently together.  When the moment arises, teamwork was incorporated in an otherwise independent moment.  Then enter in problem solving when each boy's marbles stuck together making a string of marbles.  How to get them unstrung without touching the paint-covered marbles.  It was interesting to watch the problem solving through trial and error.  They finally resolved that they had to touch the marbles.  Neither wanted to take the time to get messy -- it was quite humorous to listen to the debate! :)

Ty ( on the right) is demonstrating his previously discovered technique of taking the marbles up the side of the raingutter as Ethan prepares to lead his marbles past Ty's. The forethought and planning involved in order to orchestrate this was very impressive.

The moral of this post: 

• Give children TIME TO PLAY. 
• Let one thing lead to another. 
• Be present, think ahead and be prepared to assist when necessary in order to help one thing lead to another.
• LET PLAY COUNT!!