Water is a resource that is important to our communities and is part of our children’s everyday life. It is often soothing and fun for children, so is a medium for learning that they are naturally drawn to from a very young age.
BestStart is for families who want more from early-childhood education. Safe, nurturing and educationally focused, we’re committed to growing caring people with curious minds. Together we teach, learn and nurture.Our vision is to work in partnership with families, whanau and communities to enable children to achieve their learning potential.
Children explore the texture and properties of water. They interact with resources that are thoughtfully and intentionally placed in or by water for them to explore. Playing with water also provides many opportunities to practice their social skills through interactions with other children and teachers.
We are mindful of teaching children to respect water as a valuable resource and do this through conversation. Practices like collecting rainwater for play, recycling water where practical and at times having smaller amounts of water to play with.
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Children love to explore the texture and properties of water. Babies learn cause and effect as they learn to splash water and notice how it feels on their body. Adults support this understanding by using words to describe how it feels and what it does.
Our centres have resources that are thoughtfully placed in or by water to encourage exploration. Children practice their hand-eye coordination as they pour water into containers. Providing different sized vessels helps children refine their skills as they learn to master their movements.
Children learn maths concepts like measuring, estimating and volume, full and empty. Adults can ask how full the container is and children learn new words such as half full as they come to understand the concepts.
Through conversations with adults and other children they consider ideas or concepts like heavy/light, sink/ float, shallow/ deep, absorption/non absorption, frozen/liquid. They figure out that water can push and move objects, water can clean things, water evaporates in the sun, water can be frozen and then melts.
They practice their thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills – where do I want the water to go, how can I make that happen?
Playing with water provides many opportunities to practice social skills through interactions with other children and teachers. The chatter around what they can do and how they can work together is always something you’ll hear around the water trough.
The process of choosing how to play with water can spark imagination, leading to creativity in experimenting with water and objects. Teachers can really get creative with this by introducing a range of objects and set ups to provoke interest and encourage experimentation.
We are mindful of teaching children to respect water as a valuable resource and do this through conversation. Practices like collecting rainwater for play, recycling water where practical and at times having smaller amounts of water to play with.
Water Play | Korikori Wai
Continuing the learning at home
A water trough with toys beside or in the water is a great base for water experiences.
Collect a variety of objects that float and sink such as safe plastic, wood and metal items. Cups, spoons, bottles, jugs, colanders, sieves, small plastic boats and funnels are great ideas.
Sponges and water wheels, natural materials like shells and driftwood, and plastic sea animals in the water are also good additions.
A clear, flexible hose pipe shows how water flows. Other resources that can carry water down a track are always a hit too.
A baby bath for bathing baby dolls is a good way to incorporate dramatic play.
Use soap or detergent to make bubbles or food colouring to change the water colour.
Fill a small bucket of water and get a paint brush to ‘paint’ the fence or concrete.
Freeze water. Children can learn about the concept of melting – building their language skills by using words in context like cold, slippery, melting. A great idea for extra interest is to put objects into the ice moulds.
Older preschool children might explore droplets of water - with plastic eye droppers. Dye can also be used in droppers and dropped onto frozen ice for creative expression.
