Exploring wind with a parachute

 Today was a beautiful day...we went outside, and as usual, I made a trip to the "outdoor" bin, which I use to keep instruments, chalk, watering cans, Frisbees, balls, squirt bottles, bean bags, streamers, the parachutes, garden tools, plastic dress up clothes, and more. I rotate the items in no particular order...Sometimes things come out with a special request, other times the children seek out their favorite items on their own.

Fun with recycled packaging materials...as you can see, the children used it to create a train!

Role playing is just as important outdoors, as in. 

Here you see a glimpse of the one of our outdoor bins in the background.

Last week was Box week, and after the box had finally fallen apart, the children pulled it over the slanted tree, and made a "tree fort!"

Inspired, today I brought the parachute out to drape over the slanted tree as a tent, but it was just too windy. The parachute started to fly, and I attached it to a branch to stabilize it. Naturally, the children couldn't resist running and jumping underneath it. 

I started asking some open-ended questions...

"What's do you think is making the parachute fly?"

"Which way do you think the wind is blowing...how do you know?"

...and then I let go of the parachute, making it flatten into a pencil shape as it was blown by the wind. The children yelled out, "Oh no!" It was the perfect opportunity to have them work those problem-solving skills. I said, "Uh-oh...the parachute fell. I wonder how we can make it fly again...?"

I watched in amazement as the children worked together, solved the problem on their own("We have to pull it!"), and played cooperatively. Marvelous! 

Happy playing!