Way back in 1977 the National Science Foundation sent Dorothy Murdock Hill out to investigate and celebrate the imagination and creativity of children doing science in grades K- 6. She did not report back with core curriculum lingo or test protocols but instead headed straight for places like the Blind Children's Center in Los Angeles and fashioned field reports like this one.
Several children made delightful squiggly designs with their plastic squeeze bottles. A few worked on the sidewalk while others worked in the sand area. Timmy ran back and forth between the sidewalk and the sand area squirting lovely circles and figure eights. He was becoming aware of how water acts on different materials as he exclaimed, "The water's still here on the sidewalk. But my water all disappeared in the sand."
Amy calmly states, "You know, it vaporated!" The children enjoyed counting how fast the water disappeared in sand compared to the sidewalk. "I wonder how I can keep it from sinking?" mused Timmy. Another day could easily bring a spin-off activity of making a pond that would stay put.
At the other end of the play yard another game had evolved. Jan yelled, "Hey, look how far I can squirt." Several children tried over and over to see who could squirt beyond a certain mark. Back and forth they ran to the water source refilling their plastic squeeze bottles. Here, Dorothy added some of her own questions. "Does it make any difference in how far you can squirt if you hold your arm at different levels? Which way makes the water go highest? Which way way makes it go longest? Which way shortest?"
Seeing new equipment, Jennifer ran to the table and picked up one of the plastic tubes that had been brought out. "Hmmm, it's not a pole! It has a hole in the middle. But it's not a hose. What is it?" she demanded. Upon hearing that it was a plastic tube she started off again. "A plastic tube? But it is not wiggly like the other ones we have. How come? It's what? Rigid? I'll fill it up!" Jennifer had spent much of the year filling pitchers and cans and containers of all sorts. But this was her first "rigid plastic tube". After trying many varieties of "filler uppers" as she called them, she glanced around looking for something better. She picked up the plastic baster and the funnel. At first she only held the funnel. Finally, with complete satisfaction, she placed it on top of the tube. She then dropped a marble down the middle of the tube and quietly watched its slow movement with unrestrained pleasure singing softly, "Ahh, down...down...down. Clear down...down...down. Ahh, down until it touches the ground...ground...ground."
MUD, SAND, and WATER
Dorothy M. Hill
Jean Berlfein - Photographer
NAEYC 1977
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