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Paint the Snow
Coloured water in a spray bottle and a garden full of blank canvas.
🌧
Puddle Depth Survey
Wellies on, stick in hand, and every puddle on the street measured.
Turns a miserable wet walk into a mission, and gets everyone outside on the day they least want to be.
What you need
- wellington boots
- a stick or ruler
- paper and pencil
How to do it
- Wait for rain to stop, then put wellies on.
- Take a stick and mark it in bands so it works as a depth gauge.
- Find every puddle on your normal route and measure it.
- Record the depths and give each puddle a name.
- Come back the next day and see which ones have gone.
Why this is good for them
Measuring, recording and returning to check is the shape of real science, done with a stick. It also reframes rain as the reason to go out rather than the reason to stay in, which changes a lot of winter afternoons.
Adapting by age
3 to 4 yearsSkip the measuring. Rank them as small, medium and enormous.
9 to 12 yearsChart the depths over a week and relate them to rainfall.
Keep it safe
Stay away from roadside puddles and anything near traffic or drains. Avoid standing water that looks dirty or oily.
Cleanup tip
Boots off at the door, everything straight into the wash.
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