PBL: The Five Elements of Nature — Water
Date: 18th to 27th January 2023.
Participants: Aarush, Adrived, Arya, Dhriya, Divit, Hazzel, Joshua, Khanish, Maryam, Mehar (Agarwal), Meher (Bhuwaniya), Moksh, Neyansh, Nitara, Parth, Rishit, Ruhani, Shannaya, Shivansh, Shivanshika, Shivanyaa, Taanush, Vaanya, Viraj, Yuvaan (Bhopalka), and Yuvaan (Mehra).
Facilitators: Auindrilla, Apala, Drishti, Sanmoyee, Sonai, and Pallavi.
Tags: stem, pbl, nature, exploration, five elements
Welcome back to Arth Hours, where we are learning about the Five Elements of Nature! The Arthlings will be exploring all things wet and watery in Week 2!
18th January, Day 1
Opening
The Arthlings began their class with a movement opening inspired by the waves of the ocean. They channelled their energy into making wave-like movements with their arms and legs. Sometimes the waves became bigger, or smaller!
The children use their arms to make waves.
Everyone walks in a circle!
Work Time
The children were welcomed by a variety of Water-related invites at Work Time. At the Art table, they used the art of origami to make paper boats. Arya, Dhriya and Hazzel first learned to fold the paper in half and make a triangle shape. They made 2D boats before going on to the hat stage, the diamond stage, and the full 3D version.
A much larger paper boat awaited the children in the Pretend and Play area! Shivansh, Taanush, Nitara, Yuvaan (Bhopalka) and others became sailors with paper hats and cardboard tube telescopes. Shivansh co-captained the ship with Taanush. He turned on the generator, asked Drishti Didi to fasten her seatbelt and put the gears in motion. Meanwhile, Yuvaan (Mehra) tried swimming in the waves outside the ship.
Ships were also the subject of study at the Light Table. Viraaj and Nitara created their original ship designs with Magna Tiles. Nitara’s ship looked like a fish!
Arya, Dhriya, and Hazzel try origami.
Arya and Dhriya inspect their paper boats!
The Arthlings sail the seas!
The Arthlings test their telescopes.
Nitara at the Light Table.
Large Group
Large Group opened with a short movie on Water! The movie talked about where to find water, how to store water, and how to save water. The educators involved the children in a discussion about water conservation; Arya suggested closing the tap when it was not being used.
The children went on to exercise their acting skills in a roleplaying circuit, where they demonstrated all the ways they use water throughout the day. They began with their morning routines, which included waking up, brushing their teeth, rinsing, and drinking water. This was followed by cooking with water at the Pretend and Play kitchen, eating breakfast, and bathing with a bucket and mug. Each Arthling added details to personalize their routine; Rishit added an extra vegetable-washing step before cooking, and some children chose to bathe with shower gel. The circuit finished with dressing and getting ready for school!
The Arthlings watch a movie about water.
The children get ready for a roleplaying circuit!
‘Brushes’ set up for the circuit.
Water to drink!
The setup in the kitchen area.
A pretend breakfast.
Arrangements for ‘bathing’.
20th January, Day 2
Opening
Day 2 started with a musical opening. The children were introduced to the ‘Water Song’, which talked about all the places we find water. The children performed watery actions to go along with the words!
The children perform the ‘Water Song’.
Work Time
The children explored water at Work Time with invites like spray painting, pretend-sailing, and submarine-building.
Drishti Didi demonstrated spray painting using a toothbrush at the Art table. She dipped the brush in paint and used her thumb to create a spray effect on paper. While Vaanya and Hazzel tried out Drishti Didi’s method, some Arthlings opted to used their toothbrush like a regular paintbrush.
A banner with a submarine greeted the children at the Light Table. Shannaya made a mat of square Magna Tiles and attempted to recreate the submarine in the picture!
The paper ship returned to the Pretend and Play area for more seafaring fun. Mehar travelled to London where she spied a tower using her cardboard telescope! She and Maryam took charge and navigated the ship using plate steering wheels. Nitara added to the ambience by moving scarves up and down to make big waves.
Spray painting at the Art table.
Hazzel tries spray painting.
Vaanya dips her toothbrush in paint.
Shannaya attempts to make a submarine!
Captain Maryam at the helm!
Nitara makes waves!
Large Group
The educators called the Arthlings to the mat to observe a science experiment. A clear tub of water was placed in front of them on a wooden table. One by one, the educators dropped objects into the tub of water — a steel spoon, a leaf, a flower, and a sponge! The children watched each object to see what happened. Some objects like the steel spoon sank to the bottom, while others like the leaf floated towards the top of the tub. The children joined in the fun and made a line to add some objects to the water themselves. They finished the activity by recording their observations on a worksheet.
Objects dropped in the tub of water.
The children record their observations.
27th January, Day 3
Opening
The children began with a revision of the latest addition to their musical repertoire: the Water Song! They performed the song with actions and movement.
The children sing the ‘Water Song’ with actions.
Work Time
At Work Time, an ‘Under the Sea’ invite was set up in the Construction area! The children designed train tracks and buildings to add to the scenery. White scarves were added to make waves.
The children explored the magic of watercolours in the Art area. They used droppers to add water to pigment in their palettes. After mixing, this became watercolour paint. Shivanyaa and Shannaya found that mixing red and blue created a new colour; Rishit chimed in and identified it as purple! Rishit and Shivanyaa went on to use these handmade watercolours to paint portraits of themselves.
At the Light Table, the children were invited to build their own aquariums. They engaged in a discussion about underwater animals with Pallavi Didi. Divit made his own version of a fish with a tail using triangles!
Shivanyaa uses watercolours.
Rishit and Shannaya paint at the Art table.
Ruhani builds beside the ‘Under the Sea’ invite.
Divit and Arya at the Light Table.
Large Group
The children gathered to witness one last science experiment for Water Week. While the last experiment focused on sinking and floating, this experiment was all about dissolving!
Drishti Didi performed the experiment with several large bottles of water. She followed a precise method to mix different substances into each bottle: she unscrewed the cap, fitted a funnel into the mouth, added the material, then shook to mix. Some of the materials chosen were tea leaves, oil, coffee powder, and shampoo. The children observed each bottle to see if the item would dissolve, and recorded their observations on a worksheet.
Drishti Didi picks up a spoon of chalk.
Chalk mixed with water!
The children observe the mixture.
Yuvaan (Mehra) and Vaanya record their observations.
Rishit smell tests the shampoo before filling in his worksheet.
Join us in our next instalment where we will be covering Earth Week!