Just a puddle? Think Again!

Most adults see a muddy puddle, our instinct is to say or think”Dirty go around them, we don’t want to get wet”. When children see muddy puddles,it is a different story all together. Their amazingly adventurous, innocent and inquisitive minds want to explore, LET THEM , they want to test and play in them, LET THEM these are instincts that are so natural to them. It is these experiences that will develop their understanding about the physical world.

At Little Hearts Preschool in Cranleigh we are in tune with these types of encounters, we treat our children like they are little explorers discovering a new land. We see this muddy puddle through the magic of a child’s mind. A puddle of water is a whole new world. In it, they discover bits of sky, leaves, bubbles, ripples, their own reflection, the opportunities to learn are endless.

A puddle is a magical and wondrous thing, and is worthy of investigation and exploration.
Jean Piaget described children as “mini-scientist”. At Little Hearts Preschool we couldn’t agree more. For example when discovering a puddle for the first time, children will naturally experiment and repeat “tests” on this new watery world—mirroring a true scientist, they implement their ideas to see the different effects. 
They repeatedly explore different parts of the puddle, the shallow edges and the deep middle, touch the water with bare hands and or feet they examine the effects of moving objects in different ways creating ripples of wonder.

So next time you come across a puddle, be it big, small or muddy, pause for a little while and see it through your child’s eyes. 
Take off your shoes and socks and open up your senses, because in a flash this magical wonder in your child’s eyes will be all grown up!

Being a Preschool in Cranleigh the opportunities to explore and learn from nature are endless.