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Young child having fun with a puddle

Puddle fun

Ideas and suggestions of ways to play in puddles

The wet weather does not always inspire us to get out and enjoy the outdoors. But there is something that can only be found during or after rain that can provide a wealth of pleasure. The humble puddle.

Sometimes big, sometimes small. Sometimes deep, sometimes barely there. Granted, finding yourself in a puddle when you are wearing inappropriate footwear, or finding a puddle coming up to meet you as someone else drives through it next to you is not always pleasant. But, and it is a big but, if you have the right footwear and clothing there can be nothing more sensational than a glorious puddle that is yours to displace!

Taking a run up with a buggy or a wheelchair and whizzing through a puddle making waves like a speeding ship is an opportunity not to be missed. Taking a big two footed leap straight into the middle of a puddle brings the biggest of smiles to your face, it is joyous!

In the UK we have a lot of wet weather and rather than it preventing us getting out we just need to find ways to embrace it. Wellington boots, waterproof trousers – over the wellies not tucked in! And a good waterproof coat, if you are really making a splash you need to be protected top to toe!

Two girls exploring a puddle

Puddle game ideas

Can you displace (get rid of) all the water in a puddle? Push it away with your feet, now you see it, now you don’t.

Have a competition, who can make the biggest splash, find the deepest puddle, the biggest?

Explore shapes, what shape is that puddle? can you find a perfect circle?

How many steps or wheels does it take to get around the edge (circumference) of the puddle?

Linking puddles, try jumping or walking from one puddle to the next.

Drop pebbles into a puddle to compare the sounds of different size and depth puddles.

Make up a song about a puddle.

Try making an island in a puddle, look for leaves, mud, sticks and stones to create your very own island in water.

Can you make a ‘Bridge over puddled water’?

Floating, look for leaves to make a boat that can sail across your puddle. See if you can get it to carry 'passengers'.

Extending the activity

You can talk about weather and rain, how puddles are created. Precipitation, evaporation, the cycle of water.

Resources about weather and the rain are available on Widgit.com

“I hate all those weathermen, too, who tell you that rain is bad weather. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a raincoat and live a little.”

Billy Connolly

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