"It's Like Water Rays!"

"I've noticed during the last few days that the children have been talking about colors.  When they are working with colors whether it's drawing, creating patterns, color art, etc., I've noticed that they've been naming the colors after foods and drinks.  Last week, we set up an invitation at the light table with vases and water colors and observed the children as they explored and noticed the changes as they dropped watercolors into the vases.  Today, we offered this invitation to the children again.  I didn't know what to expect but was quite excited when SS and SB quickly and excitedly came over to the light table and immediately jumped into action!  I closely observed and listened to their conversation as they began dropping the watercolors into the vases .  SS was so engaged and fascinated while exploring with this invitation.  He carefully dropped watercolors into the vase and would sit back and watch as the colors slowly flowed down.  He noticed how the colors changed as they blended together forming yet another color.  This was truly exciting for him and he worked here for quite a while.  He looked over at SB, admiring her work and noticing how the colors were forming in her vase.  "I could stay here all day and do this!  I love it so much and I'm never leaving here," he said.

"The red is turning into pink."

"It's turning into a beauty color.  It's like a color that's very beautiful."

"Mine looks like a rainbow! It really does! It's a rainbow when you drop all the colors in here.  It's a dropper rainbow.  I used green, red and orange," 

CS - Wow!  It's like fireworks in SS's vase!  

SS - It's like water rays.
Me - What are water rays?
SS - It's a thing that you get in and then you get in the water.
CS - Wow!  It's going to turn into a rainbow.  
CS - Right down in the bottom there's colors just like in the top.

"It looks like little color boats.  Actually, like speeder boats.  I like getting in a speeder boat because it goes up and down, up and down.  If you put your hands right here they look big and then put your face right here, you can see your face and then you see different things like stripes."

"It looks like a sparkly rainbow."

After a while, MD came over and asked if we could change the colors and put some new water into the vases.  He was so excited to finally have a turn to explore with the watercolors.  He said:  "Guess what I'm going to be when I grow up?"
Me - What?
MD - A teacher!  Because I think it's cool!  I want to be able to put fun things out for kids just like you guys!"
I observe and listen as he drops colors into the vase. He watches as they begin to flow around in the water and notices how the colors move in the water and begin to change.

MD - It's going to make purple because red and blue make purple.

"Look right here!  It looks like a dark and stormy night."

Wow!  It's a beautiful rainbow!"

I wonder what it'll look like when we pour it out into the sink.  But before we do, I want to drop 2 colors in and then see what it looks like.  We take the vase to the sink and MD pours the water out with some assistance.  It's all purple and the sound of it sounds like real water when you're washing your hands and it's kind of wierd because when it goes down the drain, the bubbles pop.  I'm pouring it sideways because I want to get water on each side of the sink.