How do You Build a River for Baby Moses to Float Down?

In Kohavim, the children had been growing grass in the sensory table. After listening to the story of Passover, they realized the grass was similar to the reeds from which Miriam watched Baby Moses float down the river. On Monday, The children decided to dig their own river for Baby Moses to float down. First the planned where they would dig the river by placing skewers into the soil. They used trowels to carefully dig the soil. Once the the ground was dug, the children had to figure out how they could make a river.

 At first, the children wanted to pour the water right into the channel they had dug, but Molly and Noah had another idea.

Molly: What about if the water dries up right away?
Noah: We need to put some rocks in the bottom.
Molly: If you use little rocks, what about if it (water) goes through the cracks?

Unsure if the water would seep through the cracks between the stones, the children decided to test the theory. The lined the channel with small stones and poured the water.

Molly: It didn't work! It just dried up.
Sabrina: it's going into the dirt.

Discovering the water seeped through the stones and absorbed into the soil the children needed a new idea.




At that moment Eli suggested, "Maybe if we put lots of water in at once it won't dry up." The children filled as many watering cans as they could find and poured the water into the channel. At first it seemed to work, but suddenly the water level began to drop. It became evident that the children needed to figure out how to prevent the water from absorbing into the soil. They decided they would create a barrier. 

Molly: Maybe we need to put something on the sides. 

Sabrina: Like rocks. 

Molly: Something that reaches all the way up to here. Something that is waterproof, that can go in water. 

As the morning came to an end, the children decided that the next time they played at the sensory table, they would test wood, plastic and rubber materials. 

After gathering the different materials today, the children first tested pieces of wood. They immediately discovered they could not secure the wood to create a barrier.

Next, they tried blue plastic cellophane. They cut two large pieces of cellophane that they fit into the channel. They used painters tape to adhere the two pieces of plastic together.  

When the children poured the water into the cellophane covered river, excitement filled the air when they realized the water did not absorb into the soil. All of the children came to observe the river.

During second meeting, when we checked on our river we discovered a major problem! The tape the children had used to secure the two pieces of cellophane had become soggy and caused the river to leak! Despite the minor set back, the Kohavim children are determined to repair the river tomorrow morning!

Stay tuned to find out how the Kohavim children build a river to float Baby moses down!