11 children joined the building crew to assemble a pump system for water. The “Pump Works System” from Kodo Kids https://kodokids.com/pump-works
arrived today with all the components and the crew needed to follow the instructions to make a functional system.
Setting up the pump
First, we needed to attach the pump system to the water basin. The children self-assigned roles including holding parts, securing pieces, sorting pipes, controlling water, and holding instructions.
When the pump was assembled, we needed to fill the basin to prime the pump. While helping the water crew with a kinked hose, others watched the basin to make sure it didn’t overfill. I would ask, “How full is the basin now” and one child responded, “It’s hard to tell without numbers.”
Measuring with our bodies
I then rephrased, “If you were to stand in the water, how far up your leg would it be. “Another child responded, “My ankles.”
As the water filled, children would call out where they think the water would hit, if they were standing in it. A 3-year-old said “It would be in my boots” meaning it was over his shin. A 5-year-old observed that it would be different on kids because of the difference in height.
Once the pump was assembled and primed, the group tested different methods to best pump the water. They understood the operation of pulling up the lever was filling up the pump and pushing down the lever was the release of water.
Watering the garden
Then we connected a hose to the pump to water the garden. The hose was long and coiled. The group worked together to hold the hose down and watched as the water flowed down the tube. Older children counted how many pumps until the water flowed through the whole tube. It took 34 pumps!
Out next job will be to connect the water table basin to the pump to create an endless flow of water.