This week, our learning was sparked by a very exciting letter — a firefighter wrote to ask if we could help him solve a problem. He needed a glove that would keep his hands dry while working in wet conditions. The children were thrilled to be asked for help and jumped straight into action! We began by exploring the idea of waterproof materials. This led lots of discussion and curiosity. Together, we gathered a variety of materials to test: Rubber, fabric, paper, plastic, fur, metal, cardboard and glass. The children made predictions about which materials would keep water out;
We carried out a simple experiment to test each material. We observed what happened — did the water soak through or stay on top. The children were fascinated to see how water behaved differently on each surface. Fabric soaked it up quickly, while plastic and rubber kept the water out.
After testing and discussing the results, we decided that rubber was the best material for the firefighter’s glove. It didn’t let any water through and stayed strong and flexible. The children were proud to send their findings back to the firefighter, along with a drawing of their glove design.
