Introduction: The activity of filling the water table stemmed from the many interests we have observed in the students of classroom 4. There are many students in our class that enjoy playing as firefighters, making hoses out of different materials to "put out fires" around the classroom. These students seem quite interested in the flow of water from the hose as well. This interest in hoses and the water led them to experimenting with real hoses in the water table.

At the same time we began seeing an interest in filling and emptying various containers in the classroom. It began with a few students filling plastic jars with natural materials such as acorns, pinecones, and shells at the water table.

To pursue both interests, we (the teachers) decided to combine them. We placed empty buckets at both ends of the water table and attached hoses to them. We also had different tools available in the water table to help the children in this activity. At morning meeting, two teachers posed the question, "Do you think we can empty the water from the table through these hoses and into the buckets?" The students were fascinated with testing different ways of pouring water into the hoses and helping it travel through the length of the winding hose and into the bucket.

To push their thinking of water movement even further, a few mornings later we decided to reverse the activity and ask children to help us fill the empty water table. We placed a bucket of water on the ground next to the table, which we left empty, with the hose attached to it. We placed other tools such as sponges, a straw, and pouring containers in the water table. We also decided to color the water red, as it helped students to follow the flow of water through the hose.

As they entered the room that day, we posed the question, "Do you think you can help us fill the water table?"

Joe: "Let me try that."

Teacher: "Do you think we can use this hose somehow?" Joe: "I know a way...I will show you how to use it. I need...this!" (He picked up a funnel from the shelf behind him and proceeded to attach it to one end of the hose)

Joe: "You put this end in the table like that." (Joe placed the other end into the water table and started to pour water into the end with the funnel)

Teacher: "Is the water going through?" Joe: "Hold it up...REALLY HIGH!"

Joe: "You have to hold it straight too...see, like that."

Joe: "It worked!"

Analysis: Filling the water table turned out to be an interesting activity for the students of classroom 4. The children experimented with a variety of problem solving methods in response to proposed questions asked by teachers. Some students were committed to one method their entire duration at the water table:

Mariah was interested in the goal of filling the water table, however she became engrossed in the concept of filling and emptying the particular bottle she was using. She enjoyed submerging her container in the bucket of water and watching it fill and then empty out into the water table. This was her main attraction to the project.

Kelly was also interested in meeting the goal of the activity, however she too was committed to one method, the sponge. She spent the duration of her time at the water table soaking up the water with her sponge and then watching it seep out as she squeezed it over the water table. She was interested in the idea of water disappearing into the sponge and then reappearing as a reaction to her own physical action of squeezig. Perhaps the "element of surprise" is behind Kelly's intrigue with the sponge.

Joe played at the water table on this particular day with another strategy in mind, choosing a different course of action than his fellow classmates. He wanted to move the water entirely from the bucket into the water table. He experimented with many techniques on how to move the water but seemed most satisfied with the efficiency of the hose and funnel method. He understands the concept of trial and error, testing his ideas, to find the most effective way of solving a problem.

It is apparent that Joe has an understanding of incline as he told his teacher to hold one end of the hose "Really High!" He knew in order for the water to move on its own, it had to have a direct route, thus the need for the incline. The fact that Joe knew this without trying it first suggests a prior understanding of the function of an incline.

Immediatly, when asked by a teacher how to use the hose technique, Joe reached for the funnel and placed it on one end of the hose. Judging by the instant reach for the funnel, we can assume that he has an understanding on the function and form of funnels. It was as if he had a picture in his mind of what his tool should look like or be set-up like. By using the funnel, he was able to pour the water into the funnel and watch as it slowly trickled from the funnel and down the hose, rather than quickly pouring directly into the hose.

We have been applying the student's exhibited interest in inclines and ramps in various aspects of our classroom. Students enjoy building ramps and racing objects down them from the top to the bottom. It will be interesting to see how Joe uses his knowledge of inclines in future activities in the classroom.

Lauren Buckley

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