Letting Kids Create

On a recent hot day, the children were outside playing in the sprinkler and the toddler was splashing in the kiddie pool.  The older kids decided to try and make their own pool.

Using a parachute, they created their own “pool”.  The thing I love about this activity is that they did it 100% on their own from start to finish.  Because they were a tad bored they thought up this project.

Not sure if you can see in the photo, but the engineering of the pool was quite interesting.  A large rock covered the whole in the middle of the parachute.  Clothespins clipped a rip closed.  They tied it to the swing set and the large slide because they quickly learned a lawn chair would not hold it up.

These is the type of outdoor fun that children learn from.  Through trial and error they learned engineering principals, physics and a huge sense of accomplishment.  It didn’t matter that the pool leaked a lot.  It was deeper than the kiddie pool, handmade and therefore loads of fun!  They made it from start to finish with no parent involvement!  So there is only one rule for letting kids create – don’t provide any help.