Smoothing the way for true independence for the children in my classroom is my first priority. But it can be hard for us adults to hand over the reins - or the garden hose - as it is in my situation. If you want to make a group of even seasoned Montessori teachers uncomfortable, give a 4-year-old the working end of a garden hose and show him how to turn on the water. Suddenly, the adults are taking cover over by the sandbox.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Just like any activity, learning to use water requires instruction at first and some supervision throughout. This isn't gasoline we're talking about - it's just water. Water is the perfect practical life material. It isn't sticky, it doesn't attract pests, and it dries up and disappears from sidewalks, clothing, and skin without a trace. If you turn your back on a child with a lot of water at his command, the worst thing that can happen is someone might get wet. And wouldn't that be terrific?
It's been so hot in our part of the country and our school gardens have been suffering. So I set out our large collection of watering cans and I opened up the rain barrel. Within minutes I had attracted a circle of children wanting to pour water on things. I was hopeful that the water was actually going to make it to the plants but I needed to give guidance on how to pour the water on top of the little plants and at the roots of the taller tomatoes and sunflowers. So I needed a helper to fill the cans and my friend D was at the ready. When I walked away to help a friend, he took over the rain barrel. He learned to work the valve and filled up the other children's watering cans.
Soon, my friend L wanted to fill her own can so I asked D if he could let her and he did. You know where this is going, of course. All of the children who wished to were using the rain barrel hose to fill up their own watering cans. Most of the water got to the plants, but not all and that is okay. No one ended up soaked and everyone felt great after doing such good work on a hot day.
The next day, the rain barrel was empty so I started the process again but with the fresh water garden hose. It was the same story but with a lot more power behind the water. D came over to help and I showed him how to adjust the flow of water. He allowed others to help, and he stayed and supervised. I watched from afar.
On the third day, it was so hot that the children were red-faced and miserable and asking to go inside early. Some of my friends still needed to move their bodies before settling into their afternoon work, so I brought out the spray bottle (my friend Ana's idea.) Spray bottles attract attention immediately so when the first child approached I asked him if he would like me to spray him with cold water. "Yes!" he replied. And you know how this goes. Everyone who wanted sprayed got sprayed and those who did not, were not.
My friend D was there again and he wanted to be in charge of the sprayer. I wasn't sure about that, but he had demonstrated such responsibility and respect for others with the garden hose that I gave him the bottle with careful instructions to ask every person before spraying and not to spray anyone who did not want to get wet.
D did an excellent job and soon brought me an empty spray bottle. The children were cool and happy and only a little bit wet. I thought that was pretty terrific.
The reason this topic speaks to me today is I catch myself getting so caught up in preparing practical life materials with careful controls of error that I forget the "fun" part. It's important to learn to pour water carefully from a pitcher, then to learn to make bubbles with a whisk in a bowl.
But sometimes you just need to turn on the tap, pour some soap into the sink, and make the biggest pile of bubbles you've ever seen, preferably with a friend.
Yes, it is imperative the children learn about water conservation and why we should not waste water. But before we can work to conserve something, we must learn to care about it. Before we can ask the children to turn off the water, we have to trust them with the power to turn it on.