Today we explored ghost poop and had quite the giggly Halloween Fun joke. At first we talk about how everyone poops, even ghosts. I asked if anyone had ever seen, touched, or smelled ghost poop. Of course that brings on the laughter and the "eeeewww" noises.
I then show them a big clear tub full of ghost poop. They can't believe it when I put my hand right in it. Then I ask them to give it a try and tell me what they are feeling. Some of the replies today were, "I feel something, it is slippery, there are balls in there, it's cold (the water was chilly), it is wet".
Then we pull some "poop" out so they can see the clear spheres that we were feeling in the water. They were amazed that the clear balls disappear when you put them back in the water. We do this a few times and talk about how the balls are clear (not white), they are round spheres, they are small and slippery, etc.
Then I drain the water and they are amazed at how many little spheres there are. We get to play with them for a little while without the water. Then I tell them that the ghost who gave us the poop wants to give us a secret message. To do this, I place a paper underneath the tub with the spheres. Since there are so many of these little balls, you cannot see the message underneath the tub. As I begin to pour water back into the tub, the message becomes clearer. You can now see though the clear water, clear beads, and the clear tub! Underneath, the message shows a little ghost and the word, "boo!" We will get to play with the poop tomorrow in big tubs.
The clear spheres are actually water beads. They start out as hard, tiny, round beads. When you place them in a tub of water overnight, they absorb the water and grow exponentially in size. They are meant to put in flower vases to help with the watering or to help hold the stems upright. You can find packages of them in the flower section at craft stores like Michael's.
Now you know the whole story!! Happy Halloween!
