The children have been exploring the dry-erase easels with the image of a museum favorite, Moptop, pictured behind the surface. We wondered what would happen if we replaced it with a different picture…
The children noticed this change right away. We heard
It changed!
Hey! Where’s the white guy?
Why did you change it?
It changed and now it’s Drippy Droppy!
Once we warmed up to this change, lots of exploration and conversation followed.
A conversation
Ruthie: Drippy Droppy because he has a drip.
What’s the drip coming from?
Ruthie: His nose.
Cal: Hey, what’s that red drip? What’s that blue drip?
Oh! It’s tears. Yea, he’s crying. He’s crying.
And you said you noticed a red drip back there?
Cal: Yea. And what’s that green drip?
Ruthie, do you have any idea about what that green drip is?
Ruthie: No. No. This is a green drop. I think it’s a green dot.
And Cal was also wondering about this red one back there…
Ruthie: Oh! Where did that come from?
Cal, where do you think that red one is coming from? Ruthie was wondering where it is coming from?
Cal: I’m drawing on that red one. Now I’m drawing on the blue one and the green one. Now…I’m going to erase it now. Nice and clean! Nice and clean!
Sam is exploring the pictures of Drippy Droppy on the easel with two flashlights. He walks around all of the sides, looking closely at each picture. He shines the light all around the sculpture and then explains,
This could be a train light.
See that thing right there? That little green thing and that yellow thing? I mean this thing and this thing. And these. And the green things. Those are the flashlights of the train.
Yea. Can I show you something to that? When you turn it off, then it goes off and then it’s easy when you push it, and then it goes on and off, on and off, on and off.
Nighttime for Drippy Droppy
Kyla had been working at the easel for a long time. She said, I was working on all the spots so it’s night.
Kyla continues covering the surface with black. When there aren’t any empty spaces left, she adds,
I made it nighttime for Drippy Droppy. Now it’s night. It’s going to be all better.
And I have a new baby! Her name is Rayne.
I made it nighttime for Drippy Droppy.
Next, Kyla uses an eraser to clear all of the black from the surface.
Now it’s morning!
I wonder if Drippy Droppy likes the morning or the nighttime…
Drippy Droppy likes the morning. And we don’t like the night because we can’t see Drippy Droppy in the night.
Next, Kyla draws two small lines onto Drippy Droppy, right above the black circle, as pictured to the right.
Now it’s just a little night.
She erases the black.
I can’t see the night. You can’t see the night because it’s in Drippy Droppy’s head. Now I’m going to fix it. I’m going to fix Drippy Droppy’s head.
