Putting out the chalk fire

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Squeezing sponges is a great activity for hand strengthening, so I came up with a game to play that incorporates the squeezing of the sponges.

This game will need to be played outside because it can get very wet. I wanted the kids to be able to squeeze the sponges on something that was upright, so I made some upright chalk board towers.

I bought some plastic popcorn containers at the target dollar spot, sprayed them with plastic paint primer, then painted them with chalkboard paint.

For the activity, I had the kids first draw a fire with chalk onto their chalkboard tower, and then we put them on chairs across from the water buckets. Then they had a race to see who could put out their fire first. They used sponges, dipped them in water, and then squeezed the water over the tower. By the end of the relay, the kids were all scrubbing the chalk off with their sponges.

This game would work on a regular chalkboard with a spray bottle and sponge, and you could keep it from being as wet.

Materials:

• Chalkboard towers
• Popcorn tubs
• Plastic paint primer
• Chalkboard paint
• Sponges
• Water
• Buckets

Skills:

• Hand strength
• Motor planning
• Sensory motor
• Visual perception