Spit Balls – what was I thinking?!?
It was a dark and stormy day…
…and I, along with my three young, very active and restless boys, were all stuck inside. I knew I’d have to think of something "new and unusual" for us to do if we were to get through this day. My boys asked if they could have a straw in order to drink their breakfast juice. EUREKA! An idea!
My kids love projectiles and the things that produce them; rockets, sling shots, catapults, trebuchets, you get the picture. So after breakfast, I introduced my boys to Spit Balls! I know, I know… what WAS I thinking! But… there is a lot of science to be learned from Spit Balls!
I started by giving each kid a scrap of paper. I told them to rip the paper into 2-inch squares and then wad the square pieces into balls. They saw me rolling my little wads of paper (yes, I wanted to play, too!) in the palms of my hands and they started doing the same. Many times, I think it is best to just do something and see if they are observing. They learn so much just by watching the actions of others. All the while we were creating our arsenal, they kept asking "what ARE we doing?"… but I kept it a surprise until we each had dozens and dozens of "wads" created. I gave each kid a straw and asked them to guess what we were going to do with straws and wads of paper – they always love to guess what I have planned next… they never really know what to expect! It’s more fun this way!
I love listening to my kids brainstorm new ideas. My 8 year old Rube-Goldberg-Wanna-Be son thought we could make a version of a marble run if we connected several straws together with "The Tape" (our favorite — Scotch Heavy Duty Packing Tape — which, in our household, is known as "The Tape"), and if we applied epoxy glue to the wads of paper, it would turn them into hard little balls. We’ll save that experiment for another day. My 5 year old outdoor-enthusiast son thought we could add a piece of string to the straw, and make mini fishing poles so we could catch the hundreds of tadpoles in our Reflection Pond — where they DO NOT belong! My 10 year old scientist son thought perhaps we could use the wads of paper as fuel, and the straw as a launcher to send toothpick rockets into space. I told them that these were all very clever ideas. I then tucked a wad of paper into the end of a straw and blew it out from the other end across our breakfast table. Whoops and hollers! "WOW!! What a COOL idea, Mom!" My kids were completely on board!
They took wads of paper from their piles, put a wad in the end of their straws (like I did – see, observation!) and then blew out the opposite end of the straw (like I did) and were thrilled to see their paper wads fly across the room. This is when I sat back and observed. I like to get the kids started with something, but then enjoy sitting back quietly and watching to see where they take these ideas. They soon discovered that the smaller, tighter wadded pieces of paper worked better and got more distance (less wind resistance). They all began retrofitting their wads of paper into tighter pieces. One of them suggested they all blow their wads of paper at the same time to see who could go the longest distance….did I mention they are very competitive with each other? My oldest said "Hey! What if we increase the density of the wad by getting it wet!" See, I told you they’re great at experimenting! At first, they ran the wads of paper under the faucet to make them denser. This worked well and they were shooting further than ever now. However, they didn’t like having to go to the sink each time they wanted to get the paper wet. My youngest got caught putting the paper in his mouth and chewing it. My middle son was appalled and said "WHAT are you doing?!? Eating it?!?" My youngest replied "It gets the paper wet and is easier than the sink!" This is where a parent just has to keep quiet and watch. Well, the novelty of chewing the paper to get it to work quickly became the preferred method. You may be thinking… she was letting them spit all over the house?!?!? No. Rules were quickly established and packing boxes were quickly taken out to use as targets…. well… mostly!
Soon, the boys wanted to measure distances. My youngest got his tape measure and they began measuring distances and calculating differences between their first, second, and third attempts at new records (a great lesson in math). My oldest began recording their longest shots (a great lesson in graphing, recording, and penmanship). My middle son (also a wonderful artist) thought using different kinds of paper would make a difference (hypothesizing, testing, and thinking outside the box).
We spent a good part of the day playing with Spit Balls. The boys made targets, tried longer straws (by putting two straws together with The Tape) and a variety of papers. I got some good pictures of them blowing harder, softer, and trying new things.
When I was tucking my youngest into bed that night, I went to open his window for some fresh, after-the-storm night air — and noticed there were several dried spit balls stuck on his window pane. Ah… isn’t childhood grand.
JayDee
P.S. My kids discovered that construction paper only makes your teeth green (or blue… or red… or whatever color you use). If you try this activity with your kids, you might want to put the construction paper away first — unless you want some funny pictures! Always make sure to watch young children closely so they don’t choke or swallow the paper. And, avoid using paper from the recycle pile that contains ink or dyes (like newspapers). Clean scratch paper, napkins, paper towels, etc., work best. When in doubt, you can supply each child with a small capful of water as a “spit” replacement to wet their paper wads. Stay safe. Have fun!
What else can you do with straws? Try UBERSTIX! They are excellent kits that get your children thinking and using items from around the house – including straws! What will your kids come up with?
