Minnow nets

I often times liked to include different size minnow nets on the shelf next to the sensory table with the other hodgepodge and doohickies.   In the picture below, I set out two different size nets, the smaller set was green and the larger set had white netting.

 
I first used the minnow nets with a worm slide apparatus.  The idea behind the nets was to provide implements for the children to catch the worms coming out the tubes or pipes.   Using nets was much different than catching the worms with other containers.  For instance, the net did not hold water like other containers and the worms always ended up at the bottom of the net.   The two pictures below illustrate those differences.

In the following video, the children scoop the plastic worms (fishing lures without hooks) into their nets.  One child seems to be directing the play by urging the two other children playing with her to hurry and catch the worms before they get away.


We need to catch the worms from Thomas Bedard on Vimeo.


The nets were perfect implements for catching the worms because water flowed through the tiny holes of the nets but the worms did not.  However, because the nets were so flaccid, getting the worms out of the nets proved to be tricky.


How to get the worms out of the minnow net from Thomas Bedard on Vimeo.

Because the child could not simply turn the net over to dump out the worms, he tried to dislodge the worms by hitting the net against the side of the table and then against the side of the tub.  He used a little more force each time he tried extricate the worms   On the third try, he accidentally hits the head of the minnow net against the side of the table which somehow allowed all the worms to fly out of the net to his great surprise and delight.

I also found that the minnow nets worked well water beads.  In the video below, a child uses a minnow net to transport water beads into a clear plastic tube.


Transporting water beads with a minnow net from Thomas Bedard on Vimeo.

That was one full minnow net.  What is interesting is that the child figured out how to empty his minnow net by using one hand to push up the net from the bottom.  That was important because that allowed him to get almost all the beads into the tube.
 

I also set out the minnow nets with some dry medium, too.  With the Jurassic sand, the nets became like  wispy sieves.  With corn, the nets became supple containers. 

Before I finish this post, I want to go back to the worms and catching worms with the net.  One child created a new worm catching tool using a bottle and the small green minnow net.


New worm catching tool from Thomas Bedard on Vimeo.

The child found a bottle that he could wedge into the minnow net so the bottle would not fall out if he tipped it upside down.  Using his new tool, he was able to scoop both water and worm to transport it around the table.

Where did the child come up with the idea to make a new tool?  Was his first thought: I wonder if I can put this bottle in the net.  When he did that, did he know he made a tool?  Was the tool only realized once he tried to use it as a new type of scoop?  Was there pleasure in the making of the tool?  Was there pleasure in the using of the tool?  I do not know the answers to those questions.  Maybe a better question is: What implements or materials make for a rich mix of paraphernalia to foster creative exploration to discover new possibilities for play?   For me, one of the implements is surely a minnow net.