Drops

Take a walk outdoors when the sun is shining, but after a rain or when the snow is melting, i.e. at a time when drops of water are hanging from branches, bushes, playground equipment, railings and the like.

Stop and look at these drops. Walk in a complete circle around whatever the drops are on, keeping your eye on them as you move. The drops sparkle and gleam and turn a rainbow of color as they refract the shining sunlight. Walking through the forest a few days ago (the sun must have been at just the right angle) I saw what almost seemed to be a string of blinking, multicolored holiday lights, really just drops of water hanging from branches.

Gently touch a drop so it transfers to your finger. Look through it to your skin below and notice how it acts as a magnifying glass! Can you add another drop to the one you already have?

Since we are on the subject of drops – and even though it’s not an outdoor activity – you can ‘play’ with drops and learn more about them by getting a piece of wax paper, put some water drops on it, move them around, combine them, break a big drop into smaller ones, slide the drops by tilting the wax paper, shake pepper onto a larger-sized drop, then touch the drop with the end of a bar of soap – watch what happens.