Riverbed Challenge - Activity Instructions

Tune In

Tune in to the idea of problem-solving by revisiting the ways the dragons worked together to solve problems.

What were some of the problems the dragons faced in the story ‘Charlie’s Tales: Cassia and the Fire Dragons’? (Water shooting up out of the mountain, water running down the mountain and ruining the nests)
What did the dragons do to solve the problems? (Used Cassia’s unique ability to freeze the water, worked together to dig a river bed.)

Sometimes it’s the things that we can do differently that can help solve problems. If Cassia was a fire breathing dragon like the others, she wouldn’t have been able to save the day. When we work together, we can get the job done just quicker. If only one dragon dug the river bed, the water might have flowed too quickly and destroyed the nests.

Find Out

Watch/Listen to Jack Hartmann’s Team Work Makes the Dream Work song:

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work! Featuring Blackberry Jam and Jack Hartmann (youtube.com/watch?v=-dNRJAPJIYA)

Brainstorm the things you can do to be a good team member. Children might suggest:

care for others
be kind to others
help each other
think of other people’s points of view
do your part/fair share.

Take Action

Have children work together in small groups to create a river bed that allows water to flow. This could be done in a sand pit or tuff tray filled with sand.

Throughout the process, remind the children of the characteristics of a good team member and what the dragons did to solve their problems in the story. Encourage fairness amongst the children as they participate in negotiation and make decisions as a group. They can begin to appreciate and respect different ways of doing and become aware of ways their teammates might be excluded and ways in which they encourage inclusion.

Encourage the children to explore the scientific process by creating something that they think will work before testing it out. This may look like

exploring the concept of gravity as they realise they need to have the river bed running downhill.
identifying that some materials absorb water (sand) and other materials don’t (PVC pipes)
discovering how different items in different positions change the flow of water.

Provide them with extra resources like PVC pipes, stones, shells, and bamboo half cylinders that they can use creatively to build their riverbed.

Once the children have created a river bed they are happy with, they can use a hose or watering can to let some water run through it. If there are problems with their riverbed, encourage them to first discuss them with their group and listen to different points of view before they jump back into fixing it.

As the groups achieve success with their riverbed, encourage them to share ideas and resources and offer assistance to the other children. Groups may even feel inspired to combine skills, resources and ideas to create a larger river bed for the group to enjoy. Here they could investigate other scientific phenomena like sinking and floating as they send bark boats down the river or find toys that may or may not float!

Riverbed Challenge

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Summary

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Target Age

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