the unexpected ideas

I work in an amazing building that was built over 50 years ago. While I hate the plumbing (rarely do we get hot water) and the drafty windows (although I love the view) it does afford us one gigantic heater. We fill up its 4 feet with mittens, shirts, paint smocks, and towels.

You see, the kiddos have rather free access to the sink for handwashing. That, coupled with a horrid design flaw (ie: movable faucet) allows for curious children to move the handle and flood the sink. We learn through trial and error. It takes about 4 times of teacher's shrieking/running from across the room before we learn that yes, we can flood the sink and no, we should not do it.

4 times of experimenting with the process x 12 children= a consistent rotation of items placed on top of the heater vents to be dried.

All this to say that we love our heater. The kiddos know our heater. Throughout the day they place items on it and retrieve warmed (and dried items) The heater is not new.

Yesterday it was re-discovered.

In the process of placing a shirt on the heater a kiddo noticed that the heater pushed the sleeve into the air. Giggling ensued as many hands worked to push the sleeve back down against the flow of the air. Then we looked for other things to put on the heater and watched to see what would happen.

Toy cars don't blow up in to the air.

Hair does but we have to lean really far forward

Chalk doesn't

Paper doesn't but makes a really cool sound

Feathers do and oh my goodness! Can you believe it? They fly up into the air!!!

This began at 11:00 am. and continued until they left at the end of the day.

Laughing and jumping as they tried to catch the flying feathers. Concentrating as they tried to perfect exact feather placement to achieve maximum velocity. Frustration as the feathers disappeared into the return air vents.

Can't wait to watch how this idea grows...