Mermaid and the Rainbow
I’ve set myself the project of teaching science by telling mermaid stories. This means my stories must have a plot – not just a mermaid science teacher.
So, I’ve got a mermaid. I’ve got one girl, Maia, who can see her. And one girl, Fig, who can’t. Trezzie has to play with both of them. That’s only fair. Even though it does get awkward when Fig sees a glass floating through the air, or gets her shoes wet for no logical reason.
Trezzie, the mermaid, sees both girls playing together on the lakeshore. She decides today would be a good day to show them how to make a rainbow with a mirror and a glass of water.
She digs into her treasure chest (which is full of things people have left on the shore of the lake – most of which looks like trash.) She selects a glass and a broken piece of mirror. Then she swims to the surface to show the girls.
But (there’s always a but in these stories) when she greets her friends, the sky has become cloudy. Luckily Maia and Fig know lots of science-based tricks they can do with an empty glass and a piece of paper that don’t require sunlight. They keep Trezzie and each other amused while waiting for the clouds to blow away.
These activities are all appropriate for young children to do at home in the yard, or even in the kitchen, where its easy to clean up spills.
Do you have any questions about water? Tell me, and I’ll try to work them into future books. Right now, there are three:
The Mermaid and the Rainbow
The Mermaid and the Ice Cube Necklace
The Mermaid and the Water Magnifying Glass
