Hi when I was teaching junior infants last year we used the Oxford Reading Tree book The Carboard Box as a prompt for waterproof materials. This led the children to carry out a number of experiments on a variety of materials to see which ones were waterproof or not. Before the experiment we engaged in oral discussions about the materials we would use and discussed further to see if the children believed each material would be waterproof or not. They then used a pipette filled with water and recorded the results of the experiment using a happy or sad face beside each material tested. We then discussed the results. As an extension to the activity the children had to create a waterproof jacket for teddy using cut up pieces from each of the waterproof materials they tested.
The children really enjoyed this simple experiment as it led to many discussions and they were able to connect old and new learning together.