Growing up in Oklahoma and Texas, summers were hot. My siblings and I loved nothing more than to head to our local park, where fountain sprinklers helped kids of all ages beat the heat. We would leap and skip through the cool spray, splashing in puddles and moving into the center to let the water beat on our backs. Only the jingle of the ice cream truck could lure us out before it was time to head home.
Lucy Cummins captures the magic of summer water play in her picture book, Our Pool. She invites children ages 3-8 to explore the kind of community that a local gathering spot creates. Read the book together and dive deeper with one or more of the following activities.
Soundscape. The author incorporates lots of sounds into the story. Feet slap, whistles blow, people cheer. Read the story a second time and invite children to add as many sound effects as they can imagine. Try to create the soundscape of a busy pool in a busy city where children and adults are having a great time together.
City People Soup. Lots of different people hang out at the pool, creating a diverse community where everyone belongs. The author calls it “an ice-cold bowl of City People Soup!” Look through the book again and notice what’s different and what’s the same about the people depicted. For example, there are many different skin tones and lots of folks are wearing sunglasses. Or, there are different ways of getting in the water and several people have pink swimsuits. Create a chart or diagram that shows a variety of ways that you might group people together, such as hairstyles, hats, age, swim activities, etc.
Floating. In the middle of the story, lots of kids decide to float in the pool. Invite children to lie on their backs and imagine they are floating. Say: Lie down with your arms held out from your body like you are floating. Close your eyes and feel the floor holding your body like water in a pool. (pause) Take deep breaths and let your body relax into the floor. (pause) Imagine the water rippling slowly around you. (pause) Wiggle your fingers like you are feeling the water pass through them. (pause) Imagine the sun shining down on you, warming your skin. (pause) Rest in the water for another minute and, when you are ready, open your eyes and sit up. Invite children to share how they felt while ‘floating’ if they chose.
Pool play. People do lots of different things in the story’s pool: flips and handstands, chatting, dolphin kicks, games, racing, cannonballs. Encourage children to draw a picture of their favorite things to do in a pool. Suggest that they include other people they know doing their favorite things as well. Hang (or post) all the images on a big blue background to illustrate your pool community having fun.
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