Blowing Game
Episode # 145. Sailing Boat
In a very large, cube-shaped box, the children give the Storypeople a sail boat. Mr. Man finds the boat, but there is no water until the children give him a stream. The boat sails well on the stream, but every time Mr. Man tries to catch it, a wind comes and blows it away! How can he get the boat without getting wet? The children give Mr. Man a big sail boat, so he can float on the water. And with help from a big wind, he catches the little sail boat.

Directions
In the program, Mr. Man blows on a sail to make a sail boat move. You can play a related game with your child to see who can blow an object over the other’s goal line. You can play on any flat surface. A small kitchen table or an uncarpeted floor will work well. Designate a goal line for each player. If you are playing on a table, the goal line can simply be the edge of the table. Place an object half way between each player (or slightly towards yourself if you want to compensate for a young child’s limited abilities). Players should place their hands behind them. On your signal, you and your child try to move the object over the other’s goal line by blowing on the object.

Try playing with different kinds of objects. Help your child notice the characteristics of the objects that are easy to move and those that are harder to move. What’s different?

Also, use a pad to keep score. Divide the pad into two columns. If she is able, let your child write her name in one column and you can write your name (or title, e.g., “mom”, “grandpa”, etc.) in the other. Then let your child put a mark in the proper column each time a point is scored. At the end, help her count the marks and tally the scores.

Talk About It
While viewing the Sailing Boat, you might start a conversation by asking your child: “If you were Mr. Man, how would you catch the sail boat?” After viewing, you might get a toy sail boat, visit a dock to see real boats, or the library to find pictures of sail boats. Help your child learn to name the parts of the boat (stern, aft, starboard, mast, sail, jib, etc.).

As you talk about the things on screen, you can help expand your child’s vocabulary by alternating the words you use with their synonyms. In the Sailing Boat episode you might describe the boats as being small or little, big or large.