What is Underwater?
Episode # 149. Pulling Rope
In long rod-shaped box, the children give the Storypeople a rope. Grandpappa finds a rope with one end on the beach and the other in the water. He pulls, but the rope is stuck. So the children send Mrs. Lady, Brother and Sister, and even Little Dog Fido to help, but they can’t seem to tug hard enough to budge whatever is attached to the other end. Suddenly, the rope begins to move and out of the water walks Mr. Man in snorkeling gear and holding the other end of the rope! Mystery solved.

Directions
In the episode, the Storypeople are surprised when Mr. Man walks out of the water. Talk with your child about what kinds of things you would expect to find under water. Then play a game.

Place all the pictures or objects in a medium sized box and mix them up. Ask your child to guess whether she will pull out a picture of something that she would expect to find under water or something that she would be surprised to find under water. Without looking, let her pull a picture from the box to see if her prediction was right. Have her name what she sees. Help her learn new vocabulary if needed. If her prediction was correct, that picture stays out and goes into the underwater pile or not underwater pile. The game can continue until your child loses interest or until all the pictures have been properly categorized.

Be sure to include some silly things in the pictures. If your child insists that something would be underwater that is not typically underwater (or vice versa), have her tell a story about what that thing would be doing under water or how it got there. If she can think of a story, let her put the picture in the pile she chooses.

If possible, visit an aquarium or a pet store that sells fish to see other things that live under water.

Talk About It
While viewing the Pulling Rope episode, you might start a conversation by asking your child: “What do you think is on the end of the rope?”

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 Pulling Rope episode you might describe what Grandpappa does as pulling or tugging on the rope.