Illustration coming soonThe Paper on the Bumps
Miri draws a road on paper. Her paper rests on a ridged plastic tray. The crayon line skips into little stripes.
Miri tries another line. More stripes appear. "My crayon keeps jumping," she says. She looks at its point. It is not broken.
Shaindy sits across the table. "What is underneath?" she asks. Miri lifts the corner of her paper. The tray has rows of little ridges.
Miri lays the paper on the smooth table instead. She draws with the same crayon. This line is smooth. "It was the bumps," she says.
Shaindy brings a scrap of paper. Miri puts the scrap on the tray and draws a patch. The ridges leave stripes again.
"I like these for a fence," Miri says. She keeps the striped scrap. Her road paper stays on the smooth table.
Miri draws a house beside the road. Shaindy asks for a turn with the tray. Miri slides the empty tray across the table.
They put their papers side by side. Miri has a smooth road and a striped fence scrap. One crayon makes different marks on two surfaces.
Activity 1
What is under Miri's paper at the start?
Activity 2
What happens to the crayon line?
Activity 3
Is the crayon point broken?
Activity 4
What does Shaindy ask Miri to check?
Activity 5
What changes when Miri uses the smooth table?
Activity 6
What does Miri want to use the striped marks for?
Activity 7
Draw a smooth road and a striped fence in separate spaces.
Activity 8
With a grown-up, look for a smooth safe surface and a gently ridged safe surface. Compare by looking or touching.
Grown-up notes and answers
1. A ridged plastic tray.
2. It skips into stripes.
3. No.
4. What is underneath the paper.
5. The same crayon makes a smooth line.
6. A fence.
7. Accept any drawing showing the two different marks.
8. Adult chooses clean stable surfaces, no sharp edges, heat, small objects or texture forced on the child.