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    Peter and Polly Series by Rose Lucia Peter and Polly by Rose Lucia    

Lesson 13: The Boiling Springs Part II

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Up the path the children went. It was a narrow path. The cows had made it. On each side, there was lovely goldenrod. Peter picked a long stalk.

"Now I am captain," he said. "See my gold sword."

"I see something just as pretty," said Polly. "Over there in the tall grass."

"Oh, yellow daisies, yellow daisies!" shouted Peter. "I like those, too. I like them better than white daisies."

"I call them Black-eyed Susans," said Polly.

"Why do you, Polly?"

"Because they have a dark center, Peter. Here are the bars. Climb over and hold the egg. Then I will climb over."

In the pasture the grass was shorter. But a part of the field was covered with goldenrod. It looked like yellow plumes. It was very bright.

"There are some cows, Polly. Are you afraid of them? I am not."

"No," said Polly. "What is there to be afraid of? We are not afraid of Black Bess."

"We are not afraid of Tim's Jersey cows," said Peter. "But Tim says that some cows do not like red. They will chase you, if you have on red things."

"Well, I have nothing on that is red," said Polly. "So I am not afraid."

"Yes, you have, Polly. Yes, you have. You have on your red hair," cried Peter.

"Oh, dear!" said Polly. "I forgot that. Do cows chase hair? I do not believe that they do. I shall go along."

Soon they came to the fir trees. There, at the foot of a great rock, was the boiling spring. It was larger than a dish pan. It was not deep.

At one side the water ran out of the spring. It made a brook down the hill.

"See the sand at the bottom move, Peter," said Polly. "See the water at the top jump up and down. I do believe that it boils. Oh, goody, goody!

"Now I will drop in the egg. Do not put your fingers into the water. It might burn them."

The children sat by the spring for a long, long time. They watched the clear water bubble up and down. They waited for the egg to cook.

At last Polly said, "That egg must be boiled hard by this time. I shall not wait any longer. I will poke it out with these sticks. Then I will break it. We can eat it. I have some salt."

When she took it up to break it, it felt very cold.

"Why," said Polly, "this egg is cold. Eggs just boiled are hot. Father burns his fingers when he breaks ours in the morning. What do you suppose is the matter with this?"

"I know," said Peter. "The water is cold. I stuck my finger into it to see. You cannot boil anything in cold water."

"So it is cold," said Polly. "It must be good to drink. Let's drink. It is the oddest boiling water that I ever saw. I shall take the egg and go down now to ask the blacksmith about it."

    Peter and Polly Series by Rose Lucia Peter and Polly by Rose Lucia    

Lesson 13: The Boiling Springs Part II

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Peter and Polly walk through the blacksmith's pasture. Peter pretends a goldenrod stalk is a sword. Peter and Polly see cows and black-eyed-Susan flowers. The children find 'The Boiling Spring.' They try to cook the egg in the spring water, but the egg remains cold. Peter and Polly decide to report their findings to the blacksmith.

Vocabulary

Goldenrod: A plant with tall spikes of small bright yellow flowers.
Stalk: The main stem of a plant.
Plume: Something that is or resembles a feather, spreading outward from its base.
Daisy: Flowers with yellow centers and white petals.
Black-eyed-Susan: Flowers with dark centers and yellow petals.
Simulation: Imitation of a situation or process.

Concepts

Cold springs are created by cool water that flows from underground.

Facts about cold springs:

  1. Some springs flow year-round, other springs only flow at certain times of the year.
  2. Some spring water may be healthy because the water has dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium.
  3. In the story, Peter and Polly discover the spring is a cold spring, not a hot spring. Whether hot or cold, water that comes from underground remains at a relatively constant temperature year-round. Some hot and cold springs don't freeze in the wintertime, even when rivers and lakes freeze around them.
  4. Spring water under pressure may flow quickly from under the ground, making cold springs appear to boil, even though the spring water is cold.
  5. Humans use cold springs for many things, including for drinking water, swimming, fishing, and watering pastures and crops.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Bubbling vs Boiling

Objective:

Investigate and simulate the bubbling of a cold spring. Determine how water can bubble even when not hot and boiling.

Materials:

Kitchen sink with a plug and a sprayer. You can alternatively use a deep bucket or a bathtub instead of a sink.

Procedure:

  • Plug your kitchen sink, and fill it three-fourths full with water.
  • If you have a sink sprayer, pull it out and submerge the nozzle fully under the water. Pull the trigger and make the water bubble with the force of the flowing water. Be careful to keep the nozzle submerged!
  • If you don't have a sink sprayer, put your hands or a big spoon under the water and push the water up.

Conclusion:

How your simulation like a cold spring? How is it different?

  • Both involve water. The bubbling effect is similar, but the force behind the bubbling is different.
  • With a cold spring, pressurized water rushing from under the Earth's surface makes the water bubble.
  • With your simulation, water rushing from your sink sprayer makes the water bubble.

Conclusion #2:

How is the cold bubbling spring simulation different from the hot boiling spring simulation from the last lesson?

  • With the cold bubbling spring simulation, the energy of water rushing from the sink sprayer makes the water bubble.
  • With the hot boiling spring simulation, the energy of the stove heats the water and makes it bubble.

Review

Question 1

What does Peter use like a sword?
1 / 5

Answer 1

Peter uses a goldenrod stalk as a sword.
1 / 5

Question 2

What colors are black-eyed-Susans?
2 / 5

Answer 2

Black-eyed-Susans have yellow petals and black or dark brown centers.
2 / 5

Question 3

Why do Peter and Polly believe the water is hot?
3 / 5

Answer 3

Peter and Polly believe the water is hot because the spring bubbled like it was boiling.
3 / 5

Question 4

What does Polly do with the egg?
4 / 5

Answer 4

She submerges the egg in the springs, then removes the egg with sticks.
4 / 5

Question 5

Did Peter and Polly eat the egg? Why or why not?
5 / 5

Answer 5

Peter and Polly did not eat the egg. The egg was still cold and raw. The cold water of the spring did not cook the egg.
5 / 5

  1. What does Peter use like a sword? Peter uses a goldenrod stalk as a sword.
  2. What colors are black-eyed-Susans? Black-eyed-Susans have yellow petals and black or dark brown centers.
  3. Why do Peter and Polly believe the water is hot? Peter and Polly believe the water is hot because the spring bubbled like it was boiling.
  4. What does Polly do with the egg? She submerges the egg in the springs, then removes the egg with sticks.
  5. Did Peter and Polly eat the egg? Why or why not? Peter and Polly did not eat the egg. The egg was still cold and raw. The cold water of the spring did not cook the egg.

References

  1. 'Spring (hydrology).' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

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