King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is a wonderful story by Audrey and Don Wood about a king who loves baths and playing in the bathtub. It is a great jumping off point for studying Medieval Times, Hygiene, or sorting and categorizing.
In this lens we will explore displacement with Archimedes, learn a little sign language, and do a lot of water experiments. There are ideas for learning new vocabulary and songs to sing.
So Rub a dub, dub, let's start learning what we'll take in the tub.
King Bidgood's Table of Contents
- Fictional Tub Books
- When King Bidgood writes on the Wall...
- Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in the Tub
- King Bidgood meets Archimedes
- King Bidgood Vs. Archimedes
- King Bidgood Where Are You Going?
- Underwater Notepad
- Shower or Bath
- King Bidgood becomes a Scientist
- King Bidgood's Short u Activity
- King Bidgood Declares Short u Day!
- King Bidgood Dries Off
- Bathtub Science
- More Bathtub Stories
- Learn more about Audrey and Don Wood
- King Bidgood is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- Messages for King Bidgood
How do Tubs Work, King Bidgood?
King Bidgood Loves to Read
Photo Credit: Clawfoot Tub
on Photobucket
Photo Credit: King Charles I
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
King Bidgood loves his tub so much that he finds that he loves to read about plumbing, bathrooms and water. Here are some of his favorites.
When he gets out he likes to play games like Water Works, a game about connecting pipes. Parents often give me left over PVC pipes. We use them in the Block Center where the children use them to create the most amazing structures.
We also use Marble Run to get the idea of how pipes must be connected to make sure that the water runs through without leaks.
Fictional Tub Books
King Bidgood reads Tub Books
Do you or one of your parents have an old tub lying around. Those old clawfoot tubs are perfect for turning into a reading nook. Just add some pillows, a few books and some eager readers.
You might like to have some King's Crowns for the children to wear when they are reading in the tub.
With only 10 words, Patty Wolcott's book, The Marvelous Mud Washing Machine is perfect for the very beginning reader. King Bidgood is a great read aloud and Tabby in the Tub is perfect for readers that are just taking off into chapter books.
When King Bidgood writes on the Wall...
King Bidgood can Scrub it off again!
Photo Credit: Kid Coloring Wall
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
Photo Credit: Kid Drawing on the Wall
King Bidgood spends so much time in the tub that he might even do his writing in the tub. These crayons write on walls and are easily cleaned off. Children love to practice spelling words, handwriting or writing messages to eachother when given permission to write on the wall.
After the children have written their spelling words on the wall it's time to scrub them off again. But they must be scrubbed off in the right order. Give clues such as:
1. Scrub off a word that starts with "b" as in Bidgood.
2. Scrub off a word with a short u in the middle.
etc.
This is also a great way to practice handwriting.
Bath Crayons - Draw on Tiles and Tub - Easy Cleanup
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009) 
Books for the Bathroom
King Bidgood loves to Read
Photo Credit: Reading in the Tub
from Mrs. Stamp's Kindergarten
These are great read alouds that I love to keep in a basket in the bathroom. They encourage children not only to read but also to take a bath.
In the classroom it can be fun to get an old clawfoot tub, paint it bright colors, add pillows and use it as a Reading Nook.
Rub a Dub Dub in Sign Language
King Bidgood learns to Sign
Laminate this poster and hang it near the Dramatic Play Center. Children can practice the signing, put dolls in the tub and act out the tale or practice reading the words to the three men in the tub.
- Children's Sign Products in Auslan (Australian Sign Language)
- A large selection of specially designed Auslan (Australian Sign Language) books, posters, DVd's and more.
- Funbrain.com Sign the Alphabet
- This game teaches elementary sign language. Fun game teaches Alphabet and numbers. For kids and children of all ages and grades.
Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in the Tub
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Three Men in a Tub
Buy at AllPosters.com
Rub a Dub Dub,
Three Men in the Tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.
Turn them out knaves all three.
Make costumes for 3 dolls and dress them as the butcher, the baker and the candlesick maker. Put them in the tub with copies of Nursery Rhyme books for the children to read.
Archimedes' Bathtub
Read the book Mr. Archimedes's Bath.
Archimedes discovered that he could measure the mass of objects by using displacement of water.
1. Set up a balance scale in the sink.
2. Fill two equal sized dishes completely with water. (Be sure to model this procedure and have children experiment with filling the dishes completely.)
Photo Credit: Displacement Experiment
in the public domain
The book Sign Out Science explains in very clearly how to do an easy experiment using Archimedes discovery of how to determine the mass of an object by displacement of water.
1. In the Sink set up a large bowl. Use a waterproof marker or tape to make a line around the inside of the bowl to show the level of the water.
2. Model how run the water in to just the right level.
2. Place objects to be used for observing the displacement in a dishpan next to the sink.
4. Model how to keep hands down so that water doesn't spill onto the floor. Cover the floor with towels. Children might stand on chairs.
5. Allow the children to experiment with various objects.
6. As a class, discuss and record their observations.
I found in my classroom that the children loved this activity so much that they often wanted to continue during recess. Many of them wrote about this experience during Writing Workshop.
Mr. Archimedes' Bath (Picture Puffin)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Sign Out Science: Simple Hands-on Experiments Using Everyday Materials
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
King Bidgood meets Archimedes
Displacement Experiment
Set up the Sensory Table with water and aluminum foil.
Children try to make boats that float.
On the shelf under the Sensory Table label two dishpans: Float and Sink.
After the children have had turns experimenting with making boats, take them out and observe them carefully. Use a digital camera to take pictures. Record your observations and make a class book.
A demonstration of the Law of Archimedes. The boat floats easily but the bail sinks. Why? Because the boat displaces much more water than the ball
- Science Experiments for Cub Scouts
- DISPLACEMENT EXPERIMENT
A Webelos Scientist demonstration of the Law of Archimedes. The boat floats easily but the bail sinks. Why? Because the boat displaces much more water than the ball.
King Bidgood watches a video on Displacement, Bouyancy and Stability
King Bidgood Vs. Archimedes
King Bidgood plays a Board Bame
- Archimedes Board Game
Originally published in the July 1988 issue of GAMES Magazine, Archimedes is a nautical battle game for 2 players.
Archimedes can be played with a standard checkers set. The board is an 8X8 grid, and each player has 12 "ships" represented by checkers of one color. The object of the game is to capture opponent's ships in an attempt to land on the enemy's home port.
Math: King Bidgood Sorts his Toys
King Bidgood's Adventures in Recycling
To expand on this aspect of the book you can sort objects in math for different attributes.
1. Set out a junk box and ask children to sort them
2. Ask them to take pictures of the final sorting.
3. They should be able to explain the criteria for the way they sorted them.
4. Help them label their pictures and then make them into a class book.
At the beginning of the year I ask parents to send in small objects for our Junk Box. Things like keys, buttons, knobs, handles, etc. Any small objects that no longer have a purpose. We use these for counting, sorting, art projects and science experiments and it's a great way to promote recycling.
Quality Time Junk Box Disorganizer
Amazon Price: $51.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
Look-Alikes Around the World
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 12/24/2009)
King Bidgood Where Are You Going?
You Can Never Go Down the Drain
Photo Credit:
King Bidgood, with legs like toothpicks and
a neck like a giraffe.
King Bidgood, got in the bathtub,
pulled out the plug and then.
OH MY Goodness,
OH MY SOUL,
there goes King Bidgood down that hole.
King Bidgood, where are you going?
Glub, Glub, Glub.
Down the Drain: Victorian Sewers (Sparks)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Down The Drain, Yardley, 2-4 (Lighter Look)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
King Bidgood and his Tub
Children love to retell the story of King Bidgood. These props help to extend the story and help develop new story lines for King Bidgood.
Later the children may write these stories during Writing Workshop.
Underwater Notepad
Rite in the Rain - Green Tactical Note Book (All Weather)
Rite in the Rain is a truly amazing paper that is created specifically for writing field notes in all weather conditions; from the torrential downpours of the Pacific Northwest to the blistering heat and humidity of a Florida summer's day.
Excellent for boat and dive logs, hiking, student field work and all outdoor occupations.
Amazon Price: $4.25 (as of 12/24/2009)
Rite in the Rain Tactical Pocket Notebook - Desert Tan
Amazon Price: $3.48 (as of 12/24/2009)
Shower or Bath
It's time to weigh in.
Which way do you prefer to get clean?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byShower
Bathtub
groovyoldlady says:
Overall? I'm a tub soaker (and reader and crossword puzzle doer). But if I'm really grungy and dirty from yardwork, only a shower will do.
Posted September 19, 2008
King Bidgood becomes a Scientist
Bathtub and Shower Experiments
- Shower vs. Bath, an experiment
- 1. Measure the amount of water it takes to take a shower by putting in the plug when taking a shower.
2. Does water always turn in a certain direction when going down the drain? Email someone in the southern hemisphere and ask them to do the same experiment. Does it go clockwise or counter-clockwise?
3. Does your voice sound better when singing in the shower?
King Bidgood's Short u Activity
Short u or Long u
King Bidgood only wants to play with the ducks with a short u sound. The ducks with the long u are put in the basket.
Make a bulletin board with King Bidgood in the bathtub. Place two hooks on the wall labeled underwear and uniform and hang one under each corresponding hook.
Put a toybasket beside the tub for words that don't have the short u sound.
On the tub write Short u.
King Bidgood has decided to play with his ducks today but he will only play with ducks that have pictures with a short u sound in the middle.
Make a stack of ducks with pictures on one side and the words on the other.
Note:You could put the symbol over the u for the short or long sound for self checking.
The children listen for the short u sound in the word and either put it in the tub or in the toy basket beside the tub for another day.
King Bidgood is finally ready to get out of the tub. What will he wear?
His underwear or his uniform?
Well, he has declared that it is short u day so of course only his underwear will do.
King Bidgood Declares Short u Day!
Ducks for King Bidgood's Bulletin Board
NOTEPADS DUCK
Amazon Price: $3.35 (as of 12/24/2009)
King Bidgood's Short u Words
Learning about the letter u fits right in with reading the story of King Bidgood's in the Bathtub.
- Short u Words and Pictures
- These can be used to glue onto the ducks.
- Letter U Alphabet Activities at EnchantedLearning.com
- Letter U Alphabet Activities: print outs, information, coloring pages, and books related to the letter U.
King Bidgood Dries Off
Why do you feel cool when you get out of the tub?
Ivory Soap Girl Washing
Buy at AllPosters.com
When King Bidgood finally does get out of the tub he feel cool. The water in the tub was warm and the air in the room is warm. What's going on?
Robert Krampf has an experiment with scientific explanations to go with it. All you need is warm water and a washcloth.
- Evaporation Air Humidity Bathtub Experiment
- Science experiment 264. A Cool Experiment. Why you feel cool when you get out of the tub.
It's a good thing that King Bidgood likes to Bathe.
Bathing keeps you clean. King Bidgood keeps the flies off by bathing often. While in the bathroom he also remembers to brush his teeth.-
All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
-
Celebrate the loss of a baby tooth and the growth of permanent teeth while learning to read, write and measure your teeth. Graph the lost teeth by month and write to the Tooth Fairy. Cuddle with the Big Bad Wolf and all his big teeth. Count your fri...
-
Old Black Fly Unit Study
-
Old Black Fly's been buzzing around and lands on an alphabet's worth of spilled drips and drops of food. This poem is fun to read aloud with it's lilting rhyme has makes you want to dance. Use Old Black Fly to start a unit on insects that will inspi...
Bathtub Science
Sometimes science experiments can seem like magic.
1. Use a clear plastic cup.
2. Push a crumpled piece of paper down to the bottom of the cup.
3. Hold the cup upside down and push it to the bottom of the tub full of water.
Because of air pressure, if you held it straight no water will go into the cup and the paper will stay dry.
- Bath Tub Science For Kids
- Tips for teaching kids science while having fun in the bathtub.
- The Crafty Teacher: 107 Things to Put in Your Sensory Table
- 1. Sand
2. Water - plain or lightly colored
3. Water with liquid soap or bars of soap
4. Rice - which can be colored with food coloring if desired
5. Pasta - one kind or a mix; can also be colored
6. Snow
7. Fake snow - it's awesome!
8. Hay
9. Soil - use organic for safety; add live worms if you're brave
10. Sod
These are just the top ten. There's lots and lots more. - Science in the Bathtub
- The best way to support children's science exploration is to help children do their own thinking rather than tell them facts. This inspires your child to do exactly what scientists do: observe closely, make predictions, try things out, and make thoughtful conclusions.
More Bathtub Stories
Bathtubs in Social Studies
The Pickle Patch Bathtub
It's 1925 and Donna Delle Philp's legs have grown too long for the family's old washtub. But with her parents busy making ends meet on the farm, it's up to Donna to find a solution. After months of toil-and some help from her brother and sisters-she earns enough money to buy the family a real bathtub. This warm, true story illustrates the value of a dollar and what can be accomplished by working together toward a goal.
Amazon Price: $11.66 (as of 12/24/2009)
Toilets, Bathtubs, Sinks, and Sewers: A History of the Bathroom
An intriguing account of toilets, tubs, and sanitation systems.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Mortimer Mooner Stopped Taking A Bath! (The Mooners)
An anthropomorphized pig who, in the course of a week, goes into a steep decline in his approach to personal hygiene.
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
Bathtime for Biscuit (My First I Can Read)
Biscuit is reluctant to take his bath, but after making a mess and some puddles of his own, it is finally time to get clean.
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 12/24/2009)
Learn more about Audrey and Don Wood
The Authors and Illustrators of King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
- Audrey and Don Wood's Clubhouse
- Meet Audrey Wood and 6 Award Winning Children's Book Creators. Join in activities with Audrey Wood! Discover how picture books are written and illustrated. Meet Audrey Wood and 6 Award Winning Children's Book Creators. Join in activities with Audrey Wood! Discover how picture books are written and i
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Kids and water are an exciting mix. Find more exciting ideas in these other lenses.-
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King Bidgood is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- Internet Directory of Unit Studies
- The Four Wheelers Internet Directory of Unit Studies contains a list, roughly arranged by subject, of links to unit studies that are published on the Internet.
Look Who's Talking about King Bidgood
-
- RHGjr
- @manday1988 Pillars of the Earth is amazing. . .or for a lighter read, try King Bidgood's in the Bathtub. Lol
Messages for King Bidgood
Unexpected Bath, Children Playing with Water Tub
Buy at AllPosters.com
Leave King Bidgood a message and when he gets out of the tub, he'll write back.
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Reply
- WhitePineLane WhitePineLane May 3, 2009 @ 9:42 am
- Evelyn-- Another wonderful lens! My daughter and I saw this in the doctor's office yesterday and I wouldn't have picked it up (she's 10 going on 14), but I remembered you had a lens on it. We had fun giggling and taking turns reading the pages to each other while waiting for the doctor. She thought it was very "random".
Just like tandemonium said, I adore your talent for spinning one idea out into a study of many, many different concepts! Five stars!
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Reply
- tonyab tonyab Apr 28, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
- Evelyn! Another fantastic lens! I think I will be home-schooling my son this year, and I will make sure to check out all of your lenses for some help. =) Thanks for adding it to the Kid Stories group!
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Reply
- Child_Health Child_Health Mar 17, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
- This is a wonderful lens! There is a lot of great information and fun resources in this lens. When you have a chance, I'd love for you to visit my child health lens. Be sure to say hello when you stop by!
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Reply
- andreaberrios andreaberrios Jan 3, 2009 @ 10:04 pm
- wow, incredible! I love your lenses. this one is very creative, great job. 5*
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Reply
- tandemonimom tandemonimom Dec 30, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
- We have loved King Bidgood for years around here! Your creativity in drawing single items into huge, spun-out unit studies never ceases to impress me! 5*****
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Reply
- ViolinStudent ViolinStudent Dec 2, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
- Very nice lens. My wife, an Early Childhood Administrator here in TX, read the book to our daughter when the daughter was in Pre-K. She smiled about it too! Good job!
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Reply
- Dec 1, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
- Entertaining lens
5*
Bj
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Reply
- chefkeem chefkeem Nov 6, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
- I blessed you for this one, Evelyn. Your lenses are always of top quality. Super job again, here. 5*s w/benefits. :-)
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- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Nov 4, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
- A wonderful lens.
You have been Blessed by a Squid Angel
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Reply
- groovyoldlady groovyoldlady Sep 19, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
- Oh Great King
Just one thing
When you leave
will you please
take your ring!
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Reply
- Barkely Barkely Sep 16, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
- Thanks for adding this lens to the Fun For Kids Group:)
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Reply
- funwithtrains funwithtrains Sep 9, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
- Neat lens, my toddlers will love this one! 5 stars and a favorite (and a Digg)! Please stop by my Auto Social Poster lens when you have a moment.
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Reply
- funwithtrains funwithtrains Sep 9, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
- Neat lens, my toddlers will love this one! 5 stars and a favorite (and a Digg)! Please stop by my Auto Social Poster lens when you have a moment.
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Reply
- OhMe OhMe Aug 30, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
- This lens is a great resource for teachers. Great. 5*
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Meet the Author of this King Bidgood Unit Study Lens
Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.
Bath Tub Series II
Olson, Charlene...
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Find out what I'm doing when I'm not in the bathtub.
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Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
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My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
by Evelyn_Saenz
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