Water Balloons

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the afternoon filling water balloons.  It has been a while since I've done water balloons and since Summer is here (Summer being prime water balloon season), I thought I'd cover some things I learned/relearned yesterday to save you all some time.

1. Use the nozzle thing that comes with the water balloons or you won't have enough pressure.
2. This nozzle will not fit on a classroom faucet.  You need a hose.
3. 5th grade boys will need to "help" to verify that the nozzle will not, in fact, fit on the faucet and confirm that the hose is crucial.  It doesn't matter that you figured this out 10 minutes ago, they need to see for themselves.  They're at that age.
4. The school has two hoses in the outdoor learning center.
5. You need a special key from the office to turn them on.
6. 5th graders know this.
7. The teacher did not (in her defense, this is her first year at this school).
8. 5th graders know too much about how to work the school.
9. The office doesn't have the key - the 5th graders lost it.
10. The P.E. teacher has a key.
11. It is the only key left in the school to turn on the water for the hoses.
12. You must promise to get the key back to the P.E. teacher and look trustworthy while saying this.  (Never mind the background check you have to go through to even volunteer in the school, the keymaster, P.E. teacher, guards the key like a knitter with the last ball of cashmere in a LYS sale.)
13. When you fill water balloons, don't overfill them.  They pop.
14. Don't underfill them either.  That's just sad.
15. Be careful not to drop them when you tie knots in them.  They pop.
16. Some water balloons have pinholes in them, so even though you can fill them, they squirt out the side.  
17. Place them gently into the bucket thing.  They pop.
18. Single layers are the way to go.  Don't stack them.  They pop.
19. Walk the bucket thing gently into the school to store the water balloons.  They pop.
20. Walking through a school with water balloons will make you a very popular person.
21. Filling water balloons will make you a very wet person.
22. Don't look at the water balloons too much.  They pop.

The P.E. teacher got his key back.  I interrupted a kindergarten class to return it - they were doing parachutes.  I loved parachutes in P.E.  This afternoon the 5th graders get to throw water balloons at their teachers.  Should be lots of fun!