The Wonderful World of Blocks and Building

Block play is a significant part of an early childhood education experience.  Many skills are developed during block and building play such as creative, imaginative, and cognitive thinking skills.  Children also work on problem solving skills, spatial relationships, social skills because they are often creating with a friend, and fundamental math skills.  Block play, like the stages of development, have a sequence.  It starts out with tote and carry, Then building begins, as they build they move into further problem solving  and creative thinking skills when they start developing bridges and tunnels. By 4 and 5 they are typically making enclosed and representational buildings, such as houses, towns, schools, ect.  

Within each of these experiences they are engaging in fun and play, yet gaining a wealth of hands on skills, that in fact continue with them as they grow.

And as the children grow in skill level, so do their buildings and the creative way they put them together.  I wanted to feature some of these ways in this blog post.

This building is a wonderful example of working cognitive and problem solving skills.  If you look at the pictures, you will see how the boys managed to balance a whole struck on one cylinder block. As they worked together as a team, they made sure to balance the weight so that it would not topple over.

I have a bunch a jewelry displays I don't use anymore.  

When I was getting ready to donate them someplace, my husband pointed out that they would make great stackers in the block area.  He was right, they are a unique addition to the building area.

They are not only fun for stacking, but also wonderful for roads and tunnels.

Some even used them to measure themselves and practice patterns,

While others use them regularly to build apartment buildings.

I love the days when there are a lot of children working together to build something and every kind of building material and block we have is a part of the fun.

Projects converge

I have fallen very far behind on my posts for the blog.  I hope to make up some of that time in the next couple days.

Recently we had two projects we have been working on come together as one.  My last post was about our project on Africa, and in that post we made painted sticks.  Simultaneously, we have been working on our school garden.  The entrance way to this garden use to have an arch, but Hurricane Irene took it out.  I asked the children what they wanted to do with their painted sticks, they were not sure, so I suggested that we make an arch for the fence.  They loved this idea and we got right to work.

Our first step was to drill holes in the sticks so that the children could screw them together.

They love using the old handheld drills.

While some of the kids drilled their holes in their sticks, others began measuring the fence with measuring tapes.  We discovered that the arch would need to be 42" long to span the width of the entrance way.

We all worked on laying out the sticks to see what they would look like together

The next day the children took screw drivers and screwed the sticks together.

It was amazing watching them assemble the arch.  I was there to assist with layout and

explaining to them how and what to do, but they were the ones who did the actual work.

It was hard to get a picture, but here is the arch after it was attached to the

door posts

Because the sticks are painted, my assistant said "wouldn't it be great to paint the fence."

And so, the project continued with the children painting the garden fence.

They had a ball doing this, and some even managed to paint themselves.

Our fence and arch, as well as painted pine cones that the children did on another day. 

I love it!

Here is a close up of the pine cones, they beaded the cords to hang them and they

make a great addition.

 I am happy to say the garden is thriving as well. We have already been enjoying our sugar and
 snap peas!

Our other vegetable plants are small but doing well, and the lemon balm, lavender, roses, sage, mustard greens, and rosemary already need to be cut back!  Lovely.

Our Little Carpenters

About a month ago we really got into hammering with real nails and drilling into our well loved pumpkin.

Shortly after that, one of our students brought in a piece of Styrofoam for his friends to hammer on.

Now we are onto the real things and we all are loving it!

I have some wood that has been through all sorts of weather so it is a bit softer for the children to push their nails into the wood, and then start hammering.

A parent also donated a stump, which has little cracks in it that also makes for easy nail positioning.

They have been having a ball.

What I love is that after they hammer, they also take the nails out, so they are working both ends of the hammer and taking responsibility for all the tools.

We also have two hand crank drills that the children thoroughly enjoy as well.

My plan is to have them start drilling two pieces of wood and then screwing them together after the break.



Plaster Castin in the Sandbox

For this project the children picked objects they wanted to cast in the plaster.

They first laid the objects face down in a hole they made in the sandbox.

We then mixed the plaster and poured it into each hole.

As the plaster was setting, they placed chop sticks in their plaster casts.

We then played while the plaster set and dried (about 15 minutes)

When the sculptures were dry and hard, the children lifted them out of the holes.

They were enchanted with the chemistry of a liquid becoming a solid in just a few minute, and that their objects and the sand where cast into their sculptures.

As a final step, they drilled holes in wood, and then glued the chop sticks into the holes with some wood glue. I think this was their favorite part of the project. They loved using the drill, and I loved watching how capable they were with this tool. I believe strongly in giving them real tools and art materials, they are so capable, they just need a little guidance and then it is surprising how much they can do!