We have had a planter in the playground which was missing the base. The wood pieces were purchased, but there was a problem, it did not fit! What could we do? We presented the children with this challenge. They responded that it needed to be cut smaller. Well, what tools do we need to do this? How are we going to know the exact size it needed? Nathaniel and Teddy Friedman were the first architects to the scene but soon Eli, Leo, Ryan, and Avram came to investigate and help us to problem solve. We put our hard hats on, but I was quickly told it wasn't really a hard hat, as they were soft. Since we first determined it needed to be smaller, how are we going to ensure it fit just right into the base? Leo said that it needed to be in a shape of a rectangle and demonstrated. Back to the question of 'sizing' what tool can we use to measure things? They carefully place the wood piece on top and we used a tape measure to measure the size from one end to the other. Teddy Friedman carefully drew the line and we were now certain it would be the right size. How could we cut it? It was very hard and we needed a sharp cutting tool? Luckily we had a saw handy and off we went. Presenting children with opportunities to think and problem solve increases their confidence and allows them to apply what they have learned about shapes and tools and apply this pre existing knowledge to practical real life experiences. Isn't that what real knowledge is after all.. Knowledge does not come from the object or the child but the interaction of the two!!!
We have had a planter in the playground which was missing the base. The wood pieces were purchased, but there was a problem, it did not fit! What could we do? We presented the children with this challenge. They responded that it needed to be cut smaller. Well, what tools do we need to do this? How are we going to know the exact size it needed? Nathaniel and Teddy Friedman were the first architects to the scene but soon Eli, Leo, Ryan, and Avram came to investigate and help us to problem solve. We put our hard hats on, but I was quickly told it wasn't really a hard hat, as they were soft. Since we first determined it needed to be smaller, how are we going to ensure it fit just right into the base? Leo said that it needed to be in a shape of a rectangle and demonstrated. Back to the question of 'sizing' what tool can we use to measure things? They carefully place the wood piece on top and we used a tape measure to measure the size from one end to the other. Teddy Friedman carefully drew the line and we were now certain it would be the right size. How could we cut it? It was very hard and we needed a sharp cutting tool? Luckily we had a saw handy and off we went. Presenting children with opportunities to think and problem solve increases their confidence and allows them to apply what they have learned about shapes and tools and apply this pre existing knowledge to practical real life experiences. Isn't that what real knowledge is after all.. Knowledge does not come from the object or the child but the interaction of the two!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment