Pounding and Prying!

The Tel Aviv children seem to be almost as intrigued by building and creating as they are by demolishing and dissecting. That's just part of why a tools and construction theme is so great! The children are having a blast , they will be learning some great concepts. Here are just a few:
*Tools and simple machines make work easier (Science)
*There are shapes in architecture (Geometry)
*You can measure using objects as units (Math)
*Tools can be used in a variety of ways(Science, Inquiry, Moror Skills)

 Today the children had the opportunity to hammer golf tees into styrofoam. On Wednesday they will use spoons to pry out the golf tees. The golf tee functions as a type of wedge while the hammer and spoon are levers. Scientific Information...The wedge and the lever help focus our energy to make work easier. In this activity the golf tee is a wedge that splits the styrofoam easier than a blunt object would. The hammer and spoon are different forms of levers. While the hammer allows us to push the golf tee into the styrofoam easier than by hand alone, the spoon enables us to pry them out, which is difficult by finger strength alone. Next week we will switch to real nails and wood!