Inspiring Imagination!

The Tel Aviv Class has each child’s photo in a small plastic frame that we keep in the block area. It’s so neat to watch children take their picture and use it as a prop for imaginative play. Molly built a house for herself complete with a kitchen and a bed on the second floor. Charlotte, Joshua and Adam’s dolls had a sleepover where they created beds out of carpet squares for each of their pictures.

The pictures are great ways for jumpstarting imaginative play. They give children the opportunity to put themselves in their own fantasy play. They can pretend to fly, be moms and dads or simply go to the grocery store. We are loving watching the many creative ways your children are using them and are excited to watch both individual and group imaginative play evolve throughout the year. 

So Many Ways to Build!

The Tel Aviv class has been talking about the passover story and pyramids! Introducing pyramids has been a neat way to add a setting to the passover story and explore different kids of shapes and blocks. Today we had Jenga blocks, colored cubes and mosaic tiles out so that kids could experiment with different types of building materials. On the art table we are continuing coloring and cutting out bricks to add to our classroom pyramid! One of the neat things that the Tel Aviv class has discovered is that even though a pyramid is a triangle shape they are made out of rectangles or squares. Playing with these blocks and designing these shapes are teaching about balancing and creating a great number sense for understanding that pyramids are bigger on the bottom and have few blocks in each row up to a single block on the very top. By the end of the week these guys will be pyramid experts and we are excited to watch the curiosity and enthusiasm continue throughout our study of Passover.

So many ways to play with blocks!

Max Dylan Eli and Molly spent lots of time in the block corner today experimenting using blocks as buildings, roads, ramps and tunnels. First Eli and Dylan made a car-wash using some of the small houses and pushing them together. Molly joined in and made a road with the blocks for her cars. Max joined us with building and creates a factory with a special place for the smoke to come out. The Eli realized that he could use a long block as a ramp and the cars would go down the ramp “super fast.” We moved the ramp at different angles to see if that made the cars go fast or slower. No major conclusions were made but I have a feeling we will be playing with cars and blocks again soon!

Caution: Construction Site

The Rainbows delighted in building with the lightweight yet sturdy cardboard blocks this week. Castles, towers, and houses appeared on the rug. There was even a house for the animals. They needed shelter from the wind and the rain.

The children giggled when a tower got tippy, and shouted with delight when it crashed to the ground. We are working on being sure to respect others' work. The Rainbows are learning that you may knock down the tower you built, but not another child's tower.

Let's learn some Physics!

You may not think of building with blocks as a way to learn physics, but you would be surprised how much we discover in constructing with inclined planes and cylinders. Today the Rainbows had a blast creating towers, tunnels, and houses. Sam G. found a clever way to be part of his block creation! They experimented with different kinds of bases to see what worked best. They built taller and taller towers until they toppled.

The children are learning to respect each other's buildings. It's okay to knock over your own creation, but not someone else's.

Building a city takes teamwork

The Scientist class visited the block room today. Lots of decisions were made and conversations were flowing. Large blocks, small blocks, round blocks and square blocks were all used to create a structure that exhibited the cohesive teamwork. "Please pass me the round block," "I need the long block," "How do we get the round block to stay?" These are some of the dilemmas that the Scientists experienced today while exploring their architectural skills. The Scientists are building a strong team with their friendships during playtime.