Preschool Engineering

After the pool water overflowed into a giant puddle, we were faced with a big challenge. How can we divert the water. We decided to create a channel. Using small shovels we dug a trench. Then using large, snow shovels we pushed the water into the trench. It worked! What a feat of engineering.

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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.

Blocks and Bridges Demonstration!

Sam called me over and informed me that he was building a bridge, but the bridge kept falling down. He went on to say, "My bridge is wiggly, and I think we need some stabilizers so it can stand up." I told Sam that I have a book with pictures of bridges made out of wooden blocks and asked him if he would like to look through it. Sam, Hadley, Isaiah, Teddy F, Josh, Oliver and Nathaniel all gathered around the book to look at the pictures. I asked the children if they wanted me to teach/demonstrate how to build a bridge with the wooden blocks.

The children enthusiastically gathered around the table/block platform for block building lessons. I asked the children if they wanted to build a bridge like the one in the book. As part of the demonstration, I held up each different block and asked the children to name what they noticed about the shape and size. I described and demonstrated how the children might fit the various blocks together to form a bridge and other structures. After about a ten-minute demonstration, I invited the children to jump in and try bridge building. They all worked eagerly, copying what I had done, but also adding their own ideas. Hadley took it a step further and asked me where the clip boards were, as she wanted to draw her own diagram of the bridge that she and her friends helped create.

Rolling, Rolling Rolling

Making wheeled creations, whether from Legos, Tinker Toys or other construction toys, is a great fascination for many of the Scientists. The other day, the children had a great time rolling their creations down the "ramp" in the hallway outside our classroom. They had a chance to experience several areas of physics, ranging from "gravity" to "Is it better to push my creation down the ramp, or just let it roll freely?" Some children found that their creations rolled longer, and straighter, if just allowed to roll freely. Others were so excited that they had to give their creations a push - sometimes gently, sometimes not!
The excitment of this experience also provided a chance to learn other lessons - not scientific ones, but rather about the importance of cooperation and negotiation.
At first, too many people were too excited, and too many wheeled creations were sent rolling down the ramp at once. When I pointed out the problems of this "traffic jam" to the children, Noah suggested that the children could "take turns" rolling their creations. When I asked how they could best take turns, Noah suggested creating a line. Everyone quickly agreed, and the traffic of our rolling creations was soon flowing smoothly.
A traffic engineer in the making!