Concentration and Coordination

The children experimented with rubber mallets today.  We had a fresh piece of styrofoam block to work with and a cup full of golf tee "nails".  As you can see below, the children had intense focus as they worked to line up a nail and to bring the mallet straight down on it.  Some kids were very determined to get the nails in straight and took a number of attempts to achieve success.  Others were fascinated with the job of removing the nails with a pair of pliers.  It took a lot of coordination to squeeze the handles together, aiming to get a grip on the head of the nail, and to pull upward while maintaining the pressure on the handles.  It was delightful to see the children sustain the concentration, energy, and determination to achieve success.  

Bang, Bang, Bang

                                                 Bang, bang, bang, hold your hammer low.
                                                     Bang, bang, bang, give a heavy blow,
                                          For it's work, work, work, every day and every night,
                                      And it's work, work, work, when it's dark and when it's light.

As the Keshet children enjoyed one of their favorite activities, hammering with real hammers, we began to sing a song that gives us a sense of the long, hard work of the Jews while slaves in Egypt. Many opportunities emerge for us to introduce the story of Moses and the Jewish people in Egypt, and to weave the stories and songs of Pesach into daily experiences that reflect the interests and wonderings of the children.

Real Tools at work in play...

The Keshet kids had another opportunity to work with the real hammers today.  You can see that Abby and Allison are extremely focused as they sit across from one another, pounding the golf tee "nails" into the thick, heavy foam.  Abby grinned and giggled as she exclaimed "It went all the way in!" when her nail ended up flush with the foam.  So satisfying!  

This activity was offered throughout the day today and the children continued to be interested and engaged for long periods of time.  This is a great way to develop their eye hand coordination,  You can see the determination in the eyes of the girls in the photos below!

If I had a hammer

Thursday was a day for experimenting with real hammers and some (golf tees) nails.  We had a large heavy piece of styrofoam to work with, and the children had lots of fun experimenting with techniques for getting the nails in and out of it.  Some tapped lightly and others enjoyed banging with gusto.  Everyone was respectful of one another as they waited for a turn and worked safely across from one another.  It is quite impressive to see what these young children are capable of!

 

Caution: Contruction Zone

There was some heavy duty construction going on in our room today.  The hammers, "nails", and the pliers were getting a workout as the kids experimented with the heavy styrofoam.  Everyone took turns, shared the tools and "nails", and were very careful about keeping each other safe.  When Josh entered the group, he announced that they were "building a new house".  After snack, Josh was excited to move the people into their lovely finished home.

Using Real Hammers

The Rainbows practiced their fine-motor skills today by using real hammers to pound golf tees. Nancy showed the children how to hold the hammer in one hand and keep their other hand away from the hammer so that they would not accidentally hit their hand. Rose, Molly, and Sophie each had a lot of focus and determination towards pounding the golf tees into the board. When asked if they knew what a hammer was used for, Molly replied, "To hammer a picture in the wall."  I also pointed out to Molly that her name is Molly Hammer and she is using a hammer. She then gave a great big smile!

If I had a Hammer...

I'd hammer all mor-or-ning! This morning, hammers, "nails" (golf tees) and a big piece of "wood" (styrofoam) was waiting on the rug for the Sunshine children. Many of the children were excited to use real hammers (thanks to the generosity of the Kohavim classroom) and diligently hammered each and every tee into place. When they were done, the tees were pulled out and new holes were made. It was especially exciting when we realized we could flip the board over and start from scratch! We might need to install and tool bench soon!!

Summer Ice Cubes

Summer is a fun time to play with ice cubes. There are sea creatures frozen inside these ice cubes and Maddie hammers away on the ice cubes with Alyssa's assistance to get to the small sea creatures hidden inside. It's always a surprise to see which animal is revealed.

Work, Work, Work - Every Day and Every Night

Some of our lunch bunch children are engrossed in hammering golf tees into styrofoam simulating the Jewish slaves of Egypt.