The Cardinals continue to be inspired...

We are growing as builders on

December 6, 2012:

Everyday as the children engage in the learning centers in our classroom, they continue to interact with the materials in a meaningful way connected to our building study and exploration of different structures. Today, the children visited a center intentionally created by the teachers with large chalk, blue paper, and different shaped wooden blocks. The children were eager to begin using the large pieces of chalk and the teachers demonstrated how to use the wooden shapes as a guide to outline different shapes that can be seen in parts of buildings. They traced squares for walls, rectangles for doors, triangles for roofs, and smaller shapes for windows!

Our work with the smaller Lego blocks also continued as the children pulled apart and attached different sized pieces together. The group is demonstrating problem-solving and spatial awareness as they maneuver the pieces and figure out which shapes and sizes will fit together to create a stable structure. This is a concrete way for the children to engage in a building activity on a smaller scale that is comparable to the larger process of building a house, skyscraper, or even grocery store.

During Choice Time, the teachers also introduced more construction hats to our dramatic play area. This prop immediately brought smiles to their faces and created a true identity as a builder as the children tried them on.  The prop provided purpose and sparked the group to visit the centers in our classroom such as the wooden block area and Magna Tile center with new ideas.

The large doll houses continue to provide the children with the opportunity to experience creating a layout or blueprint of a house in a hands-on way. The children maneuver furniture around the different levels and parts as they determine the purpose for each room. The children have showed more direction as they now are verbalizing the choices they make such as, placing a bed with a dresser together in one space to create a bedroom.

In small groups, the Cardinals revisited their creations of certain types of buildings by assembling collage pieces together with glue on a larger cardboard platform. Today, a barn, house and bagel store were constructed.

The Cardinals are continuing thoughtful play and discussion surrounding our building study. We invite all families to continue to discuss the types of buildings they encounter in their neighborhood. As an extension, we are starting to identify the rooms in different types of buildings. A possible activity at home could be drawing a picture of your house, taking a photograph of your house, or identifying different rooms in your house. We thank you for all your help and support!