Our children create a racetrack

This may just have been how the Indianapolis 500 Speedway began!

An idea, excitement and can-do attitudes...this year we have a group of builders!

Although, they likely didn't have anybody like Greg, Bus Driver Extraordinaire.

As in every project, a plan is important.

The children work to paint the many areas of the race track.

Roads, grass and water will make this race track very exciting to travel!

And of course, there must be areas for the cars to be repaired, or gas up.

Brayden checks to see that the roads are wide enough for the cars, while others continue to work on the painting.

Ready! Set! Gooooooo!

And the winners are...

Everyone!

Thank you to Greg who adds yet another specialty to his many talents.

 

Our Builders At Work

Whatever good things we build end up building us.

~ Jim Rohn ~

Builders come in every shape, size and wonderment!

Builders become royalty, captains, astronauts, engineers, scientists, zoo keepers, mommies and daddies, knights, pirates, super heroes, planners,

...well, everything they could ever be!

Builders can balance, calculate, think, determine, revise, experiment, collaborate, discuss, problem solve, disagree, find solutions, share, position, count, add, take away, tell stories...inspire!

Building windows to the world, or are they cubbies for animals, or are they doorways, or maybe steps or ladders or...?

2 sets of 4. 
4 on top and 4 on the bottom...8 hollow blocks in all.

Now it's time to make a wall.



"Mmmmm....this is our rocket ship."

This rocket ship began with areas. Areas for sitting.

Areas for waiting. Areas for, "Mmmm...that's just for where we can stay."

More blocks were added. More blocks filled in spaces. More blocks were set on top...and beside...and inside...and more and more and more.

Ivy took two curved blocks and balanced them together over top a tree slice.

A rocket ship that goes "up to space".

A rocket ship that gets made and unmade and remade.

And the captain is ready to fly us to the stars.

The next day...the rocket ship had many engines ready to blast off!

On some days, the big blocks stay on the shelves.

Given the chance to value only the tubes, small blocks and materials in the baskets,

a king's throne becomes more.

Many small blocks are stacked, placed and balanced.

Many small blocks fill every little space!

And then knights are added. A city becomes a kingdom.

Cylinders, quarter rounds, rockers, bridges, tunnels, cubes, rectangular prisms!

Very big 'protector guys' come to protect.

Inspiration, excitement, gentle and careful work.

Great battles are fought and won.

Days and days of epic stories.

Then tubes become tunnels and a way to deliver blocks.

Tubes carry small blocks to the ground.

But, wait a minute...cars are near...

"Hey, I got a  idea. What about you get the cars?

We could shoot the cars down!"

"Miss, we can use the big blocks and the ramps and aim our cars."

Oh my! Tubes are aimed to direction cars into other tubes and onto lanes and ramps.

Precision! Coordination! Perseverance! A new game!







Challenges are made and unmade and remade.

And then another day comes along.

Another day.

Another idea.

Builders gotta' build.

And show their thinking with their doing.

And inspire.

Becoming...

who they could ever be.

Planning and recording for others to know.

Building a great foundation in the wonderful world of kindergarten.

More Surprises From Our Nature Walk

The children have continued to make connections to the materials gathered from our nature walk.  We've also been considering their connection to sculptures.  Our friend Shawn in France sculpted the Eiffel Tower from snow.  Many children are sculpting cities, rocket ships, flying boats and cars... even a crane (with the help of more-than-just-a-bus-driver Greg) from Lego! Towers and castles are being sculpted and built with small blocks. It was perfectly natural to extend the idea of sculpting to our natural materials. So that's just what we did. Plasticine clay was set out, along with natural materials and the sculpting took off!  

Fine motor, Visual arts, Representation

Self esteem, Connection to the natural world

Personal choice, Problem solving, Planning

3 Dimensional representation, Spatial thinking

Sharing resources, Sharing ideas

In kindergarten, the children make connections to everything around them. The teachers make connections to what the children know and what they want to know by listening, observing and responding.