Category: perseverance

The Birthday Cupcakes – Final Steps

6 comments

The Field Trip to the Skyways Kitchen!

After months of research, problem-solving, and collaborative inquiry, the children were ready for their field trip to the Skyways Kitchen. We gathered all the materials we needed: the cartons of milk, the lunch cards, and the first aid kit that the children had planned to take. We stepped onto the school bus, excited to visit Skyways Kitchen to make birthday cupcakes. The children spoke about the map they had created, which now directed their journey to the kitchen.

Mr. Patrick had prepared spaces for the children to make chocolate chip cookies and decorate the cupcakes. The children enjoyed both making and decorating the cupcakes, adding frosting and topping the cakes with Smarties, sprinkles, and wafer biscuits. As they worked to decorate over 75 cupcakes, the children in K2B made chocolate chip cookies for both classes.

Next, we went on a tour of the kitchen, looking at all the different areas used to prepare breads, ice creams, chocolate treats, and pastries. Mr. Patrick explained the various sections of the kitchen, showing the children all the tools and materials used, as well as discussing safety and hygiene when preparing food.

Finally, the children enjoyed a treat of hot chocolate. We were pleased that the milk had not gone to waste but was instead used to make hot chocolate for everyone on the trip.

 

The Cupcake Distribution

The cleaning staff and gardeners were excited to come into the Early Years Centre to meet the children. They were eager to learn about the project the children had been working on and delighted by the thoughtful gesture.

K2A visited all the different spaces with their teachers and their birthday cupcake trolley to distribute cupcakes to all the staff who had not received a cupcake for their birthday. They visited Aiden Kitchen, Homecaught, and the security guards.The children’s inquiry created opportunities for authentic learning experiences, allowing them to understand and appreciate the work that various members of the community engage in to make the school a positive and joyful environment. The children’s dedication to the project helped them learn more about themselves and the connections they share with those around them. This thoughtful gesture helped everyone feel included and appreciated. 

Making New Paper

Leave a comment

The children were inspired by Isabella’s experiment and wondered if they could make their own paper. Isabella and Adalyn volunteered to use the shredded paper that the children had collected to create new paper.

They began by conducting research, reading books and watching a video to learn how to make paper using used or unwanted paper scraps.

Isabella and Adalyn took notes as they watched the video, using pictures, words, and sentences to create their own ‘how-to’ book. In this information booklet, they provided step-by-step instructions on the process of paper-making.

They were careful to include pictures for each step and detailed instructions that guide the reader through the process of making paper.

Several weeks of research and note-taking were required to create the instructional book. Finally, Isabella and Adalyn were ready to put their research to the test, by following the instructions to make their paper.

They began by soaking the paper scraps in water for a few days.

Then, they turned the paper mixture into paper pulp, following different steps to ensure that the mixture of water and paper pulp was correct.  

Then, they dipped the frame into the water with the paper pulp until they had a thin layer of the mixture on the netting.

Finally, the frames were left to dry in the sun and the new sheets of paper were created by the team.

Isabella and Adalyn presented their learning to the class, sharing the various steps they took to create several pieces of new paper.

The inquiry process provided Isabella and Adalyn with opportunities to explore different tools and methods. The sequence of planning, data gathering, interpreting, and communicating enabled them to develop skills in information literacy. 

The team now wonder what other natural materials they could use to make paper.

The Highest Tower in the World

Leave a comment

Is it a tower?

Over the last few weeks, a group of children have been collaborating to create a tower using Lego bricks. The idea was seeded by Jacob and Evan, yet many other engineers have joined this initiative.

As we watched the children engaging in their structural design, we noticed how the young engineers spoke to each other about their ideas, listened with intent and collaborated with enthusiasm with one goal in mind. 

Each section of the tower was thoughtfully put together, with the bricks being positioned purposefully to make sure there were no unplanned gaps around the perimeter of the structure.

The building moved from the tabletop to the floor as it grew taller. The engineers sort out children to stand next to the structure, attempting to build the structure taller than them.

The engineers moved the structure to a safer space, to ensure that it would not collapse if someone accidentally knocked against it. Curious onlookers stopped by to learn more about the tower.

The Highest Tower in the World

As the weeks pass by, the structural designers continue to work on their structure, creating stories and narratives about this amazing piece of engineering.

  • Adalyn “We need to put the Lego to build the tower.”
  • Isabella “We need to use the tower to measure our height, sometimes.”
  • George “I made the tower with Evan, Ricky, Jacob, Isabella and Adalyn. It takes a long time because this tower is too tall.”
  • Evan “The tower has a swimming pool. The people can play too. The pool is at the bottom, on the side.”
  • Jacob “We have a swimming pool for a motorbike, and on the water motorbike. The people can ride on this and people can live in the tower.”
  • Isabella “On the other side of the swimming pool there is some space you can put Lego so sometimes when we don’t have the Lego pieces we can try to find it inside this.”
  • Adalyn “The people can jump to the pool from the middle.”
  • Isabella “On the side, you need to be careful because there is nothing to protect you.”
  • Riccardo “That one, the jumping one, Jacob tired to jump with his fingers and he jumped on the wall.”
  • Jacob “Because I need to try to see when the people jump do they jump in the pool or out. Because then when real people jump in the pool, then he will jump on the rock and will die. And the jumping pool is on the top.”
  • Evan “We are trying to build but it is too high. We tried to use a chair because it’s too high. Only Adalyn can reach it.”
  • Adalyn “I helped to build the tower. I stand on the chair and then I can reach it.”
  • Isabella “On the top, one time, Evan wanted to put another jumping thing on the top.”

  • Evan “I want to use a small people, middle people and big people all can jump. The small people jump from the small one, the middle people jump from the middle one and the big people jump from the top one.”
  • Isabella “They come because it is a hotel.”
  • Evan “And it is fun. The jumping and the motorbikes make it fun.”
  • Jacob “It is a free hotel.”
  • Isabella “It is in America. People have to fly in an aeroplane.”
  • Evan “Two aeroplanes, or three. Because this hotel has many floors. I think 200 floors.”
  • Isabella “Evan and me and Adalyn had the idea first. We started to build a little one and we think we can build it taller to measure the people’s height. Last time we want to measure Ms. Sophia and taller than Ms. Sophia last time but the Lego but the Lego is not enough.”
  • Jacob “We can borrow some Lego from K2B.”
  • Riccardo “I think I need to take some from PreK-K1B because our box is almost finished.”

We look forward to hearing and reading about the stories that take place in and around the tall tower in the world!

Domino Effect – How does it work?

Leave a comment

A group of children were interested in using Domino’s to create a game. They began to prop the dominoes up next to each other, to create a structure that would produce the domino effect. Each time they placed a few Dominoes, they fell over. 

How can we make the challenge more interesting?

Noticing the children’s interest in creating the domino challenge, we decided to share a video that shared many different ways to create the challenge using a range of materials and toys to make it more exciting.

Isabella recalled watching a similar video in the past. She was excited by all the ideas that were shared.  

  • Ciel “Why do we need to watch the video?”
  • Euno “Because this important because Grade 5 made this game.”
  • Isabella “Because you can build it yourself in different ways.”
  • Sea “We can make it together it is fun.”
  • Junsu “We make more blocks and make fantastic fun.”
  • Dahyun “Because then we can make play for some things.”
  • Isabella “Because you can build more cooler stuff.”
  • Euno “We watch the video and we can make dominoes fun and we can play and be happy.”
  • Ciel “We can make and watch, then we will be good at dominoes.”

What are some important things to consider when we play with the dominoes?

  • Ciel “We need to tidy up when we are finished.”
  • Evan “Make a story with dominoes.”
  • Junsu “Dominoes is broken then they go straight and push and then fall.”
  • Dahyun “Be kind to each to each other and kind hands and kind voice.”
  • Isabella “We need to say kind words. Nice words.”
  • Suzy “We can’t do too loud or else people’s ears will hurt.”
  • Euno “We need to be safe with dominoes because we don’t have space and people kick the dominoes because we can’t see. SO careful to play dominoes (accidentally kick it).
  • Sea “We be kind to dominoes because dominoes fallen down the floor and people will slip and their back is hurt.”
  • Dahyun “We need to be kind or people be sad.”

The team went back to work on the chain. They persisted till they created a long chain. More children wanted to join in as it looked like fun! The domino chain spanned the width of the classroom. The team was ready to test the chain reaction. Gently, they pushed the final domino forward hoping for the others to come crashing down. However, the chain reaction only resulted in a few dominoes falling over each time, which resulted in the team knocking some over until they reached the end.Isabella watched what was happening, she said, “They need to be closer or it won’t work!” Ciel agreed and shared his observation too.

The next day Ciel went back to working with the dominoes. Others gathered around him and wanted to join in. They discussed who would use the different materials.

Ciel worked with Isabella. He made a few vertical structures, but they came down. Evan joined Isabella and Ciel.

Ciel “We can make a big circle inside the sofa!”

What information will help us create a successful chain reaction?

Over the next few days, the researchers continued to show their interest in creating the chain reaction. They wondered how they could create an effective reaction. Ms. Sophia suggested that they seek out more information to learn about the domino reaction. The team watched a video to see what they could learn.

  • Isabella “We are watching the video of making the domino video.”
  • Evan “Because we want to look at the dominoes because we don’t know what to build.”
  • Ciel “I see the dominoes standing straighly.”
  • Adalyn “We can look at the iPad we can learn how to build dominoes.”
  • Isabella “When you put the dominoes you need to grab the bottom, not the top. If you grab the bottom it won’t fall down, if you grab the top it will fall down.”

  • Evan “When we are building the dominoes we need to put 2cms away from each other because if you do it too far away then only one will fall.”
  • Isabella “It’s 0.8cms, the gap so it can fall down. 2cms is too far. It won’t fall down.”

The team used rulers to measure the distance that was suggested in the video. Then, they tested some of their ideas to see if they would work. They carefully curved the edges of the ‘test’ chain, being mindful of the distance they needed to maintain between 2 Dominoes.   

  • Isabella “We are trying to see if it can fall down. It fell down together.”
  • Ciel “We are going to build it to PreK-K1.”

As Ciel missed out on watching the video the first time, he asked to watch it with the others.

Ciel “The dominoes need to have a 1cm space between them because if we don’t do that it will not fall. I learned how to make interesting dominoes. I can make it interesting by making some cool dominoes.”

Considering that the team have now learned more about creating the domino effect we wonder…

  • …what new information the team will need to be more successful.
  • …what strategies the children will use to change the outcome of the domino challenge.
  • …how they will collaborate, sharing their ideas and suggestions to work as a team.

The Trolley Project: Final Steps

Leave a comment

The Trolley Project: Sourcing the Missing Parts

The trolley assembly team had been working on their project for a few weeks. Having lost some parts, they were trying to figure out their next steps. They had decided to reach out to different people in the community to ask for their help. The children checked their lists to see if all the missing parts were recorded on their papers. They found that they still needed to add one more piece of data, the missing back rings on the wheel. Then, they measured the part of the wheel that was going to be connected to the rings.

  • Evan “You should start it from ‘0’ like when we measure the milk.”
  • Jacob “It is 2.5 cm.”

Now that they had a list of all the missing parts, they decided that they were ready to ask members of the community for help and more information. They made a list of the people they were going to visit.

  • Adalyn “We are most familiar with Ms. Jo, so let’s start to ask her first.”
  • Isabella and Adalyn, “We once went to Mr. Arek’s room and we didn’t see these stuff in his room, so maybe he doesn’t have them.”
  • Isabella “We can go ask Mr. Matt next then.”
  • Adalyn “We can ask facility people the after. Finally, if none of those people have the missing parts, we can go ask the people who helped us purchase the trolley to buy a new set.”
  • Jacob “Ms. Jo, we are assembling a two-levels tall trolley, and some of the parts were missing, so we wonder if you can help us find some same ones in your room?”
  • Jo “Sure but what are they?”

Evan showed Ms. Jo his clipboard and pointed at the stuff on it, “We need some screws which is 8 cm long and some nuts.”

  • Isabella “We need some hooks too.”

Ms. Jo led the team to her tool board and checked but she didn’t have any of the parts that we needed.

  • Isabella “It is fine, we can go ask other people.”

When the facility staff member came in the afternoon, the team showed him the parts that got lost and what they were looking for. Unfortunately, he told them that they do have some screws and nuts, but they don’t have the same ones that we need.

Adalyn “We need to go ask Ms. Cherry if she can help us buy another set of the small pieces now.”

The team began to plan their visit to see Ms. Cherry.

  • Sophia “What would we need to say to her?”

  • Evan “The trolley pieces are missing. We need the screws, nuts, black rings and hooks.”
  • Sophia “What other information do we want from Ms. Cherry?”
  • Jacob “We are missing some parts of the trolley, can you ask the people who sell the trolley to sell the little pieces to us?”
  • Adalyn “I think she will say yes because I used to buy things online, some of the small parts were missing and I can ask the shopkeeper to only order those certain parts.” (in Mandarin)
  • Sophia “Any other questions we want to ask if she says yes?
  • Adalyn “Who do we need to ask for the permission when we need to order something?”
  • Jacob “Should we ask Ms. Jacqui if she can give us some money to buy it? Do we need to send a message to Ms. Jacqui and ask her?”

Children wrote down their questions before heading over to see Ms. Cherry.

The children went over to the main building to meet Ms. Cherry. They explained the problem to her, showing her their drawings and documentation to help her understand which pieces were needed to complete the trolley.

When the team returned, they recorded the information that Ms. Cherry shared about the process of ordering things for the class.

  • Evan “We need to fill an E-Form.”
  • Adalyn “We need to fill the money of the things that we need.”
  • Isabella “We need to first ask the permission from Ms. Jacqui. We ask her in the system.”
  • Adalyn “We choose Ms.Cherry in the system so the form can be sent to her.”
  • Isabella “We choose Primary school to find Ms Jacqui.”
  • Adalyn “We need to type the title of the things we need to order.”
  • Isabella “We need to write the number of things in the system.”
  • Adalyn “We need to click save.”
  • Evan “You need to write your name in the system as well.”
  • Jacob “We need to put our classroom in it so when it is arrived people know where to deliver it. We can check the list after we click save. If there’s any mistakes, we need to correct them.”
  • Adalyn “We check the list and send out.”

The team were excited to learn that a box had arrived in the post.

They opened it up to find the missing pieces that they needed to assemble the trolley.

 

Presenting the Trolley

The team presented the trolley to the class.

  • Adalyn “We are making the trolley to put the water bottle and the snack.”
  • Evan “And lunch.”
  • Isabella “When we are pressing the screws they were very hard.”
  • Adalyn “So we used the tool.”
  • Jacob “And the nuts is difficult to tighten up.”

  • Evan “We used the tools because we need to because it’s so hard to tighten them up.”
  • Teacher “Did you sometimes disagree with someone else.”
  • Isabella “We figured it out. We tried it out and then one worked. We listened to each other. We tired the idea of the person who said it the first.”
  • Evan “I think I took some months (to finish the trolley) because the pieces is gone.”
  • Jacob “We need to ask some people and they said no.”
  • Adalyn “And then we buy it.”
  • Isabella “It’s not money to get it. It was free. Because it was just a little.”
  • Teacher “How will we look after the trolley?”
  • Suzy “Maybe we can ask PreK-K1 because they also have a trolley.
  • Isabella “I can also ask PreKK1B.”

 

Reflecting on Learning…

The team took many months to put the trolley together. They had to overcome obstacles and collaborate to achieve their final goal, ‘to assemble the water bottle trolley’. Reflection is an important part of learning, therefore we paused to encourage the team to think about the skills they have learned, the knowledge they have acquired and attitudes they have developed as a result of their learning. They made a list of ideas they wanted to share with their friends.

  • We tried everyone’s ideas to find out what works best.
  • We needed to help each other put the screws and nails because you need strong muscles to fix them.
  • We listened to each other so that we could know everybody’s ideas.
  • We took turns to talk so we can hear those ideas.

  • We had to be mindful, that means we are listening and looking at other people.
  • We had fun.
  • The best part was completing the trolley because we can use it.

The children wanted to ask PreK-K1 how they look after the trolley. Isabella and Suzy volunteered to speak to them. They came back with suggestions on where to place the trolley and how to use it carefully.

Through their inquiry, the team have developed a better understanding of the different ‘systems’ in place at the school to help the community maintain the school facilities and equipment. These authentic experiences have helped the team explore how ‘interconnected’ we are as we collaborate and work to ensure the community within the school has what it needs to support teaching and learning.

By using their ‘senses’ to explore the world around them, the team had opportunities to pursue their ideas based on their curiosities, documenting their thinking through a variety of mediums.

The team had opportunities to explore mathematical concepts about ‘measurement’ and ‘number’.

They developed their literacy skills as they took notes at interviews, documented their thinking, created plans and noted reflections using illustrations, words and sentences. Presenting ideas and updates to the class encouraged the team to see themselves as problem-solvers, risk-takers and communicators.

– Jacob’s statement, “You turn right to tighten the screws and left to untight (loosen the screws).” Shows how the team developed their skills and knowledge about tools (wrenches and Allen keys) for making and design.

The Trolley Project – Measuring Accurately

Leave a comment

The team reviewed the information they had gathered about the missing components to decide their next steps. Isabella volunteered to help with the process.  

They decided that an important first step was to measure the missing parts accurately, to order the correct items. The team used what they knew about measurements and measuring tools to begin their work.     

  • Jacob “You should measure it from the top.”

  • Adalyn “But I think it is better to only measure the stick part.” (She thought she should start with 1cm.)
  • Jacob “The length of the screw is a bit longer than 3 and a half.”

The team sought Ms. Sophia to discuss the function of the hash marks on the ruler, exploring the connection between millimetres and centimetres. They found that each small space was 0.1cm, and the measurement was 3.6 centimetres.

Evan placed marks on the picture and drew an arrow to the number, to show the purchasing officers which part of the screw they were measuring.

He wrote the unit cms beside it, which lets others know what the number means. Everyone decided to follow Evan’s method to avoid any confusion.

Jacob decided that he wanted to measure the diameter of the nut and placed the ruler on the head of the nut to find the measurement.

Evan and Jacob measured the length of the hook, it was 4.5 cms.

Adalyn thought it was necessary to also measure the width of the hook, “It is 0.9 cm wide!”

  • Jacob “We don’t have the black rings to use as a example because they are all missing. But I can draw a picture of them instead.”
  • Adalyn “But it is not the exact thing. It’s just your picture of the thing, and there must be some differences between your drawing and the thing we want. We can take a photo of the wheels to show people, because the rings are for the wheels.”
  • Isabella “And we should measure the wheels as well.”
  • Adalyn “It is 7 cm.”
  • Jacob “No, it is 8 cm.”
  • Adalyn “If you measure it from 0, it is 7 cm, and if you measure it from 1, it is 8 cm.”

After we took a break from the project, Adalyn and Isabella decided to work together to find out how many millimetres there are in 1 cm using a ruler to count all the small lines between the 2 numbers.

  • Isabella “It is too hard for me to count the small lines because they are too small.”
  • Adalyn “We need a magnify glass to help us look more clearly.”

They worked as a team to figure out that there are 9 lines between 2 numbers on the ruler, and if they add the two long lines right under the two numbers, there are 11 lines.

Isabella “So how many millimetres are there in 1 cm? 9 or 11?

The Trolley Project – Parts and Instructions

Leave a comment

Over the last few days, the team of assemblers have continued to work on the trolley. They felt it was very challenging to put the parts together. They gathered to discuss the problem before they began their task.

They began by looking carefully at all the different parts of the trolley.

  • Isabella “We have the small parts such as screws and wheels.”
  • Adalyn “We have the nuts.”

  • Jacob “We have the holders for holding the sticks.”
  • Isabella “We have the tools for assembling the trolley.”
  • Evan “We have the words.”
  • Adalyn “那个叫说明书。”（that’s called the instruction) A picture of the trolley.”
  • Jacob “The big parts of the trolley, like the baskets and sticks to connect them.”

Now that we have all the different parts of the trolley and the tools to assemble it, where do we start?Adalyn suggested that they read the instructions carefully. Isabella emphasised the importance of the pictures in the instructions. However, as they tried to assemble it, Evan could see that it was very wobbly. Isabella suggested taking the wheels off. Jacob agreed, explaining that this could come right at the end.

  • Isabella “There are some numbers that show us the steps.”
  • Jacob “Some parts such as the long sticks are too hard for us to insert”
  • Evan “We don’t have enough muscle.”
  • Jacob “We need an adult to help.”
  • Isabella disagreed and said, “We children can work together”.

The team continued their work together, assembling and dismantling parts of the trolley as they tried to complete the task. During the week, a clean-up in the Early Years centre posed a new problem!  

One morning, when the team went back to continue with their project, they found some of the parts were missing. How can we assemble the trolly without the parts?

Yet again, the team sat down together to work out which parts were missing. And how they might solve the problem. Isabella suggested that they look at the paper instructions to figure it out.

The instructions provided information on all the different parts that were required to assemble the trolley. They needed screws, nuts, black rings on the wheels, hooks and the holders. Together the team tried to calculate how many of each they needed in total. The problem invited the children to use their understanding of calculations to find the number of missing parts.

  • The nuts: Adalyn “We need 12 in total and we used 4, so 8 of them are missing.”
  • Hooks: Jacob “We had two before and now we only have one.”
  • The holders for the screws: Evan “There are 6 in total on the instructions, but there are three levels in the instructions, and we only need 2 levels for our trolley so we need two more.”

They continued to work on creating a list of items they needed. Then, the team plan their next steps to solve the problem. 

Jacob suggested asking the facilities department for the missing parts because they have the staff who come and fix items that are broken in the classroom. Isabella suggested reaching out to Mr. Matt as he helped fix the table. Jacob recalled Mr. Arek helping to fix ‘The Nest’ in the playground. Adalyn thought Ms. Jo might be able to help as well as she has lots of different materials for making things.

  • Adalyn “If none of the people that we mentioned above has the parts we need, we can buy another set of the small losing parts we need.”
  • Jacob disagreed, “if we buy only a set of the small parts, the other trolley is going to miss some parts.”
  • Evan disagreed with Jacob, “I think the shop must have some extra small parts.”

Everyone agreed with Evan’s suggestion, and they decided to ask the school purchasing office to help them source the missing parts. To do this they decided they had to:

  • take a photo of the parts they need
  • make a list of the parts that need to be purchased
  • measure the size of the different parts to give accurate information.

They worked together to gather all this information to take to the school’s purchasing officer. We look forward to their next steps as they solve the problem of ordering and purchasing the missing pieces in the trolley.

 

Exploring Aerodynamics with Paper Airplanes

Leave a comment

The children were invited to take part in a paper airplane challenge. We decided to ask the children what they already knew about paper airplanes. They began to explain how a paper airplane is made.

As the children shared the different steps, we wrote these down as instructions. However, when we read the instructions to fold the paper, the children began to see that the instructions weren’t clear.

Evan volunteered to show us how to make two different types of planes. We invited him to share the instructions through visuals and words. As he presented the steps, we made the paper airplanes.

WHY?

  • Isabella “On Friday we can fly the paper airplanes so we had to fold paper airplanes and then we tried to throw it.”

WHAT?

  • Adalyn “We made paper airplanes. We folded the paper. It was a bit hard.”
  • Riccardo “I am folding the paper airplanes. Someone helped me fold because I don’t know how to do the paper airplanes.”

How?

  • Isabella “We folded the paper in half and then we folded into a triangle.”
  • Suzy “Fold 2 triangles over the top. Fold it again.”
  • Ethan “2 triangles 2 times.”
  • Evan “And then you fold the paper again into 2 more triangles. The triangles are inside another triangle on the top.
  • Isabella “Flip it over. And then, fold it in half.”

NEXT

  • Evan “We did a paper airplane race outside with everybody.”
  • Isabella “We were throwing the paper airplanes into the hula-hoop.”
  • Evan “We throw the paper airplanes to knock the Ping-Pong down.
  • Suzy “Taiping knocked it down one time.”

While inquiring about paper airplanes, the children used their thinking skills to tap into their prior knowledge. They observed carefully, making connections as they followed the steps to create the paper airplane. They listened attentively when information was shared. They used their communication skills to clearly express their ideas and next steps so that others could understand and follow the directions to complete the task. We noticed how the speaker or presenter slowed down, giving others time to process ideas and information. The children developed their self-management skills by paying attention, listening and then following instructions. When they noticed that their friends needed help, they paused to support and guide each other, which created a trusting and safe learning experience.

When testing the paper airplanes, the children explored aerodynamics and concepts of design, lift and drag, gravity and forces through play and inquiry. 

How tall is the Tower?

Leave a comment

The tower in the block play area cannot be missed!!

It has been standing tall for a few weeks, with only its steeple toppling over on a few occasions when children pass by or try to adjust the blocks that support its design. We noticed the children adjusting the columns, replacing and testing out different shapes to see which ones offer better support. Through trial and error, the engineers developed and tested theories about balance, shapes and design.  

They were now more intentional when choosing the shapes for different sections of the tower. For instance, they realised that using broader, flatter shapes horizontally provided more foundational support and that they could make the steeple taller by using cylinders with a greater diameter at the bottom. Throughout the process of experimentation, the engineers discussed and negotiated ideas, looking for ways to work collectively to reach their goal, of building the tallest tower.  

Through inquiry, we explored different ways to measure the height of the building. At first, the children used non-standard units to measure the tower.

Then, a team uncovered the use of standard units and decided to measure the tower using a ‘flexible, long ruler’, a measuring tape.

The children shared estimations of the height of the tower.

Then, we used the measuring tape to measure the tower accurately. The children were excited to learn that the tower was 190 centimetres tall!

During outdoor playtime, a group of children met Mr. Lee and explained that they had built a tower that was taller than him. Mr. Lee decided to check if this was true. As he stood next to the tower he asked, “How tall am I?”  

 

The Water Bottle Trolley (Part 1)

Leave a comment

At the beginning of the year, a trolley for the water bottles was ordered for the class. We were excited to see the box with all the components needed for the trolley. But who will assemble the trolley?

The teachers decided to Present the idea to the children as a provocation. 

The next morning, some of the children noticed the provocation and discussed the idea.

They wondered what the different parts were and how they might be used.

  • Isabella “I know, they are parts of a trolley. We used to assemble a trolley when I was in Ms. Pat’s class last year.”
  • Suzy “Maybe we can help assemble this one.”

They began to take a closer look at the pieces. Noticing this interest, other children gathered to see what was happening.

  • Jacob “我来负责看说明书。” I can be in charge of reading the instructions.”
  • Evan “早知道我带个电钻来了。” I should have brought an electric screwdriver if I knew it before.”
  • Finn “看，这是这个！”(he pointed at the something on the instruction, ‘look, it is this’)
  • Evan “乔治，你装反拉，这个需要把它转过来。”(“George, you did it the opposite way. You should turn it around to the other side.”)

Isabella “Evan and George, do you still remember we assembled one trolley like this last year?”

Isabella “以前Ms.Pat 是不是像这样把推车给推走的？” (Did Ms. Pat hold it like this to push the trolley before, Evan?) Ms. Karen 以前带你们做过这个吗？(Did Ms. Karen do this with you in K1A, Adalyn?)

Evan tapped into his prior knowledge and tried to assemble the trolley.

George realised the significance of the picture of the assembled trolley and pushed it closer to the group. The assemblers began their work.

They continued to work on the trolley for a while, and then Evan realised that they needed to revisit the instructions. “这是说明书，你能看懂字吗Jacob？” （this is the instruction, can you read the Chinese characters, Jacob?)

Through trial and error, they continued to explore the complicated instructions, trying to figure out which parts went together. Some children slipped away to explore other spaces, but Jacob, Evan, Isabella and Adalyn continued to stay interested in assembling the trolley. They continued to persevere, finally deciding that it was important to develop a plan of action.

Jacob “Since the trolley has two parts, we can have two groups working on assembling it. Isabella and I will be in a group, and we are going to be in charge of the bottom layer. Evan and Adalyn, you two can be a team and work on the top layer.”

The group assembling the lower shelf began their work. They decided that when they were finished, the top group would take over. As they were working, they referred to the picture and the instructions when needed.

As we observed the children at work, we noticed how they used their communication skills to express their thoughts and ideas with each other to solve a common problem. They understood the significance of the instructions and their connection to the different components of the trolley. They used what they knew about pictures, Chinese characters, numbers and words to read the instructions and explain their understanding to each other.

Their idea of ‘making a plan’ to help with the process of assembling the trolley, and their decision-making demonstrates their understanding of the process, and teamwork and show their developing understanding that people work together for different purposes.    

Taller than a Teacher!

Leave a comment

Over several days, Evan and a team of engineers have been building a structure in the block play area. The team worked hard to find solutions for the steeple as it kept falling over. Through trial and error, they explored different ways to make the structure taller. One afternoon, Evan was excited to learn that the block tower was taller than him. He wondered if it was taller than Adalyn (as she was taller than him). As Adalyn stood next to the tower, Evan could see that it was taller than her. 

Adeline and Evan wondered if the tower was taller than the teachers. First, Ms. Sophia stood next to the tower. She was taller than the tower. Ms. Shemo and Ms. Sophia were both taller than the tower!

 

The engineers went back to work. The tower was now taller than them making it harder for them to place the blocks. George looked around the classroom. He was excited to share his solution, “I know, we can get a chair to stand on then we will be able to reach that high.” (in Mandarin) The team carefully positioned the chairs, so they reach beyond the highest block on the structure allowing them to reposition and test their new ideas.

As they stacked the new blocks, the steeple on the tower collapsed. They persevered, trying many different positions and shapes, but parts of the tower continued to fall. Evan looked around for new shapes that could be used in the structure and noticed a block they had not used before. He had a new idea that he wanted the team to test, “We can add more flat pieces on the joint part and the building can be more stable and will not be that easy to fall.” (in Mandarin)

Isabella “I found more of this kind of green wooden pieces and I’m going to add them at the joint part of the block sticks.” (in Mandarin) 

Evan “We need to top the stick on the middle part of the two underneath. Because it will help the one on the top to stay more stable.” (in Mandarin)

They used all the green blocks that were available on the shelf. But there weren’t enough. As Isabella observed the structure, she realised the significance of the flatter, wider shapes that made the building more stable. The flat shapes held more blocks which in turn allowed them to go higher. She looked around for blocks that had similar characteristics and paused at the wooden cookies. She decided to test her theory.

Even though the building collapsed many times, Evan didn’t give up. He continued stacking the blocks, learning through trial and error that being more intentional about the placement of the blocks resulted in greater success. After many attempts, his tower was done.

He was ready to invite Ms. Shemo to stand next to the building. The team were excited to see that the building was as tall as Ms. Shemo!

As Ms. Shemo looked at the building she invited the children to think about the concept of measurement, “How can we measure the height of the building?”

Ms. Shemo was worried about the building collapsing before the children could have an opportunity to explore tools that help us measure. Therefore, she suggested recording the height of the building on the wall next to the structure. Isabella helped Ms. Shemo find a solution to gauge the approximate height. They used a coloured sticker to mark the position. 

The team continued to work on their tower, testing theories and ideas to make the tower even taller. After several days, they were ready to test the height to see if it was taller than Ms. Shemo.

They called Ms. Shemo to stand next to the building. The children cheered with excitement as it was much taller than her!

Evan quickly remembered what they had done the previous day, and brought a flat, long beam to help Ms. Shemo find the correct level for the new sticker. 

Ms. Shemo invited the children to reflect on the question she had about the measurement of the structure. “How can we measure the height of the building?”

We decided to share a photograph from the previous year which focused on the concept of ‘measurement’ to guide the children’s thinking.

The children quickly tapped into their memories from the previous year, recalling how they had explored height by creating a ruler.

  • Adalyn “He was seeing who is taller.”
  • Isabella “He is using his hand.”
  • Ethan “Edward is stretching his hand to his head.”
  • Suzy “I see some numbers.”
  • Evan “I see some colouring.”
  • Isabella “I see some drawing.”
  • Suzy “The numbers is for knowing who is bigger.”
  • Jacob “Finn is 33 tall.”
  • Evan “I think Edward is 20.”

As Suzy demonstrated how to read the measurement, Isabella reminded her that she needed to place her hand ‘straight’ (not at an angle) and read the number across.

  • Suzy “How can we know that because we can see a number over here.”

As we looked at the photograph of the tower, we invited the children to think about their wondering, “How tall is the tower?”

  • Suzy “I think the building is 56.”
  • Isabella “I think it is 57.”
  • “That ruler on the wall is 66” explained Jacob, recalling the highest number on the ruler they had created the previous year.  
  • Isabella “100 is too many!”

As the children shouted out their estimates, we recorded them on a table.

We look forward to seeing how the children will use their prior knowledge about measurement to find out the height of the new tower.

The Shape Test

Leave a comment

A paper cube that Oliver made after the paper experiment led to a discussion about 3-dimensional shapes.

The team wondered about the strength of paper shapes and decided to test their theories.

The team wondered:

  • if some paper shapes were stronger than others.
  • which shapes they could make to test their theories.

The team recalled a previous learning experience of going on a shape hunt and decided to refer back to the activity to choose the 3-dimensional shapes they wanted to make and test. When choosing the shapes Oliver stated, “Sphere is impossible for me cause how can you fold the paper round. I want to make a cylinder!”

Eli pointed at the pentagonal prism, “I want to make that one.”

Having thought about their options for paper, they decided to choose card stock instead of paper for their test as they believed it would be stronger than the A4 paper.

Oliver made his first paper cylinder by rolling up the paper and fastening it with tape. However, he quickly noticed that the edges weren’t flat and realised that this would impact the test. He decided to make a second cylinder, taking care to keep the edges of the shape levelled. During testing, Oliver discovered that the top and bottom edges of his first cylinder were not stable enough, so he decided to make a new cylinder.

 

Having looked at the pentagonal shape, Eli realised that to fold a pentagon, he needed to divide the paper into five equal parts. Eli initially used a ruler to draw lines but found that the width of one ruler was too narrow, which resulted in a lot of extra space at one end.

Then, decided to use the width of two rulers, but each section was too wide and there wasn’t enough space on the card for 5 equal sections.

Eli shared this challenge with the teacher, explaining that he wanted to divide the long edge of the paper into five equal parts.

Having heard Eli’s challenge, the teacher decided to bring Eli’s attention to the concept of measurement to think about what he already knows about the function of hash marks and numbers on a measuring tool.

Ms. Eileen “How long is that edge? How did you measure it?”

  • Eli thought about this and then pointed to the ruler and said, “Use ruler.”

Eli used the ruler to solve his measurement challenge, learning that the length of the paper was about 30 centimetres.

Ms. Eileen “How can we divide 30 into 5 equal parts?”

Eli found the unit cubes and counted out 30 unit cubes to represent the 30cms. Then, he divided them into 5 equal parts, with each part being 6cm.

Finally, Eli drew out the lines and folded his paper pentagonal shape for the test. The researchers were now ready to test their shapes!

The team decided to choose books that were of a similar size for their test. As they placed one book at a time on the shapes, they began to see that although the shapes were made with paper, they were extremely strong.

The team had enough books to reach a total of 19 books for each shape. Then, they ran out of books!

As they didn’t have enough of the same books in the classroom to support the progression of the experiment, they decided to test their shapes in the library.

The team’s paper and shape experiments have allowed them to think about the function of shapes and materials in design and engineering and the impact of forces like compression and tension that act on structures. Through their experimentation, they continue to explore how the design can impact the strength and stability of structures.

 

 

 

The Gift – Coming together to build and create. 

Leave a comment

Ms. Eileen had placed an order for new crayons and markers. We were surprised to learn that the supplier also sent us a gift! The gift was a new easel. However, the easel needed to be assembled. We placed the materials and tools in the classroom for the children to decide what they wanted to do.

  • Wyatt “What is this?”
  • Oliver “It is for us. We have to fix it.”

The next day, we left the materials on the floor and invited the children to problem-solve.

3 children offered their expertise. They gathered the materials and began to look at the instructions. The team of furniture assemblers began their work, taking turns, sharing ideas and tools and working to assemble the new easel.

The bell rang for break time play, but one child decided that he wanted to continue his work. He worked on the task throughout playtime.

The rest of the team came in after play and continued their work.

They persevered, looking through the instructions to learn about the different parts and tools to know how the easel was put together. In the end, they were excited to test it out.

The other children celebrated their accomplishments and thanked them for their hard work and dedication to the task.

We noticed the interest the children had in assembling and building. We noticed how they paid close attention to the instructions, and skilfully worked to assemble the piece of furniture.

We wonder how they might use these skills in new situations.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s) 

  • observe carefully
  • analyse and interpret information
  • listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information
  • negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
  • play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping
  • be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group
  • choose and complete tasks independently
  • follow the directions of others
  • share responsibility for decision-making
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

The Pipes – How can we make the balls go faster?

Leave a comment

We have noticed the children playing and experimenting with the PVC pipes.

  • Liz “This (the slide) is so long it goes to Ms. Hannah’s class.”
  • Eli “I was balancing the crystals. Looking which one is more heavier.

  • Because the side will fall down if it is more heavier.”
  • Howie “I made a tunnel, the balls can go inside.”
  • Morning “Me and Wyatt building the blocks.”
  • Eunbyul “It’s no heavy, it’s no long. If it’s not too low the ball goes faster. The slide is faster and the ball is faster.”
  • Motong “When the slide is tall, the ball will go fast. Next, I want to make a hotel with the slide. I want to make it alone.”
  • Eli “Next, I want to make a slide that goes straight, like a mountain, then the ball will go down and up and fall down. Then, I will put a stop there.”

A group of K1 children wanted to borrow the ramps during indoor playtime. The teachers paused to observe and document (video) a group of children from different classes building and testing new designs.

They collaborated with each other, sharing the materials and using their imagination to extend their play.

The next day, we watched the video and discussed their structure.

What did we notice?

What theories do we have?

  • Eunbyul “The ball jumped out of the pipe.”
  • Eli “Because there was something blocking it and it went over the side. The ball fly out. They can put nothing on the track.”
  • Lydia “The ball is come down from the house. Keira and Jacob and me.”
  • Eli “The ball will go faster if it is more uphill.”
  • Eunbyul “Very long is very fast and it will go up, down and out.”
  • Motong “Very tall is very fast.”
  • Eli “Because it has more time to go fast.”

The children shared their theories about speed, height, distance and obstacles.

How might they use their insights as they build and create their new structures?

Ramps: The Prototypes

Leave a comment

The children have been using a range of materials and manipulatives in the construction area to consider the concepts of height, speed, forces, and energy.

As part of this investigation, a team of young designers have been planning, designing and creating prototypes of ramps in their design class. The team began by discussing their ideas and creating a plan for their slides.

They know that designers need to source and test materials for different purposes and make choices about the materials they use for projects.

After careful consideration, the teachers decided to offer the children ‘clay’ as a material for the structure. Clay is malleable and easy to use when creating structures yet offers many opportunities for challenge and problem-solving. The children tested the different tools, making careful decisions about the size, height, width, and foundation of their structure.

While creating, the young designers followed the natural cycles of design as they planned, created, reflected and improved their structures. Through trial and error, the children have reached the first stage of their design work.

Design

Through this experience, the children had opportunities to:

  • identify needs and opportunities for designing, through exploration
  • generate ideas from their experiences and interests
  • add to others’ ideas
  • choose an idea to pursue

Design Learning Outcomes:

  • choose tools and materials
  • make a product using known procedures or through modelling of others
  • use trial and error to make changes, solve problems, or incorporate new ideas from self or others
  • develop their skills and add new ones through play and collaborative work
  • explore the use of simple, available tools and technologies to extend their capabilities

The Egg Experiment – A Story of Research

Leave a comment

A Story of Research

@O had a book full of experiments. He described one to the teacher explaining “The egg becomes soft when it is in the water for 3 days!”

  • Teacher “Hmmm, is that so, well can you prove that?”
  • Child “Yes! I can show you!”

He began to make a plan, thinking about how he might share his theories and document the process and findings over time. He drew out his plan, made a list of needed materials, and shared the steps to be taken to complete the task.

At first, the child insisted that the egg needed to be submerged in water. He planned and experimented, even though he subsequently learned that the liquid should be vinegar for the experiment to work.

The teachers encouraged him to complete his first experiment, to observe and document his learning and the outcome of his experiment, to encourage the child to develop the ability to carry out tasks, and to learn through experience.

The child agreed, and documented his observations in his journal, learning new words, and referring to the sight words flash cards to help him spell unknown words.

He labelled his pictures and included details to share the process with others.

He learned how to revisit his journal post on Seesaw, editing and including his daily observations to document his experiment.

The child was excited to begin his second experiment, feeling confident that he knew the outcome.

Through this experience, he practised patience, resilience and learning through ‘trial and error‘.

He questioned to learn more, used observation to gather information and explored patterns and connections. The child used mark-making to share his observations and presented his findings to the community, all important skills, and processes that scientists need in their work. 

Exploring Patterns with @M

Leave a comment

One morning during quiet exploration time, @M chose a piece of paper from the recycled basket to make a new creation. He began by (carefully) using a ruler to make straight lines to create a border. Then, he used markers to create pattern towers. This reminded the teachers of the pattern exploration the children had engaged in the day before, where they used Unifix cubes to create colour patterns.

We noticed how @M drew and labelled his ‘pattern unit’ for each new pattern. He had his own rules which were communicated using blocks with numbers and colours. @M tried to think of a unique pattern each time he drew a tower of cubes.

@M sat with his task till he filled his paper with different patterns. When he revisited the patterns and checked them for accuracy, he noticed some errors. He paused to think about the different ways he might correct the mistakes.       

@M first strategy was to cross out the mistake. The next was to add additional cubes to continue the pattern correctly.

As he progressed with his pattern work, he began by creating the pattern unit before making the patterns. His two final patterns were red, orange, yellow, and red, pink and yellow.

Finally, @M drew a column of colours and a second column with question marks. This was to ask others if they could name the colours.

He explained that it did not relate to the patterns that were on the paper.

As we explore patterns in the world around us, we wonder which ones will capture @M‘s interest.

We wonder how he might document patterns in nature…

Our exploration continues…

Block Play with Howie and Eli

Leave a comment

A group of children worked on their block structures over a sustained period of time, creating plans, solving problems and making changes to the initial design to suit their story. The adults observed the interactions and documented their play over time. When the children saw the video, they reflected on their play, discussing their initial plans and process.

Howie “This is we building blocks. And Mo Mo is helping us to build. And I put my name on the house and I was playing with my house. And we is building and we use which car to drive on the tracks.”

Eli “The pictures help me of looking     how to build the hospital and the hotel and that is how I know which pieces is which pieces. I like the hospital and the hotel so I will build it the same as the picture. The building blocks and then putting racing car and then driving them around and then building the T Rex into the hospital and the T Rex mommy into the hospital and we build the all of the race cars and the race road and Mo Mo was helping.”

Howie “I was drawing because I want show us I build and someone comes and he sees my picture and then he can’t touch it. It’s the same make as my blocks because it’s hard to build but it has lots of blocks we can build.”

Eli “I have to remember to build the right pieces we have to write hospital and we have to write hotel. Writing help me learn how to write words. But they all look different (blocks). I think which block I need and then I know which blog I used.”

  • How do we make choices about the materials we use to create?
  • What skills do we need to create a story?
  • What skills do we need to work together?
  • How do we record our planning and thinking (making thinking visible)?
  • How can we share our creations and stories with others?

@M the Artist

Leave a comment

Ms. Dora invited the children to create a self-portrait. They gathered their materials; cards, writing tools and a mirror, and sat around the classroom, ready to create their pictures.

@M looked at himself in the mirror. He carefully drew the shape of his face, being mindful of the space he had on the piece of card. He took his time, noticing details and drawing purposefully. Each stroke was a controlled line, curve or shape that was thought through.

@M had moved on to drawing his neck and hands. He looked at his hand in the mirror. He wanted to draw his right hand but he could not seem to position the mirror correctly. He thought about the problem for a while and then decided to move the mirror to the other side. He held up his right hand. He could now see his reflection clearly and was ready to continue his drawing.

After a few strokes on his paper, he would look back into the mirror, hold his hand in a particular position and then sketch what he could see. He continued this process until he was happy with his drawing.

@M carefully completed drawing his right hand. Then, he moved to draw his left hand. The position of this hand was different to the right. He moved his hands around, all the while looking into the mirror, till he was happy with the position. Then, he began to draw.

@M moved to draw the rest of his body. He chose not to take as much time with the parts of the body that were not visible in the mirror. Finally, @M used a thin line marker to trace his pencil lines. He carefully outlined his picture and held it away to check if he had drawn all the lines.  

As @M finished his drawing task and coloured his picture, the teachers observed his focus and attention to detail. @M was able to enjoy, learn and express himself through the arts. He was responsible for the care of tools and materials.

We wonder how @M will use his deep observational skills and passion for drawing and art to document his learning in K2.

The Bike Park Signs

Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, a team of young designers worked together with Ms. Eileen and Ms. Jo, to create signs for the bike park. After conducting their research, they decided to create the signs using wood, as this was a material that could be used outdoors in all types of weather. After considering many options for the message, the team decided to use the wood-burning tool to burn the message onto the wood instead of using paint, markers or other writing tools. 

They began by planning their message out using pictures and words, to inform the early years community how to park the bikes safely in the bike park area. Their pictures served to remind the children where to park and in which direction the bikes needed to be stored at the end of playtime.

The team considered the type of wood and the size of the sign. Then, they used sandpaper to make sure the edges of the wood were smooth. 

They learned how to use the wood-burning tool to burn the messages on the pieces of wood. They had to think about staying safe and focused throughout the task.

Finally, their signs were ready to be mounted in the bike park area. They talked to each other about the best place to put up the signs and what materials they would use to attach the signs in the different spaces. Noah decided that his sign should be placed standing upright in the bike park. Mason, Sean and Eunice decided that their signs should be attached to the wooden fence dividing the play area. The team were proud of their hard work, and were excited to see that the Early Years community were now well informed about safe parking in the playground.

K2 students are aware of the impact they can have on the community. They understand how they can actively engage in various stages of learning: including thinking about, planning, modifying and creating for a purpose. Through active discussion and questioning, they were able to direct their own learning. The ‘Bike Park’ project helped them make connections to the real world. Through a range of experiences, they could consider perspectives, possibilities and outcomes that would benefit the community. They considered their own responsibility in shared spaces, and were able to use their voice and actions to bring a sense of purpose and belonging to these community spaces.

Props, Sets and Costumes

Leave a comment

Over the last few days, the storytellers have been working on their props, costumes and set design.

Important choices needed to be made on the size of items, the choice of colours and the materials that would be used. During the process the children were:

  • actively engaged in various stages of learning, including: thinking about, planning, modifying and creating

  • involved in discussion and being self-directed in their creating (as opposed to passive receiving)

  • applying their understanding of concepts through the construction of their projects

 

  • solving problems and learning through trial and error or experimentation

  • reflecting on their actions and self-regulating in order to complete their tasks safely.

The Bike Project

Leave a comment

An invitation to create and build.

A group of young mechanics went to the Design centre to look for experts who can help them assemble the new tricycles.

Mr. Danny and Mr. B volunteered to help them with their project. Their task was to assemble a bike that was safe and worked well.

The bike mechanics began by looking closely at all the different components that were needed to assemble the tricycles.

The expert mechanics Mr. B and Mr. Danny worked alongside the children, helping them find the correct parts, the appropriate tools and the nuts and bolts that held the structure together.

The tricycles did not include instructions on how to assemble them, therefore, the mechanics had to work together to solve problems along the way. We noticed that the young mechanics asked the adults questions in order to learn more about the process.

They were deeply engaged in their inquiry, collaborating, testing, and thinking as they learned and applied new skills.

Volunteers from the Early Years classes have assembled all four of the tricycles.

They were excited and proud to ride them in the Early Years playground during their breaks.

The process of assembling the tricycles helped the children explore the concepts; structures, materials, mechanics, tools, safety, purpose, design and collaboration.

Action!

Following the project, the children have begun to notice some maintenance issues with some of the bikes and trikes in the playground.

Attention was also brought to how the bikes are parked each afternoon (systems and organisation). We wonder what steps they would take to help keep the bikes organised and maintained. We wonder what action the children may take as a result of their experience (initiative).

The Nest – Prototypes

Leave a comment

The young designers made a list of the materials they needed to create their prototypes of ‘the NEST‘.

In Design, they looked for materials and collected them in paper bags. We noticed how the designers tested the materials to see if they suited their design plans.

Some of the designers arranged their materials on the tabletops, then reconsidered their choices based on the properties of the materials. These are important considerations that designers often reflect on as they create and manipulate materials for a purpose.

The designers began to work on their prototypes. They were encouraged to refer to the shape and design choices they had documented on their plans. As the designers worked with the materials, they talked about their own projects and provided suggestions to their peers. Some of the designers ran in and out of the classroom, revisiting ‘the nest’ to see if their prototypes were accurate replications and improvements to the current structure. The teachers noticed some of the designers reconsidering their initial choice of materials. Through trial and error, the young designers continued to make improvements to the prototypes.

Tracey and Patrick reassessed their designs, reconsidering the materials as well as the structure of their prototypes. Patrick ran to a brick wall to see ‘how’ the bricks were laid, deciding that the pattern was an important consideration.

Sean, Doho, Eunice and Tae Woo considered new materials that were available in the Atelier and in the classroom. Mason decided to combine natural and synthetic materials in his design. While creating, the young designers followed the natural cycles of design as they planned, created, reflected and improved their structures.

Design Learning Outcomes:

  • choose tools and materials
  • make a product using known procedures or through modelling of others
  • use trial and error to make changes, solve problems, or incorporate new ideas from self or others
  • develop their skills and add new ones through play and collaborative work
  • explore the use of simple, available tools and technologies to extend their capabilities

 

The Prototypes

The Stool – Ongoing Project

Leave a comment

Ms. Shemo purchased a stool from one of the Eco-friendly projects at NIS. One morning the stool fell and broke. The children considered the problem for a while.

When Ms. Jo. Came in to class, Noah reminded Ms. Jo that the stool was broken.

Designers are also problem solvers. Ms. Jo asked the young designers if they could fix the stool. They thought this was a good project. The children went to the Primary School Design Pit to find materials to fix the stool.

The designers agreed that they should use “some sticky things” to fix the stool. Glue sticks, masking tape, duct tape, transparent tape, glue tack, a hot glue gun, and white glue were the “sticky things” they could find in Design. They thought that the hot glue gun, duct tape, clear tape, glue tack, and white glue were good fixing materials for wood, and were good materials for fixing the stool, but they couldn’t decide which would work the best. Designers sometimes test materials and then decide on the most suitable ones.

After picking the materials for fixing the stool, our young designers started to test these materials. The first one was the Glu Tack.

The young designers brainstormed different ways to apply the Glu Tack either on the seat or stool legs. Whilst testing the Glu Tack they found some other problems, for example, the seat wasn’t put evenly on the stool legs.

They didn’t forget to fix these problems as well. Finally, the young designers got the seat back on the stool. They will leave the stool in K2A until the next lesson to test and see if the Glu Tack worked well.

 

Test two…

The second material the young designers decided to test was the duct tape. The children used the green tape and pasted the sides down to fix the stool.

Right away they could see that the plastic top moved around. It did not look like a safe choice.

They decided to add a sign to let people know that it was not safe to sit on. The designers will need to reflect on their choice and decide what they need to do next.

 

Test three…

We reviewed our last test and decided that duct tape wasn’t a good solution. Next, we used hot glue to fix the stool.

Before gluing, the designers brainstormed the advantages and disadvantages of using hot glue.

Mason and Patrick thought the hot glue would make cracks in the seat because the glue was hot. What do you think?

Let’s give the hot glue a bit of time and see if it will make cracks in the plastic seat.

Our problem-solving continues…

Documentation by Ms. Jo and Ms. Eileen

The Seeds

Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, a few children were exploring in the Early Years Playground. The teacher documented the children’s explorations. Then, we presented the piece of documentation to the children. We read it together and noticed the details in the photographs.

The children involved in the inquiry began to share their ideas. The other children listened with interest, making suggestions along the way.

  • Olivia “I want to find more seeds. Help Ethan find more seeds. I want to help Tracey and Noah.”
  • Tracey “Me too!”
  • Kenan “ME TOO!”
  • Noah “We want to plant them to make another tree.”
  • Tracey “The black seeds put in the mud will grow up, into a big tree.”
  • Noah “The black one is the hardest one to find.”
  • Tracey “We need to find a lot. Its not like the green seed. We need to plant them in the mud.

Teacher “How will people know where you have planted the seeds?”

  • Tracey “We can draw and put it so we can know where it grows.”
  • Patrick “Can I help you Tracey and Noah?”
  • Noah “Everyone can help us!”
     

When the children went outdoors, they ran straight to the tree with the seeds.

They looked on the floor and around the play equipment see if they could find any black seeds.

They saw some on the tree, but the branches were out of reach. Noah tried to jump high, hoping that he can reach the branches.

Two children went off to look for a solution. They came back with some spades. They used the spades to reach some of the seeds. One child threw the spade at the tree, hoping that some will fall off.

 He realised that this was not the best idea. Then, the group of children continued to look for the seeds on the ground. They found some black seeds and shouted with excitement.

They kept them safely in the wheelbarrow. We look forward to their next steps as they decide what to do with the seeds.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Research Skills

  • Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.
  • Use all senses to observe and notice details.

Communication Skills

  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.
  • Participate in conversations.
  • Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

Living things

Students understand that living things have basic needs, including food and water.

A Research Story: The Paper Airplane

Leave a comment

@N has been trying to make a paper airplane using a piece of A4 paper. He approached the teacher and said, “Can you show me how to make a paper airplane?” The teacher noticed several creases on the paper, showing his many attempts at making the paper airplane. After some thought and discussion, @N decided to visit the library to see if there were any books that could give him more information on how to make paper airplanes. He met Ms. Tina in the library and asked if she could help. Ms. Tina showed @N where the books on craft and origami were in the library. Together, they began to look for the books they needed.

The first book on paper crafts and origami did not include directions on how to make a paper airplane. Ms. Tina looked for another book. She looked through the contents section of some books to see if she could find information about paper planes.

@N and Ms. Tina were excited to see that there was a book about paper planes!

@N checked out the book and brought it back to class. He quickly browsed through the pages. He was trying to decide on the type of paper airplane he wanted to make. Others came to see what @N was doing as they were curious about the paper airplane craft book.

@N first tried to follow the instructions to make a plane. He was not sure if he was following the directions correctly. He approached the teacher for help. @N and the teacher worked together to follow the instructions to make a paper plane. When they were both happy with the paper airplane, @N took his airplane outside to test it. A few friends gathered to see what he was doing. They also wanted to make the paper planes.   

@N took the book home to try a few different models. We look forward to his paper plane creation.

  • We wonder which paper airplanes Noah might make.
  • We wonder how far his paper airplanes will travel.

Our story continues…

Community Helpers

Leave a comment

The classroom space belongs to the community. As in other community spaces, everyone needs to do their part. In K2, we all have a responsibility to keep the spaces safe, clean and organised so that we can learn and have fun together. We have agreements and routines that help us work together.

The teacher had placed an order for new cushions for our reading corner. These new cushions were delivered to the class last morning. Three children helped the teacher put the new cases on.

This was not an easy task as you had to hold on to the cover and push the cushion into the case. It called for coordination, and large muscle movement. The three children worked hard to get all the cushions ready. The team persevered till the task was completed!

Structural Engineering

Leave a comment

“We ask ourselves what materials we could introduce that would take the children’s research further.” Anna Rainieri #reggiochildren

The loose parts table was set up as a structural design space. The provocation invited the children to create tall structures.  

As the children moved through the space, they began to add blocks on the cork-boards. On the second day, a group of children began to design and build with purpose. They engaged in conversation as they created their models. @O was inspired by the image of the Great Wall of China. She looked closely at the image, noticing the different shapes and sizes of cubes as she carefully placed the blocks on her structure. She explored concepts of balance, size, space and beauty.

Two other children joined in to explore the materials. @A used his imagination to create his own structure, using a range of loose parts for his design. He first placed the cubes on the outer edges of the cork-board.

Then, @A began to add the walls within. He chose several loose parts with intention, placing them carefully on his structure. He continued to talk to his friends as he worked on his structure. Finally, he included a label with his name to communicate ownership.@T worked carefully and intently. She asked if she could add shells to her design. She balanced small cubes and shells on her structure. Every addition was included thoughtfully. She then used a piece of recycled paper to write her name and placed it next to her structure. She beamed with pride at her engineering.

The different creations presented were unique and revealed each child’s creativity and research. Together, they explored concepts of shape, measurement, balance, size, structure, design, architecture and aesthetic beauty. Their work together called for focus, care and collaboration. We wonder how the children might continue to explore these concepts and skills further.

Design- Making: Through this experience, the children were:

  • Choosing and using materials with intention
  • Using trial and error to make changes, solving problems, and incorporating new ideas from self or others

Presenting the Prototypes!

Leave a comment

The students have been working on their prototypes over the last few weeks. They were ready to present their prototypes to the class. 

Success Criteria

Then, the students reflected on their learning journey.

Design Challenge – Obstacles and Prototypes

Leave a comment

If you could design any structure in the world, what would it be?

The students began to create their design plans, labelling and providing important information about the ‘purpose’ of their structure.

Challenges and Obstacles:

The students shared their first plans with a learning buddy. They interviewed each other, asking challenging and thought-provoking questions about the design, materials and its purpose.

Then, they were encouraged to think about the ‘challenges’ or obstacles they foresee in their own design. They identified this using a red sticker. The students presented their challenges to the class.

Their next step would be to create a prototype of their design. They would need to apply the knowledge they have about materials, and use the skills they have gained through the different design challenges they have experienced during the unit, to complete the task.

Conceptual Understandings:

– we solve problems during the creative process by thinking critically and imaginatively

– designs grow out of natural curiosity 

Tower Challenge!

One comment

Explore materials and their properties to build the Tallest Tower!

TASK:

1. Watch the video for instructions.

You will need:

  • 50 toothpicks
  • a material that can hold the toothpicks together (suggestions: tape, clay, play dough)

2. Design and build your tower

3. Measure your tower in centimeters (cms)

4. Reflect:

  • on what you did (the design of your structure)
  • on what you learned about the materials and structure

 

What we learned…

Agency and Learning

Leave a comment

We have been discussing the sketchnote by John Spencer (@spencerideas) “What happens when students own their learning?” and documenting some of the ideas shared.

We wondered what it means to have a ‘Growth Mindset’.

“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” ( Dweck, 2015)

To explore this further, we watched a short video. 

 

Then, each student was given a statement on a yellow or white speech bubble. Each fixed mindset statement in white had a corresponding growth mindset statement in yellow. The students had to work out which statements could be paired.


Finally, we created a poster including all the statements. We discussed the ideas, statements and situations where we could use ‘self talk’ and and take action, to help us develop a growth mindset.

We continue to wonder how we can stretch our thinking, and explore and take more ownership over our own learning. We continue to remind ourselves that when we are actively engaged in various stages of learning (Including: thinking about, planning, modifying and creating) we develop AGENCY.

The Ramp

Leave a comment

We gathered to think about a MATH provocation.

  • How might we solve this problem?
  • What strategies can we use?
  • What tools would we need?
  • What would be the first step?
  • How can we use pictures, numbers or models to solve math problems?

We worked through the task together and recorded our thinking in our Math Journals.

We thought about the different tools we would need to solve our problem. The students discussed their thinking and worked through their task using math vocabulary related to number, measurement and data-handling.

Next, they worked on creating and testing their own ramp. They needed to work in teams, solving problems and negotiating ideas.

The students thought about the materials they would need, the height and placement of the ramps as well as the objects they would test.

Then, they recorded their data on a table and discussed and shared a question they could ask about the data they collected.

Through this experience the students had opportunities to:

  • conduct research
  • work as a team
  • think
  • cooperate
  • listen
  • persevere
  • problem solve
  • have fun and celebrate learning together!

The Prototypes

Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, the students have been creating their prototypes based on their design plans and related research. They have continued to add more details and descriptions to their initial plans, thinking deeply about the different materials that are available and how they might use them to create the ‘MOST CHALLENGING‘ part of their design. The task would need to meet the following criteria. 

Design Plans and Prototypes

The House with a Pool (Challenge: The waterfall)

The Hotel on the Water (Challenge: The Slide with 2 loops)

The Prototypes

The students have been moving between the design rooms and the classroom, testing and choosing from a range of materials to fit a purpose. The students persevered, working at their own pace, talking to others about the challenges and how they were learning through trial and error. 

Personal Reflections  

The students have been documenting their learning journey, reflecting on challenges and how they have found solutions through the design process. 

We consider reflection an import part of the learning process. Therefore, students were encouraged to document their own learning journey while reflecting on the following:

  • what has been done (process)
  • the materials (What materials did you use? Why?)
  • the challenges (difficult parts/jobs)
  • the solutions (What did you do? What made it work?)
  • the skills (research, thinking, self-management, social and communication skills)
  • what has been learned (What have you learned from/through the steps/tasks?)
  • feelings and emotions 

The students are working on putting together a Design Journal to share their individual learning story. These will be presented at their final presentation to the community. 

Conceptual Understandings: Students understand that:

  • a push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (Physics).
  • different materials can be combined for a particular purpose (Chemistry).
  • science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events.
  • we solve problems during the creative process by thinking critically and imaginatively.
  • designs grow out of natural curiosity.
  • skills can be developed through play.
  • technologies are tools that extend human capabilities

Students were able to:

  • demonstrate control of tools, materials and processes.
  • identify, plan and make specific choices of materials, tools and processes.
  • to identify the stages of their own and others’ creative processes.
  • make predictions, experiment, and anticipate possible outcomes.

The Newspaper Challenge

Leave a comment

The students worked in groups to create a structure with newspaper. They first planned and tested the materials and then reviewed their plan before building the structure. They had to built the newspaper structure within 30 minutes. 

  • Let’s make a triangle. (Sky)
  • It’s tilting. (Carlotta)
  • Let’s stick this together. (Sky)
  • Everybody working so good so fast. (Carlotta)
  • Don’t stick here because…(Hannah)
  • This is so hard. We can do this! Come on team! (Reggie)
  • If we don’t do win this, it’s ok. At least we do this. (Elena)
  • The small one or big one? (Kavel)
  • We can make a hole then put more stick in. (Sky)
  • This is smart! (*responding to Sky’s idea) (Reggie)
  • I know why it’s always falling. Let’s tape this first. (Carlotta)
  • That’s good. (Elena)
  • We need to cut this smaller. (Carlotta)
  • I got 16 tape out. (Stella)
  • We are not ready. It’s still tilting! (Carlotta)
  • It keeps on falling. (Elena)
  • No more cylinder! (Kavel)
  • Can someone hold this area? (Reggie)
  • Good job! You make more to have stable bottom. (Carlotta)
  • More stand under here.
  • We are changing ideas. (Reggie)

The next day, the students were tasked with discussing and documenting their learning during the activity.

They needed to: –

  • introduce the team
  • share what was done (process)
  • reflect on the problems and solutions
  • explain what was learned
  • develop plans for next time

We wonder what we might do next…

Creating Sets and Groups

Leave a comment

We have been exploring multiplication and division in Second Grade. The students began with a warm up activity to discuss what they noticed and wondered about this image.

The students used whiteboards to document and share their thinking.

We watched a short video on Multiplication as groups of objects to help us create sets and groups using materials in the classroom.

The students worked together in teams to create different sets of 2’s, 3’s, 4’s 5’s and 10’s.

They included multiplication equations to explain their groupings. 

Our research with number helped us complete a multiplication chart.

Maths Provocation: Jimmy’s Ramp

Leave a comment

Jimmy set up a ramp for his toy cars. He and his brother Joe each sent one car down the ramp. 

We gathered to think about the provocation. Here are some of our initial wonderings.

I wonder…

  • … whose car is faster.
  • … whose car goes straight
  • … if the car falls down
  • … how the ramp is made
  • … if the cars fall down from the side of the ramp
  • … what Jimmy used for the ramp
  • … who pushed it down first
  • … whose car is slower

Joe’s car rolled 15 centimetres farther than Jimmy’s.

1) If Joe’s car rolled 27 centimetres (cms), how far did Jimmy’s car roll?

How could you get started?

2) Does this problem make you think about addition or subtraction?

3) Whose car rolled farther? Draw a number line to model the problem.

4) Follow Up:

Make your own ramp with books, cardboard, or other materials you find. Roll 6 different objects down the ramp and measure how far they go.

5) Record your data on a table.

6) Make up your own story problem with the results.

We began to construct some questions that we might want to ask about the data in our table. 

Mr. Matt worked with the students to help them create questions using ‘Question Words’. 

Sample Student Questions:

we wonder what YOUR ramps might look like…

Empathy

Leave a comment

What IS EMPATHY?

How do we develop empathy?

We read the story ‘Cleversticks’ by Bernard Ashley, illustrated by Derek Brazell.

This is a story about a little boy, Ling Sung, who hates going to school. There are too many things the other kids can do that he can’t. When he discovers everyone admires his ability to use chopsticks, Ling Sung is empowered.
The illustrations and story encourage the reader to reflect on feelings of helplessness, pride, discouragement and joy. The students retold the story using picture clues. We made a list of the characters in the story and discussed the setting (where the story takes place).
We talked about the beginning, middle and end of the story as well as the problem and the resolution (how the problem was solved). We created a ‘Story Mountain‘ to help us visualise and document our thinking.  
We used a graphic organiser to document key details from the text. 
This story encourages us to think about about how ‘Our choices affect our interactions with others.’ 
To explore this further, we discussed the different characters in the story. We wondered what message the author wanted to convey through this story.

I think the authors message is…

  • … we know that some people know some things and some people know other things. – Kavel
  • … everybody needs to be united. Friendship. Help each other. Learn from other’s strengths. – Sam
  • … do not laugh when someone can’t do something. Be kind. Be caring. – Sky
  • … letting us try things.- Hannah
  • … be helpful. – Miranda
  • … play kindly with friends. – Eunseong
  • … know different feelings and learn things. – Carlotta
  • … if you don’t know something you can keep on practicing and you will get better at it. – Elena
  • … nobody can do everything. – Ryder
  • … some people are good at writing and anyone can help to do writing. – Dohoon
  • … we also need friends. – Stella
  • … work at whatever you want. – Chanwoong

Next, the students used a thinking routine ‘I Used to Think… Now I Think…’ to document their initial ideas about the word ‘EMPATHY’.

What do you do when you feel sad or when something terrible happens? What would you do if you notice someone else feeling sad?

We listened to a story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld

In this story, something terrible happens to Taylor. While he is trying to manage his feelings, his friends try to give him some solutions. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to work out his feelings, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives and something wonderful happens… 

After listening to the story, the students documented their thinking, reflecting on how and why their thinking changed.

I used to think ‘EMPATHY’ was…NOW I think ‘EMPATHY’ is…

What does empathy mean to you?

Growing Patterns

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Thinking Skills, Communication Skills

Can patterns repeat and grow? 

Here is an invitation to use loose parts to create patterns.

🌺What do you notice?

🌺What patterns do you see?

🌺What patterns can YOU create? 

This invitation encourages children to use everyday objects to describe, create and extend patterns. 

Balancing Stones

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Self-management Skills, Thinking Skills

How high can you go?

Here is a challenge that encourages balance, focus and coordination. Gather a collection of stones and stack them as high as you can. How high is your stack of stones? 

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • develop fine-motor skills and eye-hand coordination 
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

Balancing

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Thinking Skills, Research Skills, Self-management Skills

How heavy is the 🍎 apple?

  • How can we find out?
  • Can we use other materials and objects to weight the apple?  

Let’s read the story ‘BALANCING ACT’ by Ellen Stoll Walsh to explore weight and balance.

In this story, two mice 🐁🐁 make a teeter-totter. They play on their teeter-totter, balancing each other out until their friends come along to join their play. They think of different ways to include their friends, which leads to solving problems with weight and balance.

How might we make our own balancing scale?

Here is one way to create your own balancing scale. You might have other ideas to create your own scale! Follow the instructions in the video to make a balancing scale. 

Materials Needed:

  • 2 cups/small containers
  • 1 clothes hanger
  • A sharp object (to make the holes)
  • 4 pieces of twine about 60cms in length 

Steps:

  1. You may need an adults help to use a sharp object, or a hole punch to make holes in 2 small containers as shown in the instructional video. 
  2. Cut 4 pieces of twine about 60cms in length. The twine needs to be thick and strong enough to make the balance scale more durable.
  3. Tie the ends of the twine through the holes in the containers to the ends of the clothes hanger as shown in the instructional video.
  • What weighs the same?
  • How heavy or light are different objects or substances?
  • How might we weigh different materials and substances such as liquids and solids? 

Light and Heavy What things are light? What things are heavy? Let’s explore the concept of weight through this non-fiction picture book. In Light and Heavy, a girl investigates what she can and cannot lift.

Through this invitation, the children can investigate how objects have attributes which can be measured using non-standard units, which can then be used to sort and compare. 

Paper Cup Stacking

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Research Skills, thinking Skills, Communication Skills 

Materials: a stack (20 or more) of paper (or plastic) cups

Inquiry Invitation

⚠️ What tower designs can we create using paper cups?

⚠️ How many cups can we stack without it falling over?

⚠️ How can we document our designs?

This inquiry challenge will encourage the children to:

  • observe carefully
  • test generalizations, strategies or ideas
  • draw conclusions and generalizations
  • gather information from a variety of sources (materials)
  • record observations—drawing, charting, tallying—using emergent writing skills, when possible, to annotate images
  • notice relationships and patterns
  • use mark-marking to convey meaning
  • document information and observations in a variety of ways
  • follow the directions of others
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

-Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Tangrams

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Thinking Skills, Self-management Skills, Research Skills

What can we create with shapes?

A tangram is a puzzle made up of seven shapes that can be arranged to form many different designs. Follow the instructions in the video to create 7 geometric shapes: five triangles, one square, and one parallelogram. Move the shapes around like a puzzle to create new designs.  

I wonder what your designs would resemble…

Here are a few designs to get you started!

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • understand that shapes have characteristics that can be described and compared
  • observe carefully
  • follow the directions
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

The Lego Bridge

One comment

Online Learning

Focus: Research Skills, Thinking Skills 

Peter Brown is another of our favourite authors. One of the stories we read often is ‘You WILL Be My Friend!‘. In this story, Lucy is searching for a friend in the forest. She approaches a pond, she needs to cross it. Can you help Lucy?

Here is a Lego Brick challenge for you!

Create a Lego Brick Bridge that Lucy can use to cross the pond.

How will you test your bridge?

Share a picture of your Lego Brick Bridge.

NOTE: This learning invitation will help children explore the concepts:

  • materials
  • weight
  • engineering and design

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • think critically
  • plan an experiment
  • observe carefully
  • test ideas
  • gather information through experimentation
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

Lego Boat

Leave a comment

Online Learning

Focus: Thinking Skills, Research Skills

Following on from our experiments with Sinking and Floating…

Challenge: LEGO Brick Boat

  • Make a LEGO brick boat. 
  • Put your LEGO boat to the test in a tub of water.
  • Add 1 RMB coins , a few at a time to see how many your boat can hold.
  • Post a picture of your LEGO brick boat!
  • How many coins could your LEGO brick boat carry safely?

NOTE: This learning invitation will help children think about weight, engineering and design. You can give your child a certain number of Lego bricks for an added challenge.

Felix the Engineer:

Felix LOVES Lego and was very excited to try the Lego boat challenge. He took parts of a space shuttle and modified it for his boat. After that Simon and Felix tried a lego boat. It worked great! They had a lot of fun, especially with the water 🤭. Look carefully to see how many coins his space shuttle could hold safely.

Leming worked like a scientist, planning, designing and creating a boat that could stay afloat while carrying lots of coins. Leming then tested his boat to see if it works. 

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • think critically
  • plan an experiment
  • observe carefully
  • test ideas
  • gather information through experimentation
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks
  • use strategies to problem-solve

Paper Helicopter

One comment

Online Learning

Focus: Self-management Skills, Communication Skills

Task: Make a Paper Helicopter

Follow the instructions in the video to make a paper helicopter.

This task will encourage your child to:
• observe carefully
• follow instructions in sequence to complete a task
• develop small muscles in the hand
• problem-solve
• be patient
They will need to measure, draw lines, cut on a line and fold paper.

Challenge:
– Make a target on the floor using chalk, paper, or tape.
– Decide how many points each area of your target is worth.
– Play with a partner, take turns to see who scores the most points!

A Bridge

One comment

Online Learning

Skills: Thinking Skills, Research Skills

Challenge: The Coin Bride

You will need:

coins

a chopstick

Instructions:

Gather some coins and use them to build a bridge. The chopstick should be able to pass under your bridge without touching the coins! How tall, wide and strong can you make your bridge?

Take a photo or a video of your bridge, reflect on (and share):

  • How many coins did you use to make your bridge?
  • What helped you create your bridge?
  • What other materials can you use to create different types of bridges?

Here are a few different bridges around the world. Feel free to share some examples of the different bridges you create!

Sophie has created a bridge using her toys!

The Bridge Test:

Leming and his brother Leyang were wondering which material would be the most suitable to create a bridge.

They wanted to learn through ‘trial and error’, this is the work of a ‘researcher’. 

They have gathered some materials to test their theories. They have paper, plastic and wood.

The Paper Bridge.

The Wooden Bridge.

Their Conclusion:

  • “1-wood 2- paper with more strength 3- plastic 4- paper with less strength”

You might want to try your own experiments to see which materials are best suited when creating bridges!

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Analysing: Observe carefully.

Generating novel ideas: Make unexpected or unusual connections between objects and/or ideas.

Considering new perspectives: Ask “what if” questions, Identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Research Skills

Formulating and planning: Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing): Use all senses to observe and notice details.

The Board Game

Leave a comment

@S created a game using stones from the ‘loose parts’ collection.

Next, she decided to make a chess board game. @S began by making a big square, including lines for playing the game.

She made triangles and circles that represent the two teams.

Then, she made poster to inform others about the ‘rules of the game’ and instructions on how to play the game.

@S “The paper around the game is because we don’t want the pieces to go outside.”

Before sharing the game, @S said “We have to test before we really played.” So she played the game with Ms. Tina and created a video to show her friends how to play the game.

The Instructions:

Step 1: Put the two circles here.

Step 2: Put the triangles here.

Step 3: Put the two black circles here.

Step 4: The people don’t want to go outside so we need this paper here.

Step 5: If he goes outside he cannot go inside.

@S played the game with Ms. Jiao.

Through her creative design, @S:

  • used discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
  • interpreted visual, audio and oral communication: recognizing and creating signs, interpreting and using symbols and sounds.
  • expressed herself using words and sentences.
  • understood that mark-making carries meaning.
  • used mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • chose and completed the task independently.
  • demonstrated persistence in her task.

The Story of Paper

Leave a comment

The children gathered around Ms. Ai to create boats using paper from the recycled box. They were curious and wanted to see how pieces of paper can be turned into something new and exciting.

Some children created musical instruments using different types of paper.

A Piano

They made maps, iPhones, games and money using paper and card.

A computer with lots of buttons.

Learning Outcomes:

  • engage with, and enjoy a variety of visual arts experiences.
  • use their imagination and experiences to inform their art making.
  • create artwork in response to a range of stimuli.

Noticing the children’s interest in paper, Ms. Tina decided to share some examples of paper art . The children then sorted out different paper to use in their creations. 

Ms. Anna Mila used a video to show the children the process of how paper is made. The children asked to watch the video repeatedly, asking insightful questions about the trees. They made great observations about the paper making process.

After we watched the video and read some books about how paper is made/recycled, we went into the atelier to make paper.

First, the children needed to rip up scraps of previously used paper.

Then, they needed to add lots of water.  

Then, they needed to blend the paper into a pulp.

Next, it was poured into a bin with water that had a screen in it. The children needed to pour the pulp into all corners, covering the whole screen as evenly as possible.  

This part of the work took great concentration and strength.

Sometimes the children noticed that they needed to add more paper scraps.

After the paper was poured, the screen needed to be lifted up carefully and then placed on a drying rack so that the pulp can dry, creating paper.

When the paper pulp on the mesh had dried, the children carefully lifted it off the drying racks. They were excited to see their own paper!

They sat around the tables with their own sheet of recycled paper and paints, excited to the create yet a new piece of art.

We wonder, what other materials and objects can we recycle?

Concepts: change, purpose, responsibility, creativity, connection, conservation, causation, changes of state, production.  

Learning Outcomes:

  • select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes.
  • understand the impact of simple actions on their immediate environment
  • understand that resources are necessary to meet the needs of living things
  • develop enthusiasm and respect for nature and Earth
  • develop care and concern for Earth and its environment

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
  • ask for clarifications.
  • interpret visual, audio and oral communication: recognizing and creating signs, interpreting and using symbols and sounds.
  • express oneself using words and sentences.
  • participate in conversations.
  • be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
  • follow the directions of others.
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks.

The Brick House

Leave a comment

We have been listening to the story ‘The Three Little Pigs‘.

Leming approached the table that had bricks and wooden strips.

He began to create with the material. Leming noticed that each time he placed a piece of green wood across the two ends, it would fall inwards.

He decided to use bricks as a base, to hold up the falling wooden beams. He was able to solve this problem through experimentation. He explained that he was creating a house for a pig.

He gently placed the wooden beams, careful with his movements.

The last piece.

We wonder what Leming is thinking as he creates. What is his plan?

Leming explains that he has made the brick house, pointing to the props and the story we read. The pig is in the brick house and the green section is the fireplace.

We noticed how Leming has been thinking about the different houses as he built his own. He understood that the brick house had different spaces that were part of the story.

Leming is sharing his creativity through the use of props and stories.

Learning Outcomes:

  • use imagination and original ideas to create
  • explore and retell familiar stories dramatically
  • select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes
1 2