The Bike Project

Kenan saw bikes in boxes in the shed. The group of problem solvers wondered who can help them assemble the new bikes.

(Organisation, Collaboration, Function of Spaces)

Mo asked his dad Mr. Danny if he could help. Mr. Danny agreed and asked Mr. B, the Design teacher to help too.

A group of children went over to the Design room to inspect the space.

Would it be a good space to assemble the bikes?

They met the two teachers and had a look around.

Mr. B had many different tools in the room.

Some were very big and heavy. Mr. B showed the young designers some of the tools that we might need to assemble the bikes. We noticed that the children used measurement vocabulary (big/small/heavy/lighter/long/shorter) to describe the different tools.

They decided that the Design room was a great space to assemble the bikes as it had so many tools and plenty of space to work in. Mr. B suggested that we bring one bike to the Design room to begin the process.

Patrick, Mason and Tracey borrowed a wagon from the Library and used it to transport the box with the bike parts to the Design room.

It was a challenge to steer the wagon, but the team worked together and also had some fun along the way!

The designers in the Early Years will take turn to help with the bike assembly.

We wonder what the new bikes look like.

Are they bigger than the ones we have in the EY playground?  

Are they one or two-seater bikes?

 

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).

 

 

Organising The Bikes

Two photographs of the bikes in the Early Years playground were presented to the class.

What do you notice?

The children looked carefully at the bikes and shared their observations.

They noticed that:

  • The bikes are squished and people might bump into each other when they ride.
  • They might break the bikes when they try to get them out.
  • The bikes are parked all over, (messy) and it is hard to move the bikes out when needed.
  • Some of the accessories for the bikes are not put away safely.
  • People can bump into the exit doors because there is no space to ride them.
  • The bikes are blocking the fire exit and people might fall over the bikes when trying to get out in a hurry.

The children suggested that we:

  • Make big signs to tell people what to do.
    • ‘Park the bikes straight’
    • ‘NO bikes in the water and sand’
    • ‘NO Parking’ sign near the emergency exit.
  • Add lines to show the no parking area.
  • Make a list of all the things we need to fix on the bikes.
  • Conduct a survey to find the most suitable name for the park. The two choices are BIKE PARK and BIKE GARAGE.

Next Steps… 

 

Fixing the Tricycles

We held a class meeting to talk about our nest steps with the Bike Project.

Mr. Danny and Mr. B joined our meeting and took note of the problems the children shared about the older bikes in the playground.

  • The front wheels are wobbly.
  • Some bikes don’t have the pedals.
  • Some bikes don’t have the rubber sleeves on the handles.
  • The seats are moving around.
  • The back tyres are wobbly.
  • Some of the screws at the bottom of the trikes are not tight enough.

A team went back to the design room to bring the tools they needed. They were HEAVY!

Then, the expert mechanics got to work with their eager assistants, tightening nuts and bolts, fixing the wobbly seats and adjusting the wobbly wheels. 

The mechanics took the bike for a test run to see if there were any more problems that needed their attention. The ride was smooth!

 

Research Groups

Our Bike project continues, with children leading research projects to help them make the best decisions for their outdoor space.

 

Name for the Parking Spot: Conducting a Survey

from our brainstorm on the different A group of mathematicians interviewed the Early Years community to find out their preference for the name of the parking spot. The two choices were BIKE PARK or BIKE GARAGE.

The team used tally marks to record the data on the survey.  

Then they worked together to calculate the total for each choice.

Through their research they learned that more people preferred the nameBIKE PARK!

 

NO PARKING area: Field Visit

The children wanted to find a way to create a ‘No Parking’ area near the emergency exit. We know the school has many NO PARKING areas and areas where you can park. Noah went on a field visit to learn more.

  • What do we notice in the parking spaces?
  • How is the space organised?

Noah created a video to share what he learned from his research. We wonder how we might use these ideas to help us organise the tricycle park.

  

Signs and Messages:

Another team of researchers brainstormed ideas for the signs. They began by looking for signs around the Early Years Centre.

  • What materials are signs made of?
  • How are colours, shapes and words used to share messages?
  • What messages and actions do they communicate to people?

They used the iPads to record their observations and brought photographs back to the team.

The researchers discussed their observations while Ms. Eileen documented key points on chart paper. 

The team decided that ‘plastic’ would not be an appropriate material to use as they didn’t know how to make plastic.

They didn’t want to buy plastic from the shop as it was their own project. They wanted to make the sign all by themselves.

 

Paper’ and ‘card’ were not the best materials for the signs as it breaks and tears easily.

Although card is stronger, it will get wet when it rains as the signs will be outdoors.

 

Yet another choice were ‘stickers’. They may last longer and are waterproof, but they might come off after a while.

The team decided that stickers were not a suitable choice either.

 

They noticed that the ‘wood’ was very strong and wouldn’t rip. If they used thicker wood, it would make the sign stronger.

The team decided that wood would be the perfect material for the signs.

They wondered if someone used stone to carve the wood, or fire to draw the sign. They decided that their next step would be to meet Ms. Jo and Mr. Danny to ask them more about the sign. Other ideas the team would consider:

  • How big does the sign need to be?
  • Where will the sign be placed?
  • How will it be fitted safely?

The team wondered how they might use what they have learned about traffic rules, signs and important messages in their own planning.

We look forward to our next steps as we begin to use what we have learned to organise the ‘BIKE PARK’.

 

Tricycle Agreements:

The children have been discussing the ‘Bike Park’ and making plans to change the space, to make it more organized and safe. Hearing the children’s ideas on what we ‘should NOT’ do with the bikes, we decided to invite them to think about what we ‘CAN do’ instead.

The children put their ideas on paper, using drawings, words, sentences and discussion to express their thinking.

Then, we put all the ideas down on one chart paper.

In the next few days, the children will present these ideas to the rest of the Early Years classes and decide if changes need to be made to these agreements. Through this experience, we noticed how the children:

  • documented and shared ideas using drawing, emergent writing and annotating images
  • listened actively and respectfully to others’ ideas
  • participated in conversations
  • shared responsibility for decision-making

 

The Bike Park Plan

The teachers set up a time lapse video after playtime to provoke the children’s thinking. We watched the video during our class meeting and discussed what we noticed.

We reflected on what Noah had said about blocking the emergency entrance. We also noticed how Kenan and Noah parked the bikes, making sure they are parked in reverse.

Noah used the iPad to show the class how we could keep the walkways in the playground clear of tricycles.

He thought about what he had learned through his research about the school parking lots, and then used the iPad to show how the lines could be marked on the floor. The yellow lines would be a ‘NO PARKING’ area. The class gave him feedback as he made the plan.

 

 

The messages and signs team are ready to begin their work on the signs to help the EY community know how to park the bikes.

Another team will present their ideas to the facilities department and relevant personnel in school, to help them make the changes they need. They will need to convince the facilities team that their suggestions will ensure we have a safe and organised playground.

 

Proposals to Ms. Jacqui

Next, we presented the proposal for the ‘Bike Park’. The children explained the reason for the yellow lines on the floor. We asked Ms. Jacqui if we can paint the floor. Ms. Jacqui agreed that the emergency exits, and walkway should always be clear.

Ms. Jacqui thought about the idea of painting the ground. She wondered if there were other ways to let people know that it was a ‘NO PARKING’ area.

  • Kenan “We can put a ‘NO Parking’ sign!”.
  • Mason “Put and red X on the floor!”

These were all great suggestions.

Next, the children explained the arrows in the parking area. They worked hard to convince Ms. Jacqui that their proposals will help the riders park and ride the bikes safely and quickly.

Ms. Jacqui “Instead of just painting it right away, what else can we try first?”

  • Tracey “We can put a sticker!, We can test it first!”

The children had many different ideas to communicate the message. We will begin to ‘test’ some of the suggestions to see how they work before asking for the floor to be painted.

We noticed how the children shared their thinking, providing examples to convince others of their ideas. We noticed the children listening to each other, building on each other’s ideas to find ways to solve problems and look for the best solutions. We look forward to our next steps in making the Early Years Playground more exciting, organised and safe.  

 

 

The Bike Park Signs

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.