Hammer and Nail Station

 We placed two large palm tree rounds in our block area to create a nail and hammer station.  We also added some screws and screwdrivers.

Children had to wear safety goggles

They hammered in and pulled out nails.

They worked together to solve problems and help one another.

Oh and you ask, how many ouches did we get?  I am happy to say NOT ONE!!!

Literacy in the Block Center

When developing an effective learning environment you need to take into consideration that not all children learn in the same way.  

Children learning and enjoying literacy does not mean only in the designated areas like the writing center or during small group.  Some children might benefit more from a writing experience in the block center.  So when thinking about teaching children about literacy think outside of the box and create meaning literacy learning experience throughout you classroom design. 

This week we have be learning about our neighborhood.  We have talked and made lists of what you can find in our community as well as what we could do in our community when we grow up. 

We extended this discussion to our construction zone and the children created our community, with signs and all.

 Under construction

 Sign writing station

Walmart

 They even put all the cars in the parking lot and it turned out that it was the biggest building in our block community.  Which is funny because it is also the biggest shopping area in our town that always has the most cars.

Hospital

 Gym

The child placed hearts on the sign, when asked why she simply stated, "You need the gym to work out your heart."

 Train Station

 Shoe Store

Grab a set of block play word cards for your center, they are free for just stopping by.

Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers Notebook

Kid Carpet.com has some great factory to you transportation road rugs that can dress up any center.

Wreaking Ball Fun

The children have been asking to knock over their block structures in different ways.  They have pushed, kicked, and rolled balls into the structures to knock them down, but they wanted to know how do builder people (construction workers) knock over building.  This lead to a discussion on wreaking balls. 

I then went home and raided my husband garage for scrap PVC pipe and fittings to create a frame for the children to experiment with wreaking balls. 

For the first attempt the children decided on a wiffle ball that they could tie to the end of the string.  They did their count down !0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 away it goes.  Nothing happened.

Child "It didn't work."

Child "It was not heavy enough"

Child "We could tie a block to end."

Teacher, "How are you going to make sure the block will not come off?"

Child "Tape it."

 Second attempt 10....1 away it goes. 
 

 Success

Child "It fell over."

Child "What if we make a bigger castle?"

Child "Can we try other things?"

Teacher "Yes, what do you need?"

Child "A rock."

Teacher "How can you attach it to the string?"

Child "Wrap it around."

Child "We can tape it."

Child "It is going to take a lot of tape."

 I chalk today up to a very successful day!!

Maps in the Block Area

I added maps to my block center along with clipboards and the children have been deciding where they will be traveling to (Disneyland, San Francisco and the beach).  Along with making their own driving directions.

Hand Made Blocks

We had each child bring in an empty shoe box. We covered each box with white butcher paper and clear packing tape for durability. Next we had the children paint the boxes and embellish them with items that would make them look like buildings.


Who would of thought that such a simple and cheep addition to our block area would bring on such enthusiasm for our future builders.

Construction Zone

Block play provides children with opportunities to develop many skills and concepts, but don’t leave your block area to just blocks. When adding different props to the block center children’s play will be enhanced.

• Blue prints
• Carpenter pencils
• Clip boards
• Fabric measuring tapes
• Hard hats
• Safety glasses
• Books on building, bridges, equipment, and homes

Here is a group of boys building in the block area. They went back and forth between the blue print they had laid out to the structure they were building. They are at play but what are they learning?


• Literacy Skills
• Language
• Conversational Skills
• Collaboration
• Problem solving
• Math Measurement/Size

Block Play

We have added real rocks and stones to our block area and the children have been creating some wonderful structures. They really seem to enjoy have real items in the area. We also added drift wood.