Bluebirds November Discoveries

DISCOVERIES WITH SHAPES
The KIDSPACE math curriculum has many manipulatives for children to use to facilitate "hands on" learning.  The first step in introducing the new tools is giving children time to explore the manipulatives on their own.  Look what the children discovered while playing.

"I can make a pattern with four colors.  Blue, orange, purple red . . .blue orange, purple, red!"
















       "I can make a circle."

We made Mickey Mouse!

 DISCOVERIES WITH COLOR

The children used color paddles and clear gems to explore primary and secondary colors.

What happens when you mix red, yellow and blue?  You make lots of different colors.  This activity was available for the children for many days.  They never tired of it!  The Bluebirds loved being "scientists" and making their own colors.  They were constantly exclaiming, "I made green!"  "I made orange!"  "I made purple!"  And one of our students even said with oodles of excitement, "Look, I made aquamarine!"

BUILDING DISCOVERIES

Exploration led to many discoveries with the marble maze.  One of the first problems encountered by the builders was that when the tower isn't built with the ramps going the right way the marbles have no way to drop to the next ramp. 

 Then, they discovered the green marbles were too big to go through the holes. But, the biggest discovery of all, was realizing that when you build something really cool . . . everyone else wants to play with it too.  This time our Bluebird builders were happy to share their marble masterpiece.  Many, many friends lined up to take turns putting a handful of marbles at the top and watch them race to the bottom.

Five Boys with a Plan

. . . busy conferring and building

. . . and building some more!  It might look like play to us adults . . . however, when was the last time you worked with four other colleagues to design and build a project?  It takes a lot of listening, problem solving, and relational skills, even for adults.  

I'm thinking future engineers at work . . . what do you think?