When the children arrived at school after Christmas break, they noticed some subtle differences in the structure of the room. The drama area had been transformed into a blocks area.
The blocks we use are called unit blocks and offer so much to learn in so many areas. There are math ideas for us to consider. For instance, the children found that the square block was the same length a half a unit block. We have also met a block called a double and found that it is twice the height of a unit. And we met a pillar, which is half the width of a unit. When children see these relationships, they are able to problem-solve when they can't find the block they need to fill a particular spot. If all of the doubles are gone, you could use two units; if all of the units are gone, two pillars or two squares might work.
Many children wish to build tall and we learned how to use a connector block to strengthen our tall structures. Armed with this knowledge the children created, among other things, a jail, a palace, and a bowling alley. For now the children are working independently with prompts and challenges from a teacher.
As the children begin to build structures together, they will learn new ways of negotiating and discussing their work, sharing ideas and making decisions together. They will learn a lot about what makes a structure beautiful and strong. For the time being, our focus is on learning the names of the blocks and learning how to work together, safely in the space, as we build and unbuild, stack and carry the unit blocks.
