A YEAR AGO

I posted my first blog entry on July 26th, 2010.  That was one year ago.  The reason I started to blog was to share ideas on play in and around the sensory table by showing how to build simple, cheap apparatus to enhance exploration and experimentation.

I was introduced to the blogging world by my oldest daughter who was living and working in Peru at the time.  She was an inspiration chronicling her micro-credit work with women in the Northern Highlands of the Peru.   She had told me it was easy to start, but difficult to keep up.  I am like most people; starting new things takes some effort, especially when it comes to technology.  I actually tried to start my blog a year earlier, but quickly lost steam.  As far as keeping up the blog, I find the only way to do it is to keep a schedule.   I have set a Thursday deadline for a weekly post.  That arbitrary deadline is the only thing that keeps me on track.

So have my reasons for blogging changed?  They have not changed, but they have multiplied.  One of the bonuses of blogging is that I am no longer that solitary teacher planning all the day's activities.  I am now plugged into an expanding group of people who love to share their thoughts, ideas, and comments.  It is the true essence of play: we are invited into each others' houses or backyards for a give-an-take of ideas.   That give-and-take allows each of us to borrow, add, and change in our practice to fit our own purposes.  And, oh what fun!

One huge added benefit for me has been re-examing the pictures and videos I have taken over the years. Though showing an apparatus may be the impetus for any given post, the documentation of how the children use it has become the focus for me.  The whole process from selecting the pictures and videos to the final editing of the post has given me new insights into just how capable young children are in their explorations and discoveries.  I may have had an initial idea of how the children might approach any given apparatus, but inevitably they add their own ideas and make it their own in ways I could never have imagined.

I still have a few apparatus to share, so I will continue blogging for the time being. And besides, I want to keep playing.

If you are wondering about blogging here are a couple of good posts to check out. One is from Teacher Tom in Seattle.  He has a post called:  What Part do I Play?  And then Jenny in Australia from her blog let the children play has a post called:  10 good reasons why teachers should blog.  And just this week, Pam in Iowa from the blog How Long is this Hall wrote a post called Funny thing is...  All have to do with reasons for blogging.  Check them out.

BIG BOX INCLINE

Many times the cardboard apparatus I build for the sensory table is determined by the size and shape of the box.  For the longest time, I had been saving a large, rectangular box trying to figure out what to do with it.  I settled on a design that put it on an incline over the table.

I used a planter tray turned upside down to support the box and give it its incline. The end of the box was set over the lip of the table so when the children poured the sand or corn into the inclined box, it would drop into a tub next to the table. The box was very sturdy, so there was no need to reinforce the structure.  This is essentially a large, enclosed chute.

Because the box was so large and sturdy, I was able to cut out big holes in the side for access to the chute at different levels.

If you look at the above picture, you might think that the corn or sand is blocked at the bottom of the chute by a cardboard piece.  There is actually a slit cut in the bottom of the box before the cardboard piece that allows the sand or corn to drop into the tub next to the table.  If you look at the picture below, you can see the slit just below the girl's arm.

In other versions, the chute is completely open.

Often times, the focal point of play with this apparatus is the top hole.  Children have to reach up to pour the corn down the chute.

There are various large muscle challenges to doing this depending on how tall you are or what implements you might use.  If you use a shovel as opposed to a spoon, how much can you get in the chute?









Take a look at this video to see some of the large muscle challenges to pouring corn down the big box incline.



The girl wants to pour the corn down the chute.  She is at the side of the table.  She has already gathered the corn in her little pail.  As the video begins, she is deciding how to hold the little pail.  She holds it on the bottom with her right hand.  She thinks about grabbing the handle, but decides to balance it in her right hand because she needs her left hand to balance herself as she shifts her weight to pour the corn.  She reaches to grab the end of the box, puts her foot on the lip of the table and shifts her weight to pour.  If you watch her, she is quite stable with three points of support: one foot on a stool, one foot on the lip of the table, and a hand on the box.   With the physical extension and balance required to complete this task, it becomes so much more than just pouring the corn.

Another focal point of play is the bottom of the giant chute.  That is true whether you are trying to catch the corn coming down...

or whether you want to climb right into the bottom of the box to push the corn up with your bulldozer.  By the way, do you see that the boy has also climbed into the tub---his leg is visible in the tub---to be able to reach into the box.  Hey, it sounds like more stretching and balancing work with this apparatus.






With the holes on the sides, there are many more focal points for play.

Or from another perspective.

And there are spaces to be explored under the big box incline.

One of the things I like to do with this apparatus is add mirrors inside across the openings cut on the side of the box.  Even if a child doesn't see himself, others get an interesting perspective.

This picture above shows one of the mirrors.

In addition, this picture also shows that this apparatus offers a wonderful area for focused play and exploration.  This picture captures a sense of space that is made for a child.  It is a space that a child can be both in and out of at the same time. Imagine what that must feel like.

STICKS AND STONES

Back in October of last year, I wrote about rocks in water in the sensory table.   Late this spring I set up a similar activity.  I set out rocks, sticks, and pieces of wood---this time in sand.  In the setup for October, the tray lay across the table.  For this setup, the tray was a bridge connecting the sensory table to a smaller table that held three boxes of rocks and sticks.

That is the extent of the apparatus: the sensory table, sand, a wooden tray as a bridge, and lots of sticks and stones. (Notice I have not included any implements such as shovels and containers.)  Finding rocks and wood is as easy as going to the river or woods for a hike.  I have collected most of the rocks I use on walks along the Mississippi River here in Minnesota. Some of the driftwood and sticks also come from the river.  Some of the branches, including a nice piece of bark, come from a dead maple tree we had to cut down last year.  What I have, then, is a little collection of natural elements for the children explore and manipulate.

What can you do with sticks and stones?

You can bury them in the sand.  Or you can look for the ones others have buried in the sand.

You can roll the wood pieces in the sand to see the interesting imprints made by the bark.

You can build with wood pieces of different sizes, shapes and textures.

You can stack rocks on a branch.  But how many?  Do they all have to be flat?

A piece of bark becomes an substitute shovel for digging and moving the sand.

That same piece of bark in someone else's hands becomes a slide for the rocks.

You can transport as many rocks as you can onto the tray.  And as you add to the pile, can you get them to balance?

You can sprinkle the rocks with sand.  (What a wonderful juxtaposition of actions and sound.  Moving the hard rocks onto the tray and then lightly sprinkling them with fine sand.)

Maybe you just want to carry a stick around until you figure out what you will do with it.









What kind of imagination do you have?  What could you do with these natural elements?  Chances are a child's imagination trumps yours.  Can you guess what this boy made?

It is a microphone.  He took a stick and propped it up in the table.  Next, he took a knot from a tree and put it on the stick through the hole in the knot.  Viola, he has a microphone.

In my blog reading, I have not found anyone writing about bringing sticks indoors into the sensory table.  I have, however, found bloggers who write about sticks as important outdoor learning tools for children.   One is Juliet from Scotland with a blog entitled: I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!  Two posts in particular to read are: Sticks in School and Making skeletons (using sticks).  Another blogger is Jenny from Australia who has a blog called: let the children play.  Two posts in particular to read are: ideas for adding natural elements and celebrating loose parts.  And one other post that was just penned earlier today is from teacher tom in Seattle called Bumps and Bruises.  Check them out.

NARROW PVC TUBES---WORM SLIDE

Last week I wrote about a large PVC tube with funnels on a slight incline.  Let me introduce you to narrow tubes on a greater incline, something I like to call the Worm Slide.

To make it, set a tray in the table and then tape a crate to the tray.

Then thread the tubes through the crate so that the ends of the tubes reach past the table and over a tub on the side of the table.

Now if you were paying close attention, you would have seen two different apparatus.  The first is set on two trays and has two fairly narrow tubes with slits cut the length of the the tubes.  The one above is set on one tray and has a larger tube with a fairly wide slit cut down the length of the tube and a piece of plastic from a window that serves nicely for a wider slide.

The reason I point this out is that I do a version of this apparatus every year and every year it turns out a differently depending on the tubes or slides I choose to use. This year I used a plastic cover from a florescent light, a long narrow tube with a slit cut down its length, and a plastic angle piece from a replacement window.

And this year, the only piece I threaded through the crate was the angle and it is the only piece that directs water and worm flow inside the table..  The other two pieces I taped to the top edge of the crate.  These two pieces do empty in a tub next to the table.

So why do I call this a worm slide?  Watch.




Did you see the worm slide?

Several years ago I was walking through a sports store and saw a "bucket of worms" on sale.  The worms are really artificial fishing bate without the hooks. There were things in the bucket that looked like worms and some things looked like other water creatures and some things looked like creatures from somebody's imagination. At first I thought I would just put them in the water table, but then I decided that there would be more exploration with the tubes and slides on an incline.

The creatures are easily carried down the larger slide when the water is poured it.  It gets a little trickier when the worms are put in the narrow tube.  First, it is harder to pour water into the smaller tube and second, sometimes the worms get stuck.

What else can you do with worms?

You can find other holes to put them in.

You can collect them in a minnow net. (This was the first apparatus with which I used a minnow net.  I now use it with other apparatus and with different medium, like here








Or you can feed the fish!

Either this boy knows fish eat worms or like all children, he has an overriding compulsion to put things in holes.

I could just have easily called it a fish slide, too.



Did you notice that the boy in the video cannot see the fish slide down when he pours the water?  The sides of the florescent cover are too high.  He does come around to see if the fish is still in the slide.  When he no longer sees it in the slide, he declares: "It goes down."  How is that for a logical conclusion after taking in the facts from his little experiment?

You just got to love those little scientists.

LARGE TUBE WITH FUNNELS - HYDRAULICS

Before I write about the types of experimentation associated with this apparatus, I want to reiterate the first axiom of sensorimtor play in the right hand column of this blog.  CHILDREN NEED TO TRANSPORT WHATEVER IS IN THE TABLE OUT OF THE TABLE.  What does that mean?  That means even if you have a great apparatus in the table, the children will eventually want to transport the water or sand out of the table.  Consequently, you should always have a pail or a bucket or something into which the children can transport.  See a more complete explanation of this here and here

How do the children approach the large tube and funnel apparatus?  They, of course, pour water into the funnels and catch it coming out of the tube with abandon.

Children start to learn that rate of flow helps determine which container works best for catching the water.  When the flow is greater,  a bigger container will catch more water.

A smaller container, on the other hand, works very nicely when the flow is minimal.

And don't forget, in both pictures of the children catching water, the children are working on eye-to-hand coordination.  Shhh, don't tell them.




One year, I had two very young three-year-olds who discovered what happens when you put a bottle in the pipe and then pour water in the funnel.  Watch.



These two had be working at this little experiment for awhile before I started recording.  If you look at the video a couple of times, you begin to see and feel their anticipation of the bottle popping out of the tube when the water is poured into the funnel.  You can even hear one of them let out a scream of delight.  On an elemental level, this operation by these two young children is phenomenal.  They have figured out that by pouring water into the funnel the water goes into the tube which then carries the plastic bottle out of the tube.  In other words, they are gaining elemental knowledge of hydraulics.  Also, did you make note of the negotiation and cooperation these two engaged in to carry off this operation?

How about stopping the flow?

Here you can see some boys have plugged up the tube with a measuring cup.  The cup does not form a tight seal so some leaks out.  The stronger the leak, the more water behind the measuring cup.  Sometimes they will fill up the tube enough so water no longer goes down the funnels.  When they eventually pull out the measuring cup, they get a real gusher.  That all sounds like hydraulics again.

This year, one child figured out you can see the level of water in the tube because the cup is translucent.  The child discovered that if you looked straight into the cup, the water level can be seen against the inside of the cup.  Watch how the child tells another child about his discovery.



This year that same child also figured out that if the tube is full enough, it leaks out the other end, too.

Children have been plugging the tube for several years.  It started when one group of children discovered that the plastic measuring cup fit nicely into the end of the tube. Every year since, I have introduced it as a provocation for children who are new to the apparatus.  A group of children this year modified that provocation.  They decided to impede the flow with a funnel.

For the water to come out of the funnel, the water has to reach a certain level in the tube.  The higher the level, the further the water squirts out.  That is experimenting with hydraulics again.  Someone in the picture below thinks that is pretty fascinating.

The preceding post ended with a picture of nine children around the table with this apparatus.  Here is a 17 second video of the "9 in blue".   See if you can keep up with all the action.



It would take hours to unpack what is going on in this video.  Instead of unpacking, just enjoy the wonderful, productive flow of many children at work as a group and individually in a small space around this apparatus.

LARGE PLASTIC TUBE WITH FUNNELS

Many years ago, I found a scrap piece of five-inch diameter PVC pipe with holes. Even though I had no idea what I could use it for, I picked it up because I am not one to pass up a valuable piece of junk.  I decided to make what I call: Large Plastic Tube with Funnels.  How is that for catchy and original?

Since the tube already had holes, I decided I would duct tape funnels into some of the holes.  I then set the tube on an slight incline with the lower end extending over the lip of the table.  That way when the children poured water into the funnels, it would empty out the end of the tube extending over the table.

There is, of course, a big tub to catch the water that the children do not catch. Notice a new level a play is created by having the water flow over the edge of the table.  It is actually a continuum of levels because as the water flows, a child can catch it anywhere along the flow---or scoop it from the tub itself.  

This apparatus takes a couple of tools to make.  First, unless you can find a scrap PVC pipe the right length for your table, you will need a hacksaw to cut the PVC.

If your PVC does not have holes, you will need a drill to make holes in the PVC. We used a 3/4 inch drill bit to make our holes.

Watch out for the kick when the drill pierces through the PVC!

Finally, tape the funnels in the holes.

There is nothing to hold the funnels in but the tape.  Taping the funnels down securely involves first taping strips that connect the funnel and the tube and then wrapping tape around the strips.

There is a story I tell about the potential of this apparatus.  One year I had a child in my classroom who had been reading since age three.  When he came into the room at age four, he headed right for the book area and spent most of his time reading. His mother was concerned because he was not playing with other children.  The day this apparatus was set up, he wandered over.  He began pouring water into the funnels. He would watch the water come out the end of the tube into the tub at the side of the table and then scoop water from the tub and pour it back into the funnels. It is important to understand his actions in a sequence between levels from one end of the tube to the other.  He starts high by pouring into the funnels; he watches the water come out of the tube into the tub; he actually bends down to scoop water from the tub; finally he completes the sequence by lifting the cup of water back over the funnels and pouring again.  He kept repeating that for several minutes.  All of a sudden he turns to me and says: "Tom, this kind of reminds me of the carbon cycle."  Being a bit flummoxed, I said: "Henry, I am a little rusty on my carbon cycle.  Why does that remind you of the carbon cycle?"  He explained it in terms of the loop the water was making as he poured and scooped.  That sounds like the carbon cycle, right?  (For the rest of the term, Henry usually spent some time at the sensory table playing with other children, often times raising the level of imaginative play.  His mother was very pleased.)

You know it is a good apparatus when children can enter play at their own developmental level both physically and cognitively, whether that means simply pouring water into the funnels or mentally representing the carbon cycle.

You also know it is a good apparatus when it accommodates over half the children in the room---a cadre in blue---totally engaged in both individual and group play.

YES!

One of the blogs I follow had a posting about the "power of yes" in the classroom. Scott at Brick by Brick thinks that "No" is too often the default answer to requests made by children in the classroom.  I think that is because we as adults have pre-conceived notions about where and how things should be used.  Or we plan an activity with an idea about of how it should unfold.  Scott thinks that by stopping and considering children's requests, we create more opportunities for children to experiment and be creative across all areas of development.  In the process, we challenge our own thoughts and actions.  Isn't that what education is all about?  One of the nice things that happens if you do not automatically dismiss children's requests that do not fit your modus operandi is that they will continue to ask.  The more asking, the more learning.  In addition, when a "No" is necessary, it means something other than the standard teacher response to a child's request that does not fit with the adult's expectations.  (Sorry, Scott, I am not ready to give up my camera.)

"Yes" is also a powerful tool when setting positive expectations in the room.  For instance, a child asks to play in the sensory table but she has not picked up the blocks she was playing with.  I will usually say something like this: "Yes, of course, you can play in the sensory table.  Let's pick up the blocks first."  Surprisely, that works---most of the time.  Why?  Because it sounds so much different from: "No, you can't play at the sensory table until you pick up the blocks."  Beginning your repsonse immediately with a "No" tends to set up a power struggle.  A "Yes" does not.  And children do like to cooperate.

I like to try to take it a step further by having the children use the word yes with each other.  There is a kind of script I use with the children in my classroom.  It goes something like this.  There is something new in the sensory table, say minnow nets.  Since there are not enough nets for everyone who wants one, a child who doesn't have one may try to grab it away from a child who does have one.  I say to the child who wants the net to ask for it.  The child asks for it.  Now, the child who has the net has to answer.  Usually the child will say "No." So often, though, a child has been told to share by adults in her life so she is torn between still wanting to play with the net and having to "share."  I make sure that child knows it is ok to say "No" if she is not done with it.  As soon as the child who asks for the net gets the "No," I tell him to ask if he can have it when she is done.  He does and almost always gets a "Yes."  When the answer is "Yes," the potential conflict simply vanishes.  I then have the child ask the child with the net "When will you be done?" The answer varies greatly, but the child who has the net often gives it willingly in short order to the other child.  When children learn how to negotiate a "Yes" answer, life in the classroom runs harmoniously.

I do believe in the "power of yes."