BOXES IN BOXES

To better grasp the ideas behind the building of the apparatus Boxes in Boxes, please read #4 under Dimensions and Elements in the right-hand column of this blog.  Next, please read #2 under Axioms of Sensorimotor Play.  The points made in both of those statements have to do with spaces in and around the sensory table.  The Boxes in Boxes apparatus highlights those points supremely.  In fact there are so many spaces created by this apparatus that it takes three views to fully appreciate.

The first view is from one end of the larger, blue sensory table.

Note that there is one large box in the foreground with a big, wide opening.  

From the other side of the blue table, you can see an additional five boxes embedded in or attached to that large box.

The red cylinder in box #3 is an embedded coffee can.  The coffee can is the same depth as the box, so it rests firmly on the bottom of the table.  The coffee can is taped securely into the box.

Duct tape is spread over the edges. Three cuts are made in the tape to be able to fold the tape over the lip of the coffee can.


The third view shows a set of Boxes in Boxes in a second, smaller sensory table right next to the blue table.  This set is made from five boxes.  The set includes an interesting component: a cantilevered box extending out from the middle of the other boxes.

#4 under Dimensions and Elements highlights creating spaces over, under, around, and through the table for exploration.  Axiom #2 states that children will explore any and all spaces created by the apparatus.  Let's see what that means for the Boxes in Boxes apparatus.

There are spaces "over."  Children operate in all the spaces formed by the tops of boxes.  By their very nature, tops of boxes are "over" spaces---sometimes over multiple spaces.

There is another kind of "over," too.  This is illustrated by child exploring the corn in a cantilevered box that juts out and over in the middle of the apparatus.  Though some corn is under the corner of the box, there is still plenty over the apparatus and the table itself.

There is definitely "under."

 

There is a lot of "in."

                 

There is even some "through."

"Around" cannot be illustrated with one picture.  It is best to think of "around" as the children moving around the apparatus appraising the spaces in terms of suitability for their operations. Watch.

At the very beginning of the video, did you see the child's head bob up and down as he was checking out the spaces?  After pouring some corn into the cantilevered box, he begins to move and takes a quick check of other spaces.  At the same time, there is another child on the opposite side checking out the spaces.  And as you see, they are both moving.   What you don't see is that they actually move around the table.  And around and around….

If you are interested in a similar apparatus, check out this post and this post.  The apparatus featured in those posts are larger and much more closed.

The corollary to Axiom #2 asserts: the more spaces, the more exploration.  I will leave it to your imagination how much exploration eleven boxes with multiple holes and openings on multiple levels provokes.

LARGE PVC TUBE WITH FUNNELS WITH ADDED TUBE

There are some apparatus I bring out every year because the play and exploration around them is so compelling.  One of those is the Large PVC Pipe with Funnels.

This post reveals where the idea came from and how to make it.  And this post details several types of play and exploration associated with the apparatus from last year.

This year I added an additional element: a clear plastic tube.  The tube was set up on a slant to go from the smaller sensory table and to empty into the tray holding the large pvc tube.  The motive for the addition is captured in the short video below.

There were actually many different experiments with this new addition.  One of the objects that got inserted into the tube was a turkey baster.  It was just a little smaller than the tube itself and the rubber bulb created more friction.  One group figured out that if they poured a lot of water all at once using the 5 gallon pail, the baster was carried out of the tube in one pour.  Two other groups used a slower more persistent method.  They used the smaller containers and slowly watched the baster creep down the tube after each small pour.

Let me share with you a two minute video from one set of fascinating actions that happened this year.  I have actually broken the video into three sections.  The first portion of the video highlights trying to get the baster out of the clear tube.  The second portion highlights serious teamwork to move a bucket full of water.  The third portion highlights the curiosity of a child with another child's operation.  Remember that it is one video cut into three sections so there will be some overlap.

For the first section, concentrate on the actions of the girl pouring water on the clear plastic tube. She keeps pouring the water on the tube right over where the baster sits in the tube.  Listen to what she says at the end to understand what she is doing.

As she pours the water, she says: "That will help it get out."  She says it twice for emphasis.  She is talking about helping the baster out of the tube. As you will see, she is pretty persistent.

For the second section, concentrate on the two boys and the white 5 gallon bucket.  The girl and the boy in the green shirt filled the bucket with water a little earlier.  The boy, Kiki, calls to his buddy Owen for help.  Owen comes over to help.  He knows what to do because he had warned them earlier that if they filled the bucket too full, it would be too heavy.  He nudges Kiki aside and says that they have to let a little water out.  They have to do it three times.  By the second time, they are engaged in some serious cooperation to get the bucket light enough to move.  If you notice, they are very careful not to spill water out of the table as they tip the bucket to make it lighter. Watch.

So they did get it light enough for Owen to move it---with plenty of effort and a little sloshing.  Kiki is impressed at Owen's strength.  With the pail resting securely on the lip of the table on the tray, Owen is ready to pour water into one of the funnels and Kiki is positioned to catch it as it pours out the tube.

The third section is impossible to understand without knowing what is going on in the first section of the video.  As Owen is pouring water into a funnel, something catches his eye to his left.  As he goes to refill his bottle, he takes a more focused look at what caught his attention.  We can't see it, so what is it?  The thing that has caught Owen's attention is Mairi's actions; she is still pouring water on the tube to get the baster to move.  This is two minutes into the original video and I told you she was persistent.   Owen watches Mairi's actions for more than 10 seconds.  You can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out what is going on.  Watch.

You may ask why didn't I redirect Mairi's pouring in the first place.  Why didn't I direct her attention to the pouring water at the end of the tube so the water would flow through the tube and really help the baster get out?  Good question.  My answer is this:  The longer I teach the less I feel the need to intervene in children's play, especially if they are absorbed in their play.  But still, don't I want her to be successful in her actions?  Another good question.  I do want her to be successful, but my answer is still the same.  I do not want to be the person with all the answers.  Sometimes their experiments fail, but sometimes, like with the pail, the children create solutions to their chosen task.  I value their experimentation and exploration so much that I become intrigued like Owen and wonder what is going on.

BIG BOX INCLINE WITH AN ADDED ELEMENT

Last July I wrote about a Big Box Incline.  That post included a couple different versions of the apparatus.  It also emphasized the various focal points for play that were created by the apparatus.

This year, I added a new element: a cardboard tube.   The cardboard tube empties into a smaller sensory table, whereas the big box empties into a container at the end of the larger sensory table.

I originally thought I would anchor the tube to the side of the big box, but I could not figure out a good way to do that.  I began to wonder what would happen if the tube was actually embedded in the big box.  I decided to try it, to actually embed the tube in the Big Box Incline.

The addition of the embedded tube significantly changed the operation of pouring the pellets down the Big Box Incline.  How so?  When a child pours the pellets into the box from the top, pellets tumble down the box until they encounter the lip of the tube, at which point, the flow of pellets switches directions a 180 degrees.  Of course, not all pellets fall in the tube.  Some travel the length of the box and tumble out the bottom.

Watch how this works in real time.  

The child on the left pours pellets down the box incline.  He looks directly into the box and seems to be aiming the pellets so most of them hit the lip of the embedded cardboard tube.  He has figured out that if they are captured by the tube, the direction of the pellet flow is altered drastically.  The boy on the right is also pouring pellets down the box incline.  He has not, however, noticed that the flow of pellets is diverted when they fall into the tube.  Each time he pours, he looks for the pellets to come flying out the bottom of the box.   In the video, there are two boys basically doing the same operation (pouring pellets down the box) with very different results. 

In one of the classes, two boys brought over the little cars from the block area.  Watch how they roll them down the box in a purposeful way to see if they can get them to fall into the tube and change direction.

The video starts with the first boy hastily dropping a car down.  It misses the tube and falls out a side window.  The second boy comes in with an ambulance.  He seems to know without looking that the ambulance needs to be placed in the middle to fall into the tube.  Even before he lets go of the ambulance, he moves to the window on the side to watch the ambulance tumble into the tube.  As soon as the ambulance is on its way down the tube, he quickly turns to the small sensory table to retrieve his ambulance.  The first boy comes back and fills in the space almost immediately.  He first tries to position the car by taking a measure through the side window much like the second boy.  He is not satisfied with that, so he positions himself so he is looking down the box and aiming his car at the tube.  That works.  The second boy is right there again to drop his car down the box. He tries to take a measure through the side window like he did the first time. This time it misses. They seem to be in a fluid dance to perfect their hand, eye, and mind coordination.

When these two boys were done playing at the sensory table, I asked them to pick up the cars and put them back in the block area.  Taking advantage of their just-finished play, I showed them how to place the container at the end of the tube and roll the cars down the tube into the container. They picked up on this right away.  Watch and listen.

Did you hear the comments about this novel way of cleaning up?  One of the boys says: "What a good idea."  Another boy says: "Who would think we could have fun putting cars away."

The addition of the tube to the Big Box Incline literally propelled play in another direction.  The children were able to experiment with the physics of changing the direction of motion of objects on inclines. And not only did it change motion of objects down the box, it also changed the perception of cleanup for at least two of the children.

VERTICAL TUBES IN A BOX-ADDING TUBES

Two weeks ago I wrote about Vertical Tubes in a Box and the play that emerged when the children used funnels with sand in the apparatus.  This week, the medium in the table is different; the sand has been replaced by fuel pellets.  Plus, there are two more tubes added: a tube on a slant and a tube through the apparatus on the horizontal.

The horizontal tube extends completely through the box between two of the vertical tubes.  The slanted tube rests on one of the protruding sections of the horizontal tube and empties into a smaller sensory table.

Children will still pour down the vertical tubes.




And they will still survey exactly where it went.





With the addition of the horizontal tube, the children can work on a horizontal plane through the tube.  That is a much different physical experience than pouring down the vertical tube.

Of course, that opens up new possibilities for play, even social play.  How about peek-a-boo?

These two were surprised to see each other through the tube because they cannot see over the box.  What a joyous surprise, too!

If you are taller and can see over the box, you can still make a connection through the tube. Watch as one boy passes pellets through the tube to his friend on the other side.

The boy on the right is holding his white pan under the horizontal tube.  The boy on the left grabs some pellets from the table and pushes them through the tube.  The second time the boy on the left passes pellets through the tube, the other boy's hand is also in the tube to help complete the full transfer of pellets.  Not as joyous as the exchange in the first video, but still quite lovely.

What is not apparent in the video is that the boy on the left is referencing his actions through the mirror on the wall behind the boy on the right.  He is actually watching himself pass the pellets through the tube in the mirror.  He discovered the mirror when he was scooping pellets through the horizontal tube earlier.  Watch in the video below how this same boy references his actions using the mirror on the other side of the sensory table.  He slides the scoop in slowly and, when he sees in the mirror that the scoop has exited the other side of the tube, he dumps the pellets with a twist of his wrist.

That's some of what emerged with the horizontal tube.  The tube on a slant also facilitated a different type of play and exploration; pellets poured down on incline plane behave differently than those poured down the vertical tube or those pushed through the horizontal tube.

That,  of course, leads to more connections.  Watch what happens at the other end.



The boy has stuffed his scoop into the slanted tube to catch the pellets sliding down the tube.  As he watches the pellets race down the tube into his scoop, he can't help but let out a "woh" and "woh-oh".  It turns into a screech when he removes the scoop and pellets come flooding out of the bottom of the tube.  Here, it is interesting to note the role of  the observer in this play.  The girl on his right adds to the excitement with her screech, too.  She has been watching the whole time and has picked up on the boy's excitement.  Sometimes we overlook the role of the observer when we analyze children's play.  An activity shared is more exciting and joyous.

Let me end this post with a new exploration of the vertical tubes that uses the scoops.   One group jammed a plastic scoop into the top of one of the vertical tubes.  My guess is that they were trying to plug it because they like to plug holes (Axiom #6 from the right-hand column of this blog.)  The scoop did not fit completely into the tube, leaving a slit at the top, a slit to slide pellets into.

That is inventive enough, but it did not stop there.  They took another scoop and jammed it into the bottom of the same tube.  Now they had a small slit at the bottom for the pellets to exit.  The pellets actually flew out like they were coming out of a hopper.

Because children have this innate drive to learn about the world around them and how it works, an open-ended apparatus like the Vertical Tubes in a Box gives them license to explore and experience the natural world, both physical and the social.

VERTICAL TUBES IN A BOX REVISITED - FUNNELS

Last year I wrote about an apparatus I called Vertical Tubes in a Box.

I not only wrote about it once, but I wrote about it in four consecutive posts.  I wrote how to make it here, and the subsequent play that emerged from the apparatus here, here, and here.

Because the apparatus is built so well, I bring it back every year.  Every time I bring it back, new play emerges and new discoveries are made.  This year the discoveries centered around explorations with funnels.

One of the discoveries was that static electricity is created as the sand slides down the sides of the funnel.

This picture shows how well the child is focusing.  What it doesn't show is that he is watching the grains of sand dance and hop off the side of the funnel because of the static electricity created by the friction of the sand particles rubbing against each other and the side of the funnel as the sand drains down the funnel.

The children created a new funnel arrangement in which they put funnels on top of funnels on top of one of the vertical tubes.  That led one boy to discover a form of verbal play.  Watch and listen.



At first, he may have just been explaining the set up, but at some point, he discovers he can play with the words and the play becomes generative.  Though it does not show it in the clip, he creates real enjoyment for himself with his verbal play.   Although, maybe you did notice how his body motions---especially of his head---match the cadence of his "funnel on top of funnel" word play.

One child discovered that the flow of sand out of the bottom of tube is different depending on the size of the funnel.  The smaller the funnel opening, the narrower the flow of sand.  If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the child watching a narrow flow from the vertical tube. The narrow flow is created by a funnel with a small opening.

Another nice picture of focus, no?

This year, the children discovered that at least one funnel could actually be placed on the bottom of one of the vertical tubes.

That discovery plus the desire to crawl into the tub at the side of the table

led to the discovery that it is possible to regulate the flow of sand coming down the vertical tube.



This boy is playing with regulating the flow of sand from the tube.  He uses his right hand to hold the funnel at the bottom of the vertical tube while his left hand covers and uncovers the funnel hole.  One important aspect of this play is that he senses when sand is dumped down the tube without seeing it because it exerts a sudden pressure on the funnel as it falls.  That is a type of learning that only comes from physically experiencing it.

I guess you could say we had a lot of funnel fun with the vertical tubes in a box this year.


Please note that I will not post next week.  I will be setting up a sand table display at an event organized by the Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota taking at Hamline University(St. Paul, MN) on Saturday, April 28.   The title of the event is:  Enter, Encounter, Engage: A Community Dialogue about Learning.   There will also be exploration of nature materials facilitated by Dodge Nature Center and exploration of sound and rhythm materials facilitated by Dianna Babcock. Follow this link for more details and a complete listing of the day: http://www.mnreggio.org

AXIOM #7

If you look on the right-hand column of this blog, you will find a set of axioms.   Axiom #7 states that children will create activities that are tangental to the apparatus.  Before I show you such an activity, here is the apparatus to which it is tangental.

OK, now you can forget about the apparatus because the rest of the post has nothing to do with it. (If you want to read about the apparatus, it was featured in last week's post here.)

Before I can show you the activity that has nothing to do with this apparatus, it is helpful to know that there are two additional pieces of furniture in the sensory table area.  The first is a shelf in a corner on which all the articles and utensils to be used in the sensory table are displayed and open for the taking.  The second is a mirror on the wall next to the shelf.

One of the articles on the shelf to choose from in this picture is the metal pot on the right end of the third shelf.  That pot and the mirror are central to the action that is tangental to the apparatus. In the video below, a child has placed the pot on his head like a hat.  He discovers his reflection in the mirror.  Watch how he explores that reflection.

Of course, there is nothing unusual about a child putting a pot on his head like a hat.  What is unusual and utterly fantastic is what happens as he sees his reflection in the mirror and begins to reference his actions using the mirror.  As he adjusts the pot on his head, he begins to use his reflection in the mirror to try to orient his hands on the pot.  That is special because mirror images are reverse images.   If you have ever tried to direct your hand by looking in the mirror, you know what I mean. Left is right, and right is left.  What better way to explore those reverse imagines than to use a pot on your head as a basis for that exploration.  Did you notice when he uses his right hand to follow the pot handle all the way to the mirror itself?  Think about what the child must be experiencing.  His hand is moving along the handle of the pot toward the mirror.  That means that his hand and its image are moving toward each other until they meet at the face of the mirror.  How novel is that for the child?

Enough analysis.  Watch the clip again and just enjoy a totally unscripted exploration of a boy with a pot on his head looking in a mirror.  You really cannot plan for these moments, but if you leave room for them, they will naturally surface.  

For those of you in the Twin Cities, you may want to make a note of an upcoming event by the Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota taking place at Hamline University on Saturday, April 28.   The title of the event is:  Enter, Encounter, Engage: A Community Dialogue about Learning.  I will be doing an installation with some documentation.  There will also be exploration of nature materials facilitated by Dodge Nature Center and exploration of sound and rhythm materials facilitated by Dianna Babcock.  Follow this link for more details and a complete listing of the day: http://www.mnreggio.org

CARDBOARD CHUTES-ADDITIONS

Several years ago, a parent brought in the packing corners from the box in which her new refrigerator had arrived.  They are sturdy enough that I have used them once a year every since.  I first wrote about the packing corners here and here.  I took the two packing corners and duct taped them together to form a pair of cardboard chutes that looked like a long "W"

This year, I made an addition to the cardboard chutes.  I added another set of smaller packing corners on either side of the original apparatus.

The added packing corners are like wings on the sides of the original apparatus.

Unlike the original packing corners whose ends were duct taped closed, these new packing corners were left open.  When you leave open holes on an apparatus, the children will find them and use them (Axiom # 5 on the right).

One of the boys found out that the little cars fit nicely down the holes.  Did you notice the fellow at the bottom looking up the chute in anticipation of the cars coming down?  Watch out!

I also added a new element this year.  I added sticks.  These are river sticks that look like they have been whittled.  But no, they are sticks that have had the bark chewed on by an animal.  See the teeth marks?

One of the main endeavors for the children with the new "wings" was to put the river sticks down the long, narrow holes of the hollow chutes.  Watch.



The boy in the video seems pretty pleased with putting the sticks in the hole to make them disappear.

Of course, since the sticks were different thicknesses, they sometimes got stuck and needed some problem solving to be dislodged.



The child began by taking a small stick out, but nothing happened.  She then pulled out another stick and that dislodged the rest.  She did notice another stick in the upper chamber of the chute. She tried to get it out, but ended up pushing back into the chute a bit more.

The addition of the "wings" to the original apparatus has now created an apparatus that incorporates both dimensions under #3 of the Dimensions and Elements on the right hand column of this blog.  That is, the apparatus is both open and closed.   Objects go down the chutes because of the elemental force of gravity.  That process is experienced differently by the children depending on whether that happens on the open chutes or in the closed chutes.  With the original, open chutes, all the action of objects going down the chute can be tracked visually.  The objects going down the closed chute disappear and reappear.   For some of the children it is simply a scheme to make objects disappear down the hole.  For some it is to track objects by putting them in at the top and looking for them to come out at the bottom.  And for some, it was a joint venture in which one child will put the objects down the chute and another child attempts to catch them. For the open chutes, the children do not have to imagine the motion of the objects going down the chute.  For the closed chutes, however, the children have to infer the motion because the objects disappear.  Almost sounds like a higher order thinking skill.



For those of you in the Twin Cities, you may want to make a note of an upcoming event by the Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota taking place at Hamline University on Saturday, April 28.   The title of the event is:  Enter, Encounter, Engage: A Community Dialogue about Learning.  I will be doing an installation with some documentation.  There will also be exploration of nature materials facilitated by Dodge Nature Center and exploration of sound and rhythm materials facilitated by Dianna Babcock.  Follow this link for more details and a complete listing of the day: http://www.mnreggio.org