Things That GO!

One of the most fascinating things about using the Reggio Emilia approach to learning is being able to see how the students can take activities in an entirely different direction than we as teachers ever intended.  Our transportation theme was a perfect example of this!  We started the week with a few simple provocations to see which modes of transportation sparked the most interest in the children.

After a few days of discussion, it was very evident that there was a division of interest in my class.  One group was particularly interested in exploring air transportation, while the other group was much more focused on how we could make our ground transportation (the cars/trucks in the block center) go faster and further.  Throughout the next few days, the second group proceeded to explore the relationship between the usage of ramps and the speed and distance that the object will travel. 

During this process, the children decided that the cars themselves were hindering the process because some had wheels that didn't roll properly.  We decided that moving forward we should just use balls on the ramps.  This decision led to some very exciting marble activities!

All of this was very exhilarating (who doesn't love chasing marbles around the classroom?), but fear not!  The airplane enthusiasts were not forgotten!  That first group of students moved forward with planning, designing, and flying paper airplanes.  Through trial and error, they discovered which designs made a faster and stronger airplane.  Bringing those planes outside inspired helicopter and airplane games on the playground, as well as a fun parachute activity!

Mrs. K's class took this opportunity to explore the different modes of transportation in a variety of ways!:

                                                                Car Wash

                          Map Drawing                            Bubble Wrap Racing          

Exploring Light & Shadows

Springtime brought with it an extended rainy period here at SVK, so you can imagine the excitement of our students when Mr. Sun came back out to play!  Because it had been cloudy and rainy for so long, the children displayed a new and exciting interest in the abundance of natural light streaming into our classrooms.  We were able to turn off the classroom lights and see our shadows!  

A:  Look!  My shadow is bigger than I am!

G:  Maybe it's growing?

M: Mrs. Cruz!  When I move, my shadow always moves too!

S:  Me too!  

M:  But some shadows don't move.

S:  Yea!  Like the table, the table shadow can't move.

We decided to take our shadow discussion outside onto the playground to see if we could create more shadows with our everyday materials.  

Back inside the classrooms, several provocations were set up at the light tables to assist the students in their exploration of light and shadows.

The light tables were full of discovery, but the children quickly noticed that it was much harder for them to make shadows on it.  Upon request I pulled out our "old light table" (an overhead projector) because it is "a way better shadow maker".  We used a variety of loose parts and classroom materials (including our bodies) to learn more about creating and moving shadows.