Construction Materials

We started the day with our sensory centers today.  There were bowls of nuts, bolts, and screws for the children to sort, size, and put in to water bottles.  We talked about how bumpy they all felt and what kind of things might be held together with screws and bolts.  And....of course....once in the water bottle....they made LOTS of noise.....which the kids all thought was super thought!

 Ms. Abby came today.  She was inside because of all the rain last night.  We started in a circle by throwing the ball back and forth to friends and to Ms. Abby.  Then we partnered up in and tossed the ball back and forth.  This is a great activity, but when done indoors.....it can get a little chaotic!  Next, we played popcorn using the parachute.  We counted up and down from 10 using the parachute and waved to our friends on the other side.  We ended with an "over/under" passing game where all the kiddos stood in a line and passed the ball over their heads.....without turning around.....to their friend behind them in line.  Another great example of motor planning!  The first time the kids all needed a lot of assistance, but the second time was much better!  Even Ms. Abby commented on our progress!

Today's book was The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer.  In this book the construction gang is tearing down an old building and laying the foundation for a new home. Workers use all kinds of trucks and tools to get the job done. And just in time for a family to move in.

After reading the story we talked about different kinds of building materials. We can build with rocks, wood, metal and cement. We made a chart  to help us remember! And.....we all took turns wearing the "construction crew" outfit!  SO COOL!

For science we compared different building materials from the 3 Little Pigs to explain which one would be the best for building a house. When choosing, you can't always pick your favorite.....you have to make smart choices and choose the BEST one for the job based on how strong you need it be!  We gave the kids hay, sticks and a brick. We had them explore the materials and answer three questions. Can you bend it? Can you blow it away? Is it heavy? We made a chart of all the answers to our questions. Then the class voted to decide which materials was the strongest and the best choice to build a house...the brick won!