Block Play 101 Workshop Presented by Nick Evens Territory Manager Central/SW Florida

Block Play 101 Workshop A Very Special Thank You to Sharon MacDonald, author of “Block Play”, Gryphon House

Why build with BLOCKS? Good question! After all, with so many other things to do at school, why should children stack blocks and push them around on the floor? What do children learn anyway? Block Play 101

Through block play children can: Learn to read, write, speak, and listen. Block play can teach them about math, science and social studies. Block play often involves cooperative, collaborative learning, which helps children grow emotionally and socially. Block play also enhances their physical growth and development.

Setting Up a Block Center: Center & Location Where in the classroom do you put the Block Center? Choose one corner of the room, other choices might make more sense for your reality. Place a low napped rug on the floor to define the space and reduce the noise from falling blocks. Store the blocks in two open shelves. One against the wall and the other at the rug’s edge to establish a boundry between the Block and Music Centers. Block Play 101

Setting Up a Block Center: Continued Two feet in front of the shelves place a “No Building Zone” sign. Attach a “Building Zone” sign to the rug to encourage children to build only there. By making “build” and “no build” areas, the potential for social problems, such as children knocking down constructions or stepping on hands while getting to the block shelves was reduced. Block Play 101

Setting Up a Block Center: How to Use Block Silhouettes Make silhouettes of each block type and place them on the shelves so that children will know where to return each type of block. The silhouettes will prevent confusion at clean up time and let children know what blocks are available for building. If a visually impaired child is in class, cut out the silhouettes from sandpaper so the child can feel them.

Block Play 101 Setting Up a Block Center: What Kind of Blocks to Buy Consider age and number of children in the classroom. Unit blocks, which are built in mathematical proportion, are the most versatile. The base block, for example, is a quadruple block; the others are ¼ or ½ the size of the base. They are made of solid hardwood and will last for decades. Invented by Carolyn Pratt in the 1800s, unit blocks are still among the most useful and valuable equipment available.

Block Play 101 Setting Up a Block Center: Continued. It is interesting to note that in spite of all the technology created over the past 150 years, there has been little improvement in the ways to engage and teach young children. There is nothing like unit blocks to teach children math, vocabulary, and other skills. For example, as children work with blocks, they want to know what to call them and are motivated to learn their names.

Block Play 101 The Type of Blocks by Age Group Age two and under are foam, cardboard or hollow,wooden blocks. Three and four year olds can use unit blocks, color- cube blocks,parquetry blocks, Bristle Blocks and large, hollow wooden unit blocks. Five and six year olds can use the more unusually shaped unit blocks, tabletop blocks and Lincoln logs.

Block Play 101 Our blocks! Age 1 year +

Block Play 101 Our blocks! Age 1 Year+

Block Play 101 Our blocks! Age 2+ Years

Block Play 101 Our blocks! Age 2+ Years

Block Play 101 Our blocks! Age 3+ Years

Block Play 101 How many blocks? 4-5 children maximum at a time in block center 200 blocks 2-3 year olds 300 blocks 4 year olds 400 blocks 5+ year olds

Block Play 101 How to Store Blocks On shelves: Start from left hand corner of top shelf and stack left to right. Use smallest and lightest blocks on upper shelves. The largest and heaviest blocks go on lower shelves and help to stabilize the unit and increase safety.

Block Play 101 How to Store Blocks

Block Play 101 Beginning Block Activities:Working with Blocks Independently Skills Learned Social-Emotional: To follow directions independently Math: To learn one to one correspondence Literacy and Language Arts: To “read” the picture directions

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities Materials Picture directions (see your copy) Scissors Construction paper Blocks Crayons Glue

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities:Working Independently with Blocks With the Children 1.Copy, color and cut out and glue the picture directions (see your copies) to a sheet of construction paper. Block Center Activity 1. Attach the picture directions to a wall in the Block Center at children’s eye level. 2. Talk about the three steps of building with blocks Take blocks from shelf Build with them Put them away

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities:Working Independently with Blocks 3. Point to picture directions frequently as you speak; remind children to use all three steps 4. Teach to picture directions, NOT to the task

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities:Words About Blocks Literacy and Language Arts Skills: To develop new vocabulary; to build sight word vocabulary Materials Chart paper Markers Blocks

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: Words about Blocks With the Children 1.Talk about words that describe blocks, such as corner, edge, tall, flat, hard and round. 2.Ask the children to help create a list of words. 3.Write the words on the chart paper. Next to each word note the name of the child who contributed the word. The sheet of paper can become the class word chart.

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: Words About Blocks Hang the word chart on a wall in the Block Center at the children’s eye level. When a child has built a “tall” building, point to the word tall on the chart. Keep a marker available to add words to the chart.

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: How Many Blocks High Am I? Math Skills: To understand measurement in terms of blocks Social-Emotional Skills: To practice adaptive group behaviors

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: How Many Blocks High Am I? Materials Blocks Basket Doll or animal figure Large chart paper Marker

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: How Many Blocks High Am I? With the Children 1.Before children arrive, put blocks in a basket. 2.Put the basket in the group area. 3.Display the doll or animal figure so all the children can see it. Ask them, “How many blocks tall is the doll/animal?” 4.Choose two children to go to the basket. Ask them to remove the number of blocks they think the doll/animal is tall. 5.Lay the doll/animal on the floor. Ask the children to lay the blocks beside the doll/animal. One child uses one side of the doll; the second the other.

Block Play 101 Beginning Activities: How Many Blocks High Am I? 6. How close are the children’s guesses? Ask the children to add or subtract blocks to get the right count for the height. 7. Now ask how many blocks tall he or she is. Write each child’s name on chart with the answers they gave. 8. After all children have guessed how tall they are in blocks, write the correct number besides their guesses. Explain you are going to put the chart and a marker in the Block Center for them to measure each other for the correct answers.

Block Play 101 Intermediate Activities: Maze Literacy and Language Arts Skills: To develop new vocabulary Math Skills: To develop mapping skills (the location of objects on a surface); to develop spatial awareness (How far apart can one place things so they still look like a family of things?)

Block Play 101 Intermediate Activities: Maze Materials Blocks One car for each child With the Children 1. For three days make a different maze before they arrive. Change curves, lines, alleys and cul-de-sacs. 2. At group time make sure all children can see the maze you created. Place a car in the maze and ask one child to demonstrate by pushing car within maze.

Block Play 101 Intermediate Activities: Maze 3. Encourage other children in group to give directions such as, “turn at the corner”, or “go straight”. 4. Explain that there will be cars in the Block Center and a maze for the children to use. Let them know it is okay for them to take it apart and put together again. Reassembling the maze helps them understand what it is.

Block Play 101 Now it’s your turn! Divide into small groups and create your OWN activities based on what you learned today and your own previous experience. Be ready to teach us. You have 15 minutes. (813) or