FOCUS ON BLOCK PLAY!
Several of you have asked for more information specific to interest areas that exist in your classroom. Thanks so much for your suggestions!!
Over the next few weeks, I will focus your teacher tips on ways to bring in more open ended learning experiences for your students as well as making physical changes to your interest areas. This weeks focus will be on the Block Play Center!
A few tips before making any changes to your block play center.
1. Give students advance notice of the changes that are about to take place in the interest area. The classroom is just as much a part of the child's life as it is the teachers. Letting students know in advance of the changes gives them something extra special to look forward to along with helping those that may struggle with transition times.
2. Allow students the chance to be a part of the changes to the interest area. Creating a chart of items they would like to see be added to the center or asking them to draw a new design of the block center helps create ownership and pride by the students!
3. Putting one item in means taking one item out of the block center. Clutter can suffocate a child's chance to learn! Go through the materials currently in the interest area and pull out the ones students have mastered at this point in the year. Put them away in storage for next year or for use during a specific theme.
4. Be intentional with items being added to the interest area.
Will my students enjoy the material that is being added?
How can I make a connection with the material being added and the children?
Is the item purposeful/useful?
5. And most of all......make sure the materials and design changes are safe and appropriate for your students.
Below are several websites that focus on design changes for the block center along with suggestions for adding appropriate learning materials. The sites also focus on activities to extend and challenge block play experiences for your students.
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http://prekinders.com/block-center/
http://www.oh-pin.org/articles/pex-03-block-play-activities-for.pdf
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/ect.jsp?Nty=0&SrcSection=Activities&isBrowse=Y&Nr=AND(Source:Early%20Childhood%20Today,Resource_Type:Informal%20Lesson%20Article)&N=2064&No=0&TopicValue=ECT&npp=48
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/blockideas.html
