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***I will apologize right now for the poor image quality. The lighting was of course limited and the ‘subjects’ kept moving. Ho hum**** I am also trying out this new slideshow feature. I would love any feedback you may have…..did it load up okay? Is it easier to look at than images scattered throughout the […]
I love our light box, but I have not been too inspired by mirrors to be honest. This book has certainly given me much food for thought.
Although it is a fairly thin book, the pictures tell you so much and it is very clearly laid out. As a busy mum and teacher I like books that can be easily picked up and flicked through for ideas! It is written with the British National Curriculum in mind (it is only published in the UK right now, but can be bought on Amazon) but those references are easily transferable to the country that you are in.
The first half of the book talks about how to use light and light boxes with young children. There are real life examples to read and see in pictures – I am a visual learner so this is very inspirational to me. This section talks about exploring light and shadows,using a projector to make things big, exciting ways to sort and count and looking at the world in color to name but a few. I especially loved the suggestions for exploring numeracy through light, as that is something I am trying to look at more with my children.
The second half of the book talks about using mirrors. It is full of images that make me wish we had a huge budget. I would so love one of those kaleidoscope mirrors that the schools in Reggio Emilia have. This books talk about how they make one a den for young toddlers. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful place to be! Other ideas include problem solving with mirrors, exploring shiny things and catching shadows.
If you read this book, I would love to know what you think about it.
Or, if you know where to buy those large kaleidoscope mirrors I would love to know!
Last week I made a wonderful discovery – I found two large containers full of these wooden unit blocks, for a great price. We already had some blocks at school, but I was excited by the variety of shapes this new collection offered.
I brought some to school, kept some, and gave the rest to the other children so that they could have some blocks at home!
The challenge was to make the blocks more appealing at school. Our block area has had little love over the past year – the blocks have occasionally been used in dramatic play (as butter, soap etc).
I was inspired by a post I read and decided to try out some of the ideas.
I rearranged the furniture to make the block area larger and more accessible. I offered little figures, some animals and some glass beads. I also modelled block play.
There is definitely a lot more interest in the area (I also positioned the lightbox alongside the blocks) and I am excited to see how it develops.
What have you used to add variety and interest to your block area?
I positioned the lightbox beside the block area this week, to make the block area more appealing. As a result the lightbox was the big draw!
I had offered some stained glass paper (cut into geometric shapes) and the glass gems. Of course the blocks were also very close by!
I was so excited by what the children were creating. The work was also so collaborative. One or two children ma design something, and then leave it on the lightbox. Later, another child would come and add to it or change it in someway.
Wooden trees and blocks were explored with….
Patterns created….
And, playsiilks added…
Aren’t they beautiful!!!
What else should I offer next week?
