Building and Construction
This unit is all about building with different materials and learning about what different tools do.
Cardboard City
Cardboard City
We repeat this unit every year, typically making it last a week at a time and engaging the whole school. We ask parents to bring in cardboard boxes throughout the month and we assemble the city in one of the spare classrooms using cardboard tools. Because this project always gets out of control, we use a drill and a cardboard saw to help us assemble the city. The kids get markers and play tools and dive in to explore and create throughout the city.
Playground Construction Site
Playground Construction Site
A huge hit with the all the children are tools on the playground. We have hammers, screwdrivers, drills, saws, wrenches, and even a chainsaw. The kids grab their tools out of the tool box, and set up cones and signs around the playground and get to work. To make it even more immersive, we have plastic construction hats and safety goggles.
The ‘3 Little Pigs’
The ‘3 Little Pigs’
The classic story of the 3 Little Pigs gets a bit old after a while, so we updated the story a bit to make it more immersive and engaging. We start by telling the story on the carpet, with props! The first pig makes their house out of straw, so we pile up some hay and hope that the wolf doesn’t blow down the house. Then we grab the hair dryer and go crazy! This gets tons of laughs and screams as the hay flies all over the place.
Next, we get some sticks and try again. The wolf blows down the stick house, and it gets blown away again. The kids have a blast watching the sticks fly towards them, and we have them find as many as they can before the next house gets built.
Finally, we get some bricks. We have used wooden blocks and playdough to make a brick and mortar style house, we have also used rocks. Both are effective examples. When the wolf tries to blow this house down, it doesn’t go anywhere!
As a follow up activity, we send the children to the table and give them different materials to build their houses. Once their houses are built, we bring around the hair dryer and try to blow down the houses. It’s a super fun lesson, and one the kids remember.
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Building Challenge Cards
Building Challenge Cards
During circle time, bring over a pile of blocks and have the kids take turns building a simple creation. You can also bring this activity in during centers, or for older children who can read, add them to your building block area.
Painting Play Houses
Painting Play Houses
We love bringing out soapy water and paint brushes to the playground. They have so much fun painting the walls of the house, the fence, the bikes, and anything else they can find. When they are done, we dump the leftover water and use a hose to rinse the residue. This is especially fun during summer.
Foam Blocks & Shaving Cream (Brick and Mortar)
Foam Blocks & Shaving Cream (Brick and Mortar)
Children learn when they play, and especially when they get a chance to do messy play. We used foam building blocks, like ones you would use in a bathtub. Each child got a bowl of shaving cream and a Popsicle stick and were instructed to use the shaving cream to get the blocks to stick together. They had a blast and enjoyed the challenge of building houses and towers. Cleanup was a breeze, just rinse and air dry.
Poke Bin
Poke Bin
Sensory bins can include other things, not just sand or rice. For this unit, we cut up some pool noodles and added wooden golf tees, large toothpicks, and hammers so the kids could build whatever creation they wanted. This helps with fine motor and strength building too!
Tool Exploration
Tool Exploration
We use the play tools in a variety of situations. Outside, sensory bin, or even our block area. They had fun exploring the tools, and once they were acclimated to the different options available, they branched out to fix up the classroom. A little bit noisy, but you can always remove the hammers and just use them outside.
Building BINGO
Building BINGO
We usually play BINGO with every theme. It’s a great way to introduce new vocabulary and images, plus everyone gets a prize.
