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Welcome 5
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Lecture1.1
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Lecture1.2
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Lecture1.3
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Lecture1.4
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Lecture1.5
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Module 1: Math Gardens that Feed 7
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Lecture2.1
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Lecture2.2
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Lecture2.3
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Lecture2.4
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Lecture2.5
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Lecture2.6
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Lecture2.7
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Module 2: Math Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations 8
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Lecture3.1
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Lecture3.2
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Lecture3.3
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Lecture3.4
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Lecture3.5
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Lecture3.6
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Lecture3.7
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Lecture3.8
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Module 3: Math Gardens that Attract Wildlife 6
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Lecture4.1
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Lecture4.2
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Lecture4.3
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Lecture4.4
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Lecture4.5
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Lecture4.6
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Module 4: Math Gardens for Art and Beauty 7
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Lecture5.1
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Lecture5.2
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Lecture5.3
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Lecture5.4
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Lecture5.5
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Lecture5.6
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Lecture5.7
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33 Comments
The kids absolutely adore ramps and they seem to be able to make them from anything they find. They’ll lean pieces of wood on rocks or against the fence and anything from cars to balls find their way to the ramps for experiments. I’m also going to use the idea of using piping to make rolling ramps, that looks like something that would get a lot of use around here!
I love this!
A long with mud kitchen, water wall and ball run have been on my wish list. I just didn’t know how I could fit them into my out door space. Well now I’m thinking of the space as an outdoor classroom and finding inspiration in the things I’m reading about. Especially when I link it the the infant, toddler Pk group I have
So my comment is kind of the same of where it was from the mud kitchen incorporating the two together. But I love the water wall on the iron fence. With this pandemic, the children are not allowed to have water play. This allows them to still use the water but keeps it almost individualized and thereโs not cross-contamination.
Great ideas!!!
We actually just purchased a water log table that goes in a zig zag direction. I did use pvc tubes one time to create a water wall. Thinking about doing that again when we reopen.
Awesome!
I have been collecting avocado and cherry seeds to use for various math activities (especially in egg cartons).
Had a wonderful conversation with a new neighbor with a 5 year old girl and a 7 year old boy. Rory was excited to hear about water walls.
Unlike us and most our adjoining neighbors, the new neighbor has an acre of land (albeit rather overgrown). I sparked his creativity about ways to create spaces that his kids will love. I offered to create outdoor stations at the back of our property (adjoining and overlapping) their land. We are planning to talk in more detail about ideas and possibilities for the large part of his property. A fun summer project and a great way to spend time with a new neighbor.
This sounds lovely!!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
A few years ago we created a ramp for cars – various types of play cars we had in the classroom. We had a very long piece of paper and the children measured which car went the furthest. It was a little chaotic as everyone wanted to join but so much fun. I think we could have kept going with this and created small groups that were focused on data collection in a more organized fashion.
Outside we have these pvc half pipes that the children use all the time for various explorations with water, sand, nature materials such as filling in holes, digging with them to create trenches or experimenting with pouring objects down them.
I would like to try the idea of using small rocks, beans etc to roll down smaller ramps. This would be easy to set up.
Always can go further with data collection!
We love ramps in my classroom. I have a few actual ramps that came with other toys but we often make our own, out of cardboard, pvc piping etc. Water play is sadly not encouraged at my center, I hope that one day that will change. But my own children went to a preschool where they had an actual crank-it-up water pump, with ramps attached. They still talk about playing with that water feature.
Water is such a wonderful sensory experience. Don’t give up…keep trying to sneak it in. ๐
In February, the children started using the ramps and small stones to make their own rock rolling experiment. The child centered activity carried on for two days with children who don’t normally play together. I think if I had added data collection (such as tracking which side was faster) that would have been an opportunity to deepen the experience.
Great! Love that you are thinking about how to expand without losing the natural child centeredness of this activity.
I love it when a learning activity encourages kids that don’t usually interact, to play with each other! This sounds like they had fun!
We have tried pvc water wall. Picture posted on FB page. We did a long connected pool noodle run as well with hose and trying to blow the water through to in crease velocity. Lots of fun.
Awesome!! Thanks for posting on Facebook.
We have different size ramp pieces from something we bought a while ago and maybe we could bring them outside on the playground with different things to try to use with it such as stones, acorns, and crab apples and do a graph of which one went faster. For a water wall, I think maybe I could look into tying different items onto our fence with some buckets of water near it and have them explore what happens or what they have to do to get the water to go through the item if it doesn’t happen automatically.
Love this thinking!! Keep up the great work.
Our program runs through the summer…this would be a great activity on our “Sprinkler Days”!
fun!
I have made rain gauges with empty 2 liter soda bottles. It is another way to measure rain without needing the big barrels and tubes. I have made a small water wall with a pvc frame that stands inside a small kiddie pool. I usually set it up different every time by taping tubes, funnels and aluminum baking pans with holes for dripping through, etc. I think a giant water wall set up would be fun to build or a giant ball run!
AWESOME!!! Way to go!
I recognize the bottom photo, of the ball run, its the little playground at my work! So fun! I’m wondering if I can get my hands on that for my class. We have done several experiments with water walls as well as using the water from our rain barrel for everyday mud kitchen fun. It’s always a joy for the kids to see how much rain gets collected from storms.
๐ Your ball run is fabulous and YES you should get your hands on it for your class! ๐ So much fun to add this to the Mud Kitchen play too!
I think that this lesson would work best again by putting students into small groups. Each group could have a beach pale. They can each decide where they would like to put their bucket in order for it to catch the most water. Near the gutter, out in the open, or possibly under something drippy! Then, they can check their buckets daily and stick a tower of cubes inside the bucket each day to measure how much water is in each. We can use the collected measurements to make bar graphs. By the end of the week, we can compare and see which group ended up with the most water, and we could discuss why this happened.
Because I’m always thinking of how to incorporate writing, we could also write opinion pieces that would start with “I think my bucket will get the most water because….” or “With my water I could…”
Lots to think about and plan!
Your class sounds lovely. All your ideas are thoughtful and stretched to include as many lessons as possible. Can’t wait to see what happens when it rains again. ๐
I love this idea Heather. Lots of good imput.
just the other day we were creating marble runs and the kids were so curious and involved of how to make it work and add pieces on.
Very cool! Helen has done ‘rock rolling.” Balls can be added. Water can be added in the warmer months….the possibilities for math lessons here are endless.
Love our water wall. But with colder weather we are adjusting it to a rock rolling wall.
Hadn’t heard of that one before…rock rolling! Clever.