The children in School Age group 1 have been engaged in creativity in many forms such as building, constructing, and making patterns using various colours, shapes and materials.
Using our rainbow wooden blocks, the children have been sorting them by colour and creating rows of each colour in rainbow order. Zyaire used these blocks on the carpet to create a pattern using orange and blue first, and then added more
colours and eventually began lining them in in rainbow order over and over. Huxley and Alessio observed what Zyaire was doing as he created these patterns, and used some blocks to create their own unique pattern, working together to alternate yellow and green blocks in a row. Zyaire then spaced the blocks out to create dominoes and watched as all the blocks fell over.
Using magnatiles, the children built many unique, colourful structures with lots of different shapes and used their creative imagination skills to play with each one. As the children developed their interest in building, creating and patterning, we added some more materials for them to create with. The children began using magnatiles to create a garage for their cars, homes for their animals, and castles for the people. Finn, Felix, Zyan and Lucas B. all worked together to build a tall tower out of magnatiles and left a small opening at the bottom for their cars to go in and out of. Finn said “in here, this is where the cars park” as he pointed inside the tower. Lucas added “yeah, the people drive their cars here.”
Oakley and Chloe H. used the wooden blocks and set them up in rainbow order as well, to create a pathway for their animals as they created a house for them. Calen sorted the blocks by colour, and Chloe H. joined him in that as she sorted the blocks by colour too and built a home for the dragons.
Chloe B. and Laura were using the magnetic cube blocks to create structures when Laura stacked up the blocks by colour. She noticed which colours she had the most blocks of and which ones she had the least of based on how tall the towers were of each colour. She said “I have the most of the green blocks because it is the tallest.” Laura then took the towers down and made an AB pattern using the green and blue blocks, adding an alternating colour on the end each time.
To extend the children’s interest in creating structures and patterns further, we invited the children to create their own mosaic art pieces using colourful squares of paper and glue. The children each created their own unique piece of art. Some children experimented with colour and patterns as they went along, gluing each square one by one. Others thought about what they wanted to create beforehand and used the glue to create the design first, then chose the colours and sizes of each square. Chloe H. decided to make a rainbow checkerboard and said “I’m making a pattern like this, one up and then one down, but I’m using all the colours.”
Overall the children have been developing their fine motor skills as they create art and build. They have also been practicing team work, sharing and communication skills as they build and play together. The children have been very engaged expressing themselves as well, as they explore patterning, sorting and colour. We will continue to explore this interest with new things and incorporate sensory aspects and different textures and materials to sort, build and create with!
