Week 4
 Bridges and Boats

Bridges

 Last week, we began
our exploration of bridges by discussing the structure of different types of bridges and we built bridges with a variety of materials, including blocks and boxes. The teachers guided the children's thinking by asking them questions about how their bridge was built, what it was used for (people or cars) and how it worked. This week the children will explore the structure of bridges by designing and building bridges out of craft sticks. After looking at and discussing various styles of bridges at group time, the children began to design their own bridge. The teacher asked the children questions about how the bridge was going to be used (cars, trains, people), how the bridge was going to be supported and how they could make it sturdy.

The children used the plans that they drew on Tuesday to create bridges using craft sticks. We chose craft sticks because they are a material that the children have used before and the straight edges would help them form a variety of bridge designs. The children attached the sticks together using sticky tack so they could adjust their structure as necessary. As the children worked on their bridges, they focused on the characteristics of the bridge (“It’s a square bridge,” or “It’s a people bridge.”). Although in the children’s drawings, they focused on how the bridge was going to be supported, this detail did not translate to their finished bridges.
                 

Boats

Last week we began an exploration of sink and float in preparation for our investigation of boats. The children built their boats from recycled materials and talked about what would make the boat sturdy. Some children believed that "big boats float and small boats sink." One child thought that "tall boats would be too heavy, so they need to be flatter." 

This week the children tested their boats in the water to see if they created a sturdy boat. Before they placed their boats in the water, they discussed why they thought their boats sank or floated. In the afternoon the children whose boats sank, were able to fix their boats to make them more sturdy. On Wednesday, the children re-tested their boats. Although many children changed the design of their boat, after observing their boat in the water their ideas about size and weight of the boats stayed the same.