[smile 1973]

My friend who is also a collegue would like to set up a puzzle and block center for her 1st graders. The problem is our principal. She is concerned because of his policy on centers to make it RIGOROUS!!! A few years back I had a puzzle for a center and I was called in his office and read the riot act. Can my friends her on PROTEACHER help us with ideas and ways she can justify this puzzle and block center.

[AddieJ]

Here's what I post in my blocks area. I talk about it with the kids in language they understand but the posters are really for other adults (principal, volunteers, etc.) to tell about what skills we're working on.
Thankfully our principal encourages us to have blocks, housekeeping, sand & water - all those developmentally appropriate things for our little ones!

Playing with blocks can lead to some great dev. appropriate questions you can ask the children that will also elicit some higher order thinking skills:

Is there another way you could try it?
Would it help to have some ___?
How did you decide on your design?
Tell me about your creation.
What could you do with these things?
Can you change it? How?
Why do you think your plan didn't work?
What would happen if I ___? Why?

I found a great article on why puzzles are good for children:

http://toys.about.com/od/learningtoys/f/whypuzzles.htm

[smile 1973]

This will really help

[MissSarah8884]

I LOVE your I can poster!!! Do you have those for other centers also???

[TeachK26]

Do you have the "I Can" posters for the other centres? Can I change it to the Canadian spelling?

[AddieJ]

I have other posters I'm happy to share. They are on my other computer so I will post them later tonight when I return home.
They are saved as PDFs so I could retain the fonts so I don't think you could change them. If you let me know the Canadian spelling changes, I could make them & post them as well I'd post both versions.

[TeachK26]

The spelling of center is "centre" and colour (we add the "u"). That's awesome! Thank you for all of your hard work. Wow!

[AddieJ]

Here's another one.

[AddieJ]

How did I do?

[AddieJ]

I Can for the reading nook.

[AddieJ]

I changed "recognize" to "recognise". Is that correct?

[AddieJ]

Here's another!

[AddieJ]

Canadian spelling version

[AddieJ]

puzzles/games/manipulatives center

[AddieJ]

here's yet another

[TeachK26]

You are brilliant! Thanks again.

[hplatt515]

Those are wonderful!! Thank you for sharing!!!

[steph928]

Check out this blog where the overall idea is that children should be able to learn through investigation and play. There are examples of projects that kids created through the block center, related to the curriculum.
http://investigatingchoicetime.com/

Here is one entry that goes into ways that a class used the block center.
http://investigatingchoicetime.com/?p=55

There are lots of other ideas too if you scroll through the old posts.

[MissSarah8884]

Thanks for being willing to share! I LOVE those! It gives such clear expectations and put them up and it's easy for principals/parents/subs to see that the kids aren't just randomly playing all day, but are doing activities that have been thought out and carefully planned!!!

[coppsma]

Addie, for sharing those amazing posters. They will make my life so much easier. Even in prek I've had parents complain about the childen playing in blocks and housekeeping as part of the curriculum. Really?? They are 4 mom & dad!

Smile, thanks for asking the question so that Addie could have this opportunity to share with those of us who are not as eloquent in our speech & writing skills.