K'Nex
We're doing a Structure unit in Science right now, as it's a mandatory part of the Gr. 5 program and it's proving to be a great unit to finish the year with. The kids love it and they can't wait to get started on the activities each day.
Early in the school year I sat down with my fellow Gr. 5 teacher, Lily, to decide what resource materials we needed for the year. We decided to take a risk and put a large chunk of money into two sets of K'Nex and sets of cards that explain different types of structures to students as well as the directions needed to build figures using those structures. It's proved to be a great investment. Two other classes besides mine (Gr. 5 and Gr. 6) have used the kit with their classes with great success.
For those who don't know, K'Nex is a set of building materials, a series of rods, wheels, pulleys, gears and connecting pieces to build an infinite number of structures. I had never used them before until this week. I studied through the materials and I found the instruction cards rather intimidating! I wondered if the students would be able to build the structures independently without some teacher support. The other teachers who had done the unit told me that the -students- would be much better at manipulating such materials than we are :). They turned out to be right, the kids took to the cards like fish to water and have been having a wonderful time building balances and egg beaters and boats and windmills and flagpoles, etc.. It helps that many of them have used K'Nex kits at home. Still, they're so proud of their results and they love to display them to the class at the end of each Science class.
Such a great way for them to learn about pulleys, gears, inclined planes, wheels and axles and levers, the five concepts we have to cover in the unit. A day or three of reviewing concepts next week, a test and my final Science unit will be ready for report cards.
Makes me wonder what kind of children's building materials are you used to out there? What kind of building materials do your children like best? What kind of building materials can you remember enjoying as a kid?
Exercise log- 163 miles on the Rivendell challenge and I'm going to walk home from school now the long way to put in a few more miles. Wore a summer tunic today that caused three people to comment to me that I'm losing weight. Way cool.
Early in the school year I sat down with my fellow Gr. 5 teacher, Lily, to decide what resource materials we needed for the year. We decided to take a risk and put a large chunk of money into two sets of K'Nex and sets of cards that explain different types of structures to students as well as the directions needed to build figures using those structures. It's proved to be a great investment. Two other classes besides mine (Gr. 5 and Gr. 6) have used the kit with their classes with great success.
For those who don't know, K'Nex is a set of building materials, a series of rods, wheels, pulleys, gears and connecting pieces to build an infinite number of structures. I had never used them before until this week. I studied through the materials and I found the instruction cards rather intimidating! I wondered if the students would be able to build the structures independently without some teacher support. The other teachers who had done the unit told me that the -students- would be much better at manipulating such materials than we are :). They turned out to be right, the kids took to the cards like fish to water and have been having a wonderful time building balances and egg beaters and boats and windmills and flagpoles, etc.. It helps that many of them have used K'Nex kits at home. Still, they're so proud of their results and they love to display them to the class at the end of each Science class.
Such a great way for them to learn about pulleys, gears, inclined planes, wheels and axles and levers, the five concepts we have to cover in the unit. A day or three of reviewing concepts next week, a test and my final Science unit will be ready for report cards.
Makes me wonder what kind of children's building materials are you used to out there? What kind of building materials do your children like best? What kind of building materials can you remember enjoying as a kid?
Exercise log- 163 miles on the Rivendell challenge and I'm going to walk home from school now the long way to put in a few more miles. Wore a summer tunic today that caused three people to comment to me that I'm losing weight. Way cool.