Place and Time: Final Project! The Handy Helper!

Selecting the parts

The past 7 weeks have focused on similarities and differences between life in the past and life today. As well, we've explored how inventions and innovations have changed the way we do things.

Dr. Suess's The Cat in the Hat is the provocation for the summative activity. 

All the children can relate to this story: feeling overwhelmed by a big mess they have to clean up! 

What school or home couldn't use a "Moss-Covered Three-Handled Family Credenza" Everyone agreed on Rylan's suggestion on a name for our machine; The Handy Helper!

Looking for screws with a X end

Everyone wanted to try the screwdriver

Last week the children decided what their machine would look like and on Monday they selected their parts and began building. The excitement and enthusiasm was high and everyone eager to help. The final touch before trying our machine was hot glueing the on/off switch. Esme stood in quiet reflection before announcing "Wait a minute, this isn't going to actually work!" We compared how real machine's have wires and motors that make them work and our's doesn't and we'd have to use our imagination to make it work. Our Handy Helper is merely a prototype!

Securing the arms with tape

I don't think this is going to actually work.

Testing the prototype

Tomorrow the children will resent their machine to the other children and give a demonstration!

Place and Time: The Clothes We Wear

In a discussion with Debbie last week the children expressed an 

interest in the type of clothing people wore in the past. 

"I think they wore clothes that are old." thought Rielle.

The children studied the Western Fashion Timeline and were eager to share 

which style of clothing they'd like to wear.

All the girls chose their favourite dress.

Byron and Tyreese are happy to stick with clothes we wear today.

Rylan the 1090's or 1810's.

Everyone thought it very strange that long ago girls didn't wear pants and boys wore tights!

The children made paper dolls with clothing children wore long ago.

        It's a time consuming process as everyone needed help
with the fine detail cutting.

I helped them prepare the dolls and cut one outfit.

They may ask their parents for help with the others at home.

Place and Time: How We Communicate; Email

The internet and email has changed the way we communicate allowing us 

almost instant communication with people around the world. 

What do you know about emails?

All of the children have heard the word, here is their understanding . . . 

"You press a number on the phone or computer, you text." - Esme

"There's a screen to look at. Computers are good for typing, you can send 

a message to people who are too far." - Oliver

"It's about computers." - Sophie

"I don't know. It's about messages." - Tyreese

Everyone was eager to see what an email looked like and how it was done so we decided to send an email to their parents. I wrote their message and they typed their name and hit 'send'


Whoosh! 

It was gone! Arriving instantly in their parent's inbox. 

Some of the parents replied and their messages read to their child. 

Place and Time: What Do You Do For Fun?

Comparing similarities and differences between what children 

did for fun long ago and what they do now. 

What do you do for fun?

Sophie - play with the marble tower and pretend princess
Esme - play with my stuffy and blanket and pretend family
Rylan - use my blankets to hide under, build forts and just play around
Tyreese - play with diggers and lego and dinosaurs
Rielle - build forts and shine my start light on the ceiling
Oliver - play cars and trucks and pretend to call people on the telephone

Now, thinking of the olden days, what do you think your moms and dads did for fun when they were little kids? After a few giggles at the idea of their parents being small the children thought . . . 

Esme - I have no idea!
Rielle - they probably just spilled water on the ground
Rylan - or on people's heads
Tyreese - when my mom was little she was a boy and she played digger
Oliver - my dad probably watched movies
Sophie - my mom played princess but she was so small she couldn't reach the counter

We realized we need to do some research!! Parents please reply in this blog or by email and tell us what you did for fun when you were young. We'll share your stories next week

The children made a toy that's been around for a long time: Toss and Catch

A button attached to a cup by a string provided the challenge to try to swing the button and catch it in the cup. Parents, maybe you had a similar toy when you were young, you know, in the olden days!

Place and Time: Horse Drawn Wagons

My recent adventure of getting stranded in Powell River when my flight was cancelled due to fog led a discussion of how even with inventions like airplanes that speed up travel we are still affected by inclement weather "like the olden days."

The children finished their wagon building project and we fashioned a horse 

out of chairs and fabric. Byron and Jayla helped document by taking pictures. The wagon was presented to the other children and all were invited to use it in their imagination games.

The song game Trot Old Joe was requested again only this time the children offered

ideas of other ways horses move: walk, run, skip.

Everyone built wagons with Lego thinking about various elements: wheels, a base and sides (so you don't fall off) and reigns (not rains!) It turns out we only have 2 horses which allowed the children to be creative in choosing other animals to pull their wagon!