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Copper WireThe first material we began working with was wire. The children were each given a piece to play with to see what kind of characteristics it has and see how they could manipulate it. We tried making shapes, learned how to use a hard straight object (like a pencil or finger) to make coils, and then let our minds explore. Watch the video and see where a child's imagination can take a simple material with their hands and a little imagination.
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Geoboard WallAfter introducing small individual geoboards in the classroom, a student asked if we had any bigger boards to use. We didn't have any bigger geoboards to use but we did have a pegboard wall and some tools. We measured, cut, and sanded two-inch dowels for pegs, added large rubber bands and ta-da! This video highlights the use of our homemade geoboard for playing with geometry and exploring our thinking.
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Roller CoastersOnce day during Tinker Time, I showed children how to "plug" copper wire in to packing foam. I also put some large beads on the table and asked if they could make the beads go from one end of the wire to the other. Perplexing for some at first, but once one child figured out a way, others followed and the next thing I know, the kids were calling their creations "roller coasters".
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Assorted Material CreationsPrompted by nothing more than the materials and previous experiences with them, these creations are the product of individual student creativity, ability, and perception. For this activity, children were presented with a single rectangular piece of packaging foam, copper wire, pipe cleaners, buttons, and beads. The rest was left to their imagination. Each product was then uniquely named by the creator. The results are pretty spectacular.
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