I cannot pass up sharing with you this blog site I found and this first post I came across!  Thank you, Sally, for what you are doing!  I hope everyone who visits our sites, goes and checks out Sally's site regularly - it's awesome!!!!  This may not be proper protocol - but we'll learn along the way.  Here's the link to her site.  Thanks again!  
http://fairydustteaching.blogspot.com/2011/03/developmental-stages-of-block-play.html

Block play is such an important part of the early childhood classroom.  It provides potent opportunities for creativity, imagination, problem solving, and foundational mathematical understandings. It is something that actually has a developmental sequence to it - like writing or drawing.  I love to watch the expansion of block play in the kindergarten.  It becomes such a world in itself!  I find it fascinating that the way children use the blocks can actually tell me something about their developmental growth cognitively.  

Stage 1 Tote and Carry (2 and 3 years old) 
At this stage, one of the first activities is the act of carrying around the blocks or piling them.  It is a full sensory experience as the child experiences the smoothness, the weight, the size and the sounds they make when they drop the blocks.  In this stage, the child is learning about blocks and what blocks can do. 

Stage 2 Building Begins (3 years old) 
At this stage, a child will pile the blocks to make a tower or lay the blocks on the floor in rows, either horizontally or vertically.  There is much repetition in their building.  It is in this stage that the first application of imagination occurs as props such as cars or trucks are used on "roads."

This clip is from the Bowling Green State University Child Development Center home page covering a FEW of the things that children gain from playing in these areas.  It covers all Learning Areas, so check it out!  I've chosen to include only the portion here on Blocks. Click on the link below for the entire article.

Blocks 

• symbolic representation
• patterns
• symmetry
• planning
• balance
• size relations
• trial and error
• problem solving
• interaction of forces
• pre-math concepts-more, less, number, etc.
• visual perception
• hand/eye coordination
• classification
• cooperation
• self-esteem
• completion

In construction activities, children create models that represent their internal vision of an object or event.  This is the concrete way in which children symbolize the world;  and it is a highly creative process.  When children build out of real materials the models that originate in their minds, they must draw on other abilities as well, such as creativity, imagination, aesthetic appreciation, fine and gross motor and perceptual skills, planning, language and often social interaction techniques.  As children construct something out of paper and paste, clay or blocks, they coordinate all aspects of the self.  It is this synthesizing characteristic that explains the importance of construction within our program.

http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/edhd/cdc/page60405.html

Games

Here are some fun games for everyone to play!  Have Fun!

                                                            

http://www.kidscomjr.com/art/blocks/blocks.html

http://www.blockcorner.com/current.php3

http://pbskids.org/

Setting up the Block Area

Mary Hohmann and David P. Weikart

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/blocks/SettingUp.html 

Almost all children enjoy playing in the block area and can find something to do with blocks, whether or not they have ever played with them before. Young children with little prior experience enjoy taking blocks off the shelves, heaping them into piles, lining them up, stacking them, loading them into cartons, dumping them out, carrying them, and fitting them carefully back on the shelves. After they have had plenty of time to explore blocks, children begin to build all kinds of structures. With increasing thoughtfulness, they begin to experiment with balance, enclosure, patterns, and symmetry. They also combine blocks with little people, animals, and vehicles in make-believe play. Structures become houses and barns; lined-up blocks become roads and fences. As children play on their own and with others, adults recognize and support their exploration, imitation, spatial problem solving, sorting, comparing, and pretending.

Gardeners Love Pipe Builders for ECE!

     I love the blog with the video just before this using Pipe Builders as the building blocks for their outdoor garden! My husband is a gardener and would always come in and teach the kids about planting and growing their own flowers or vegetables. Its amazing how much attention these young minds can give a special guest and how willing they are to get in there and "get their hand dirty"!  I love seeing these young children learn to participate in the environment around them.  See previous blog entry for more details on the Pipe Builders Video.

This kindergarten group thinks outside the box using Pipe Builders as the building blocks for their outdoor garden.

Blocks Center

 

 The blocks center is a very important part of an early childhood classroom.
 In fact, if you had to choose one center in the classroom as the most
 important of all, the blocks center would be a prime candidate for the title.
 When children build with blocks, they learn about mathematical concepts
 such as size, shape, number, and quantity. They become aware of scientific
 principles such as the force of gravity and the functioning of simple machines
 such as levers and inclined planes. They learn to think, plan, and problem
-solve as their structures take form. This center has special appeal for children
whose intelligences are strong in the visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, and
 bodily/kinesthetic areas.


Blocks play provides children with opportunities to create,
cooperate, and communicate. Social learning takes place in the
blocks center as children work together to share materials, space,
and ideas. Literacy skills develop through block play when children

various blocks experiences. Children gain eye-hand coordination and
visual discrimination skills when they group blocks that are the same
size and shape at clean-up time. Virtually everything you might want
to teach a young child can be taught through blocks play!

Let’s Build! Activities for a Preschool Tools and Construction Theme

http://notjustcute.com/2011/03/11/lets-build-activities-for-a-preschool-tools-and-construction-theme/

Use a variety of building materials in addition to your standard unit blocks.  For examples, kids use pipes,  gutters , or large blocks for dramatic play.

pipes

gutters

Large Blocks

     Using large blocks (I made mine copying something like these…when I had just one toddler….who took long naps) build a creation against a wall and then outline the blocks using blue painter’s tape.  Ta-da!  You now have a full-scale blueprint!  Encourage children to follow the blueprint or create their own.  Other props in this theme might include hard hats, play tools, tool belts (Home Depot sells a tool apron for only $1), clip boards and pencils, real blueprints, phones/radios, orange cones, and caution tape.  You could also include a large appliance box and let your children use it to design and create their structure.

Different Props for Different Stages of Block Development

http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2010/06/we-play-blocks-and-props.html

As with all areas of development, children go through stages using blocks.  Understanding the stages will help you to provide the perfect props to appeal to the children in your world. 

Carrying Blocks

Watch a toddler in the block area and you will see them carrying blocks around, piling them, collecting them and putting them in and out of containers.  To facilitate this play, try adding:

Using Blocks:Early Years Curriculum Materials

This case study is an example of how blocks are used to develop planning, thinking, problem solving
and cooperative strategies in a Prep Year classroom. The prep class is located on a school campus.
Children in this class have usually not attended pre-preparatory classes and have little or no
experience with using blocks in a classroom context.
We have presented this case study in school term units. However, this sequence of teaching and
learning could be adapted according to the needs and interests of the children in your setting.

Block Area Ideas

This is from Gayle's Preschool Rainbow website.  It offers some ideas for inexpensive block props.



Cheap Block Play
Materials: Empty boxes - from small shoe boxes to big boxes, such as the ones diapers come in and retail outlet boxes. 
Description: Put boxes in the block area where there is room for building and exploring.
Comments: Children love playing with the different shapes and sizes.


Block Time Prop
Materials: Small green containers that strawberries come in.
Description: Teachers put these containers in the block area or play area. The children can make garages for cars or cages for animals. We have made a two room house with them.  Preschool children never get enough of these containers. 
Comments: Have all of the children save the containers from home.

Unit Block Play

All About Unit Block Play

By Nancy P. Alexander

Understanding Unit Blocks Although there are numerous types of blocks on the market, unit blocks offer the most learning value. What is it about unit blocks that make them such an important part of any early childhood classroom? To begin with, unit blocks are proportional in size to develop mathematical concepts. They are available in various size sets according to the number of children who will use them. Unit blocks are made of hardwood with a natural finish and can therefore be expected to last many years. Values of Unit Blocks Children learn many concepts, especially math concepts, through block play. Play with blocks provides an excellent opportunity for social and physical development and enhances creativity. Following is a summary of the specific concepts and traits that children learn through block play:

Blocks of Fun! 40 Block Activities for Kids

by JAMIE · 23 COMMENTS

in ACTIVITIES, BY MATERIAL, PLAY COLLECTIONS

We tend to have our blocks out a lot around here. Whether itslegos, or wooden blocks, or our ABC blocks, we include them in a lot of the activities that we do.

Blocks are kind of a staple in most households, am I right? Boys and girls both like blocks. They’re a lot of fun!

Turns out, kids can learn a lot from these simple toys. But, what exactly?

Childhood 101 goes into some specifics of adding literacy to the block corner, and Picklebums gives us a little insight onwhy block play is so important to kids.

And I’ve collected some wonderful ways to play with blocks, so we can maximize our use of these awesomely, simple toys[aren't the simple toys the best because they can be used the most ways?].

Here are 40 activities for the kids to do with blocks. I’ve included 14 ideas for the simple wooden blocks, 17 activities for legos [also includes duplo or mega blocks], 4 learning activities for the ABC blocks, and I couldn’t leave out ideas to build with your blocks, so there’s 5 building activities for the kids as well.

Teachers Role 2

                            A parent might say "How could blocks be important?"

A teacher that does not teach the parents as well as the child, is one that is not prepared.  When a parent gets involved with learning it helps the child a great amount.  The idea that only the teacher should be involved in a child's learning is a sad cop out.  All parents are different, but a teacher should find common ground with every parent so as to make them feel more comfortable and able to help their child learn.  Yes, the teacher should be teaching the parent as well.  Stressing the importance of Blocks and how they effect every child, where to get blocks and how to join in and facilitate projects at home.

The Teachers Role

                                The Teachers Role is very crucial to Block Play.

If a teacher does not know much about Blocks or their potential for child development, children will not get as much out of playing with blocks as they could or should.  A teachers job is to facilitate and encourage the use of blocks.  A teacher can also ask questions about the child's structure so that they may improve and learn more about the type of building they are constructing.  The more intricate the child gets with their structure the more they learn.

Four Preschool Activities for Blocks in the Classroom

written by: Tania Cowling • edited by: Amanda Grove
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-crafts-activities/51985-four-block-activities-for-preschoolers/ 

Blocks come in a variety of shapes, colors, and textures so preschool children can use them to learn through their senses. Preschool activities for blocks can also help to develop creativity and problem solving. As you guide the children during block play, talk about the shapes, how blocks are positioned (on top of, underneath, behind), how to balance blocks as in stacking, and counting blocks. Read on for activities that help children explore many concepts in early childhood learning.

Developmentally Appropriate Block Play

 

By J. Hendrick|P. Weissman 

http://www.education.com/reference/article/developmentally-appropriate-block-play/ 

Blocks are timeless, classic play materials that have endured as an activity through many different ideologies and theories of child development. Playing with blocks provides endless opportunity for the development of emerging perceptual-motor skills. Here is a summary of developmentally appropriate block play between infancy and age 6.

Including Special Needs Children in the Block Area

 “When children with special needs and abilities are included in environments serving children who are developing typically, all children benefit”

Block Play Safety

Keeping block play safe as possible is just as important as what they learn and how they develop.

Stages of Block Play

In effort to support children reach their maximum potential while playing with blocks, knowledge on the four stages of block play can be useful information.

Homemade Blocks: The Learning Continues

Homemade blocks are a great way to continue the fun of block play away from the school setting. 

How to make similar materials:

You can build a quality block area using recycled boxes of different sixes and shapes.


Square/rectangular blocks


 

• Shoe boxes
• Tissue boxes
• Cereal boxes
• Shipping boxes
• Small appliance boxes
• Milk carton

Cylindrical blocks

• Coffee cans
• Soda cans
• Canned food cans
• Tennis ball cans
• 2 liter soda bottles

What children learn from playing with blocks?

What do children learn from playing with blocks? It’s been more than two hundred years since Friedrich Froebel introduced wooden shapes for children to explore, take apart, and put together. Since then, blocks have been shown to aid the development of young children. Blocks are seen in nearly all early childhood education classrooms and in homes that have young children. While it may seem like children are simply playing with blocks, children learn a variety of skills that shape both their academic and social growth. The reason blocks continue to be a fun toy for kids is that the potential for play and learning is exponential.  Block play builds math, science, reading and writing skills all under the guise of play.

Welcome to Blocks of Life

Welcome to our Blocks of Life blog site - 

A Study in the Use of Blocks in Early Childhood Education!  

We know that children learn through play.  The purpose of this blog is to explore how child initiated play with BLOCKS takes place and what children learn from playing with them.  

We are 5 students in Early Childhood Education currently enrolled at Cañada College, Redwood City, CA taking a course in Early Childhood Curriculum.  The textbook, The Creative Curriculum for Preschool by Diane Trister Dodge, Laura Colker and Cate Heroman, is the main foundation for our studies.

We encourage you, as our readers, to explore with us the importance of Block Play in early childhood education and share with us with your knowledge, experiences and resources so that we may all grow together in building a stronger community for our children.

 

We look forward to our partnership!

Vicky, Jason, Eden, Kim and Nick