I was up at 4am again today. My sister in law tells me the new sleep patterns I am forming are preparing me for when the baby arrives. I can usually get a a lot done at that time. This morning I found some really cool ideas on Pinterest to incorporate into a block center that only cost your time and parting with a pair of old jeans (except for the beautiful handmade products from Uncle Goose).
The block center is such an important center in an early childhood classroom. From learning to play cooperatively to working on those fine motor skills and developing skills to think logically to much much more - all done when building! The block center was something I always wanted to give more space to and develop further and now I am starting to accumulate some great ideas! Here are a few:
Take an old pair of jeans and with a little yellow paint turn them into roads - how cool is that! The kids can work on the floor or tables and they are the ones who are designing the layout of their city or town!
Check out the lil mop top blog. Jen shares some great homeschooling ideas and crafts to use at home or in the classroom. lil mop top blog
This idea comes from Cathy at Pre-school Play. Cardboard is becoming my new obsession :) Check out her blog as well. You can view her posts as a mosaic to quickly see what may be of interest to you and your kiddies!
If you are not a big fan of plastic people you may like this idea I came across on Pinterest. This idea comes from Cathleen Cullen at Reggio-Inspired.
If you like things that are handmade and retro you may want to check out Uncle Goose. Uncle Goose makes beautiful wooden block sets in Michigan out of basswood. The sets range from traditional to unique and they even have sets in different languages! There are even a few retailers here in Brooklyn that sell them or you could purchase online.
Pin It
The block center is such an important center in an early childhood classroom. From learning to play cooperatively to working on those fine motor skills and developing skills to think logically to much much more - all done when building! The block center was something I always wanted to give more space to and develop further and now I am starting to accumulate some great ideas! Here are a few:
Take an old pair of jeans and with a little yellow paint turn them into roads - how cool is that! The kids can work on the floor or tables and they are the ones who are designing the layout of their city or town!
Check out the lil mop top blog. Jen shares some great homeschooling ideas and crafts to use at home or in the classroom. lil mop top blog
This idea comes from Cathy at Pre-school Play. Cardboard is becoming my new obsession :) Check out her blog as well. You can view her posts as a mosaic to quickly see what may be of interest to you and your kiddies!
If you are not a big fan of plastic people you may like this idea I came across on Pinterest. This idea comes from Cathleen Cullen at Reggio-Inspired.
If you like things that are handmade and retro you may want to check out Uncle Goose. Uncle Goose makes beautiful wooden block sets in Michigan out of basswood. The sets range from traditional to unique and they even have sets in different languages! There are even a few retailers here in Brooklyn that sell them or you could purchase online.
I especially love the jeans idea! It's so simple and promises so much fun!! Thank you for the links! I love the possibilities of pinterest too, it's really inspiring.
ReplyDeleteSandra
Hi Sandra,
DeleteI can't wait to cut up some old jeans!! :) Soooo much inspiration out there! Thanks for visiting :)
Oh my gosh, I LOVE all of these ideas! Those blocks are AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
DeleteUncle Goose is truly a great find! There are so many sets I want to buy!! :) Let me know which ones you get if you happen to buy any :)