Homeschool with hardhats
It was funny how much learning I could get them to do when they were wearing hardhats and hazard vests :) My little builders had a great week with this unit. They LOVED their construction site sensory bin and making their ten frames with nuts + bolts. The highlight of this unit was hammering golf tees into pieces of styrofoam (thank you Pinterest).
The coolest sensory bin ever
This bin was a HUGE hit. Like a hit of immense proportions. And the funny thing is that it was so easy and cheap to do! I put links at the bottom for everything you'd need if you were ordering from Amazon, but I purchased everything with coupons at Hobby Lobby. Basically, here's what you need: a nice large but shallow bin, play sand (I used two different colors) some pebbles/river rocks, and small play construction toys.
I think the combination of feeling the sand/stones AND imaginative play with the equipment was what did it for them!
Our first field trip!
We also went on our first field trip! The park district in the next town over (my hometown!) spent the entire summer working on a new park district playground, and we've been observing the progress the entire time. First, they demolished the old playground, then they cleared the ground and figured out where the new stuff would go. Then they brought in the new equipment, and finally the constructed the new park! This park opened a week or two before our construction unit and so we had been driving by almost daily in hopes there would be a morning with relatively few kids there. Finally we were able to play - and it was a great morning! Not only did they get to run around outside and enjoy swings, slides, and ramps like they did pre-pandemic, but we were also able to talk about how the playground was constructed, what tools we thought they needed to get the job done, and what kinds of shapes we saw within the structures. Construction week was a success!