Often we ask the children to rewind their memories, to think back on what we have done, in an effort to make new sense of our work. This blog post is a rewind. It is an effort to show how the hotel construction evolved.
After a small group thought about the work in the playground sandbox through drawing, a second small group met to think about how our back sandbox might lend itself to this building project. The group brainstormed possible tools and materials we might need.
“I know who has a drill. My daddy has a drill. It drills in nails.” Charlie
“We need wood. We could carve the wood. We could carve them the same. I could show you a book that does it. It’s in this book. See this picture?” Brooke
“I’m showing them going side to side. Rocks and sticks make sparks to go into the vent. it’s for the tube of heat to make it warm.” Chester
All the talk about stones, wood, bricks, cement, wheelbarrows, and shovels led Charlie to consider a different kind of tool.
What about a smaller model and then we make a bigger one? Cuz that’s what real construction workers do. A mini-model. Charlie
Hey, we could use Legos to make the mini-model! Chester
And so, we brought this invitation to the whole group. Individuals created several models and by the end of the week, a small group began to work together around one larger model. More children joined in the effort. In the end, in a unanimous vote, all the children decided to use and add to the group model that had incorporated so many ideas.
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The main components of the model hotel include: Swimming pool, diving board, life guard seat, slides, parking garage, elevator, doors, windows, roof, balcony.
The walls are the trickiest part cuz you have to find the right pieces. Ryan
These are separating different rooms. Brooke
This is a parking garage. Ray
What should I make, guys? Zaahra
You can do anything. Brooke
I can make the bottom of the pool. Maren
Oh, a window! Two windows! Oh! This could be a life guard seat! Zaahra
This could be a part of the roof? Jane
This could be a faucet. Doesn’t the hotel need a tub? Maren
There is a balcony, a sitting place to look out in the sun. Birdie
That part, it’s a pool. That’s why this white piece is hanging out. It’s a diving board. You need a soft and watery surface to land on. Vivian
That goes up and down when you put a circle on one of those X sticks it goes up and down like an elevator. Chester
Or maybe this could be a part of the security camera. Zaahra
If we’re building a hotel we can make it all together! Zaahra
Yeah, we’re making an awesome hotel. You can join! I think everyone likes it, right guys? Brooke
Using the mini-model as a reference, a small group then measured and created a blueprint for everyone to follow.
Children used pixel blocks to measure the sides of the model.
Children traced the lines and removed the pixels.
That’s a block that’s missing. Graeme
We are making the perimeter. Birdie (tracing with blue)
Look how straight this one (line) is! Ryan
The lines that are inside! We haven’t even done that yet. Ryan
They counted each pixel rod and transferred the perimeter measurement onto graph paper.
Where’s the real one? Ryan
I’ll count them. Ryan
So they can connect. Graeme
I accidentally counted… Birdie
I don’t think you should start on this one cuz this is part of this line. Charlie
Wow, a big blueprint! Birdie
[A blueprint] is a type of construction. We need to build a hotel , it's a plan. Charlie
I know what a blueprint is cuz our house in Martha's Vineyard and I saw the blueprint. I saw there's upstairs and downstairs. For the builders. Lyla
It's a drawing of what you're going to build and you've already studied it. Graeme
I think (we need a blueprint) because we're building a hotel in the sandbox. Birdie
With the blue print, a small group began to construct.
…to tell you where you have to dig. Jane
