Building Our Airport

The beginning of our airport started
with a bench and a clipboard.

There was one other piece of equipment that I was excited to share.

A four foot length of roller conveyor.

The children were fascinated with it too.

They spent the first morning sending the suitcases across it.

 We used this opportunity to talk about packing for a trip.  

Where are we going?  What would we need?  What would we like to take?

Using the suitcase worked their problem solving skills and
fine motor skills, trying to close the latches.

 But the excitement grew as the children discovered that the cases travel across the rollers very fast.

We ended up with a box on the floor at the end to catch the cases.

  Day two, after our first tour of the airport we set up the luggage x-ray machine.

I found photos on line of suitcase being xrayed and attached it to 

the side of our machine.

At the end of the morning after the children left, I added a few more pieces of equipment.

A computer, tickets, baggage tags and
a scale was include to weigh the suitcases.

It's ready for the children to use tomorrow.

Although I'm concerned how well the x-ray machine (box) will hold up.

Discovering An Airport

Yesterday and today we visited the local airport to learn

what happens there.

 

We met our tour guides Alex and Lesley.

 

We put on our official visitors badge and we're on our way.

 After watching the WestJet plane land

we went downstairs to the check in counter.

 We met Denise, she weighed and tagged our suitcases.

Then sent them into the back to be x-rayed.

Sorry we couldn't take any pictures but we saw the big machine

that each suitcase goes through and the pictures of what was inside.

It takes a lot of skill to read xrays.

 Off our cases went on a conveyor belt to the luggage handlers.

Their carts were stacked with the suitcases ready

for the next flight.

 But Steve had a minutes to show us some of the directions he gives

the pilot when they are parking the plane.

X means STOP!

 We were so lucky to be able to walk around the plane to see where 

they load the luggage.

We even heard some dogs, they were in crates being loaded too.

We stopped on parking spot #1 to wave at the pilot.

 

Back inside we learned that for some doors Alex needs to use 

his fingerprint to unlock them.

The children added their fingerprint to their badge.

 To end our tour I gave the children a little book.  It's made by folding a lunch bag.

I found the idea at Inner Child Fun.

I changed the inside to match our needs.

I wanted an opportunity for the children to reflect on our tour

and to see what stood out for them.

Now we have some ideas of what to include in our airport 

back at school.

Airport Project

It's that time of year when families are traveling or planning on traveling.

It's a time that we focus on the airport and flying.

 This year we started with asking the children what they know 

and what they wonder about airport and airplanes.

It took us about a week to get a good list of ideas.

In the meantime I contacted our local airport to arrange a tour.

As we waited for our field trip date, we got busy building a model of an airport.

This allowed us to visualize what they told me they know.

They told me they needed a runway and that it was dark so

needed lights.  We used star stickers down the runway for lights.

Simple cardboard boxes turned inside out worked as the buildings.

End of day one and this is what our model looked like.

The next day we drew parking lines and a helicopter pad.

I dug out a toy gas pump and some pylons.

The white jug, in the bottom left hand corner of the photo, is our control tower.

It's often foggy at our airport so there is a light in the top.

Next post I'll share the beginning of building our dramatic play airport.

Five Little Monkeys

Over the years I've gathered a collection of books about

the 5 little monkeys.

Plus the 5 little monkeys themselves.

After setting the books and monkeys out for play

I observed the families reading the books

and the children playing with the monkeys.

 A pillow was added for the bed which the children enjoyed making 

the monkeys jump on.

As one mother sang the song for the children

I thought "we need a phone".

The play continued now with a call to the doctor.

A bigger pillow made jumping even more fun.