A Ladder for Our Fire Truck

After our tour of the fire station and learning about the different equipment

needed we began to build.

We started with the ladder.

 I was given a railway track that was a wall decor in a child's room.

It is really long, so today we measured our fire truck and cut the track down to size.

The children took turns using the saw 

sometimes needing help from their grown up.

Once it was the right size we used zap straps to attach it to the truck.

It is meant for a decoration not to be used.

Whole Oats to Granola

This morning we rolled our own oats.

Starting with whole oats that I picked up at a bulk store

the children put them in the grinder and went to work.

 I like this grinder because the children watch how the whole oats

change to flat oats as they grind.

 Once we had enough oats rolled we made our granola.

I used this recipe from superhealthykids.com

As one child mixed all the dry ingredients another mixed

the sugar and wet ingredients.

Sometimes spills happen when we are stirring such a full bowl

but we work together to sweep it up.

We modified the recipe slightly by substituting pumpkin seeds

for the sunflower seeds, flax seeds instead of sesame seeds

and chopped dried apricots instead of mango.

It is so good and makes a huge batch.

We needed to use two baking sheets so it would 

spread out and not take too long to bake.

Enjoy!

Working with Screwdrivers

Since building our plane the children have had a renewed interest in tools.

While most of our tools are plastic we do have some real ones available.

Such as screw drivers.

I started several screws into the stump as that can be difficult and frustrating.

 The children picked a screw and matched the right screwdriver to work.

It was obvious that some children had prior experience using a screwdriver.

The rest of the tools are used around the room wherever 

child sees a need.

Borrowed Workbench

I've mentioned before the benefit of working for a school district, 

especially one that has a resource centre.

I borrow from the centre often.

It saves money - I don't have to buy it.

I send it back on it's due date which means I don't have to store it.

This month I borrowed the workbench.

The children have showed interest in hammering,

every time I put out golf tees and hammers it is a busy place.

I've been waiting for this kit for half the year.

On one hand it was frustrating waiting

but on the other it's exciting to know that it is being so well used by other teachers.

The children were excited to see it 

and started right to work.

 Only one rule: you must wear safety goggles.

 Some children were more interested in playing with the toys.

This gave us opportunities to talk about real tools and toys.

What each can and cannot do.

Where our creativity and imagination can lead us.

 Hands on, real life math happening.

 We added pencils and paper to the work bench.

For a few parents it took a lot of courage (on their part) to let their child 

use real tools.

 Most were quite happy to lend a hand when needed.

 Trial and error.

What works and what doesn't let's a child figure out how

to achieve what they want.

 Sharing work space safely.

The workbench will remain for a couple more

weeks.

It's the Tools

Our last craft for the week was a rainbow window sock.  True that the families were enjoying the coloured ribbons - nice to have bright colours after our long rainy winter.  But what I noticed more was that the children liked using the tools needed to make it more than the finished product - a big yay for that.

Figuring out how to use the stapler.

The small stapler that fits in their hand worked well. Not to mention great for building those muscles and eye to hand coordination.

Hole punch - loved the determination from the child and the support and patience of the parent.

Tying the string - wow I didn't expect this.

Using the coloured pencils to print his own name.

Just playing and feeling the ribbons was more fun than putting it together.

The proud feeling of working hard and enjoying what you've made.

Today helped me see that I need to offer more opportunities with those tools we may use everyday but are possibly new for our children.