The children have been exploring different ways to stop the balls and marbles that have been rolling away down the ramps and tubes. This was a problem for the children and we decided to find a way to fix it. The children initially tried stopping the marbles with their own body - trying to reach for it as it rolled down and others tried to use their feet, but typically were not in time to make contact.
We explored two different tubes - solid ones and a few with holes in it. The children did discover a few ways to stop the ball or marbles. Some of them used a basket to catch it, but then discovered that it didn't come out of the tube unless he picked up the tube - so then he couldn't see the movement of the ball. In the tube with holes, the children were provoked by adding thin wooden dowels to play. They quickly discovered that they could fit the dowels in the tubes. This sparked their interest and took their focus. A teacher then asked,
"What would happen if you put a marble in there now?"
Then children tried it, but the marble passed through. So, they continued to add more and more dowels to the tubes. Some of the children were able to catch the marble, and others were not able to close all the gaps.
"The marble is still falling through!" "Where is it? I can't see it."
"Maybe if we put all these sticks in, it will stop the marble. It has to be a lot."
We will continue to develop ways to change and stop movement. The children are strengthening problem solving skills, developing teamwork, and language ability. Throughout these investigations, the children are also exploring the ideas of trial and error.
