A Bear Park June update about Nate

Here is a June update from Anne at Bear Park, about our little man....

Lately, Nate has been very keen to explore the puzzles in the Kea room, most especially a block puzzle of numbers and animals. This puzzle is particularly versatile as it can be used in so many different ways other than a puzzle. Nate discovered this very early on as he found this new resource in the room.

The block puzzle was laid on the podium, facing up, forming a picture of a giraffe. Nate got quite curious, picked up a piece and looked at it. He noticed another picture on the other side of the block. He then dropped it back on the podium and picked up another one, put it on top of the first block. Then he continued adding more blocks to it, forming a tower. Nate smiled and knocked the tower off with his hand. He got really excited by the loud noise it made as all the blocks crashed on the podium. I have to say I was very startled by the noise too. Nate saw me as I got taken by surprise and laughed out loud!

With a big smile across his face, Nate rebuilt the tower, faster this time and knocked it over again, making him laugh even louder this time.

"Aaaah! It crashed again Nate! It's fun to break the tower isn't it?" I said to him laughing. Nate laughed with me as he picked up all the blocks again. A few had fallen on the floor, but Nate got up and walked around the podium to pick them all up.

Next, Nate changed the game and started to line up the blocks next to each other on the podium. Once they were all lined up, he tapped each block with his finger and then, he slid the one furthest to his right and dragged it away slightly. He then picked up the second block and slid it next to the first one and so one with the other blocks. As I watched him do this, I wondered if he was counting the blocks. With each block, Nate would turn it around to see the number that was written on it. Once the blocks were all lined up again, he put one hand on each end of the set.

During this learning experience, Nate was exploring different numeracy concepts such as counting, lining up, measuring. He was also learning about certain physics skills such as gravity and balance when building the tower. These blocks were also great for Nate to learn more about trial and error and to build the confidence in his problem-solving abilities. but most of all, Nate had fun in this learning process! The following days, Nate kept going back to the same puzzle and he continued extending on his interest and skills by revisiting the games he invented. We will encourage Nate to continue exploring blocks and other building and puzzle resources as a way to master his skills and learning dispositions.

Tino pai Nate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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