Tunnel Learning Group - Week 5

Using Tubes with Holes

The implementation of the 5th inquiry involved children expanding on their exploration of the big idea “Where did it go?" The children wanted to study the motion of the marble going through the tube. The intention of this activity was to investigate putting marbles in through the openings at the top of the tubes. The children explored the new tubes by putting marbles in the opening at the top and watching it roll down through the holes. They noticed that the marbles did not fit through some of the holes because they were too small. Some of the children thought the holes in the tube affected the motion of the marble and shook the tube to get the marble out. They also connected several tubes together to create a long tube. Some of the children also investigated the motion of the marble in a stationary tube. They noticed that the marbles move slower and fast depending on how much force they use to roll the marble. Some concept the children learned during this activity include the concept of motion, cause and effect, and directionality.

Scenery - Week 5

Safari Animals Prints!

Week of October 22-26, 2012

          

The children were fascinated with seeing the giraffe print on their shirts and arms last week.  I decided to print a variety of different types of animal prints – giraffe, zebra, snake and tiger.  They were very excited to explore these patterns.  First I noticed the children were much more active with these scenes.  They were jumping up and down, dancing and acting out the animals.  I had my iPad and was taking pictures of the children as they were exploring, making sure to capture photos with the prints on their faces or shirts.  I then showed them the pictures.  They were captivated by their changed faces and often traced the outline of the prints on their faces.  They pretended to “be” the animals and acted out what the animals would do.  At one point someone put an elephant on the wall with the giraffe print and we discussed whether the elephant became a giraffe or not. 

To continue this idea, I would like to explore the animal prints some more.  This time I will have the animal patterns printed on regular paper and the animals on transparencies.  I want to see what animals they match up with the patterns.  Will they stay consistent with the correct animal patterns or mix it up?

Sound - Week 5

Last week during our inquriy activity the children showed an interest in exploring the concept of vibration.  They placed small slides on the drum and watched as it moved around.  During this week’s activity we explored vibration more in depth using the big drum, xylophone, water jar, tuning forks, and variety of materials (leaves, cars, gourds etc.) .  We  placed objects on the drum and watched its motion.  We also continued to investigate volume by using force to hit the drum and experimenting with the xylophone.  They played the different keys and recognized the pitch of each one.  While using the tuning fork the children were intrigued with hearing the sound.  Some made the connection between the vibration of the fork and the noise.  

 

To extend this activity I plan to focus on the concept of pitch.  By using different materials we can explore the various pitches in sound, ranging from high pitches using the tuning forks and xylophone to low pitches using the gong.  

Tunnel Learning Group - Week 4

Using Bendable Tubes

The implementation of the thirst inquiry involved the children expanding on the exploration of the big idea "Where did it go?" The intention for this project was to study the motion and direction of an object going through a bendable tube. The children wanted to study how the shape of the tube affects the motion of the object inside. The children explore the tubes by stretching them and then compressing them. They also bent the tubes into different shapes and put the marbles inside. The children soon saw that the marble did not always come out depending on the spa of the tube. They found ways to get the marble out of the tube. Some of the children straightened the tube out and other flipped it over to get the marble out. The children also make longer tubes by connecting several tubes together. Some of the concept the children learned during this activity include the concept of motion, cause and effect, and directionality.