BOX STUDY, ROADS STUDY, HIDDEN MESSAGES AND OUTSIDE LEARNING

GOODBYE, BOX STUDY

Roads are all around us. Roads take us to school, to the store, and to visit family and friends. When riding in vehicles, children gaze out of the windows and watch the world go by. They delight in pointing out features on the road that, for adults, are simply part of the landscape: light poles, reflector bumps, overpasses, and bridges. In the classroom, roads become a key feature in the Block area, when children push toy cars from one building to another and outdoors when children ride trikes along paths they call “roads” that often include traffic signs and police officers.

Preschool-aged children spend much of their time in the Block area making connections: they move people, animals, vehicles, and objects from one place to another. They are using roads! A study of roads provides children with an opportunity to learn how roads are made, where roads take us, how we can stay safe on the road, and the features that make up a road. When children work together to create roads, they use a variety of skills to plan, write, draw, build, and negotiate with others.