Building Boats
Artifact description: Students will tinker using found objects to build a boat that floats
Rationale:
ECE 110 is a foundation course for the students who are interested in working with young children, birth – age 8. The curriculum for this course focuses on child development and the developmental domains, including skills, and processes for each domain. This activity connects theory and practice by providing students with an opportunity to play and tinker with found materials, simulating the parallel process TC candidates will use with children.
This artifact works to achieve the guidelines by:
- Centering creativity- students will be able to experiment, tinker and creatively engage
their knowledge of toddler environments using the classroom design tool. - Cultivating an equity mindset- Encouraging students to
notice resources, and opportunities for young children to engage with found objects - Co-constructing knowledge- students will work together in groups of 3 to design their boats, they will need to consider the culture, abilities and language of the children and families that could be members of their classroom community.
NAEYC Standards:
NAEYC discourages the use of digital platforms for children under 36 months but students can engage in the components of Computational Thinking via tinkering using unplugged activities.
Directions:
In groups of 3, you will work to create a boat and test to see if it works.
Begin by gathering found materials: (some ideas): Corks Fabric Sponges, Straws Paper Toothpicks, Milk carton Glue Cardboard, Popsicle sticks, Rubber bands & Anything that you find
To Start:
- Make the bottom (Hull)
- Make a sail
- All aboard (place your people or animals on the boat)
- Take a photo of the boat
- Put in the water table
- Record what happens with your phone
- What changes (if any) need to happen for it to float?
- Make your changes and repeat the test and documentation
- Working in your small groups – create your algorithm that you used to build your boat
- Create and algorithm card with all your steps
- Find a group and trade algorithm cards
- Try to build a boat using the other teams cards
- Record results
- Make notes to debug
