the shape of wind- a brief look into the children's theories on wind

I brought a kite to school one day for the children to play with outside. The wind was sporadic; gusts would send the kite soaring only to crash a few minutes later. 

At our weekly meeting with the other teachers, we decided to ask the children questions that would flesh out their ideas and theories about wind. 
   

Teacher: Where does wind come from?

C: from the sun; it pushes the clouds away and then the wind blows

V: wind comes from windy days; from the clouds

L: in the sky

B: the sky makes it move

M: the sky

Teacher: How do clouds make the wind?

V: they make a storm and they make the wind push through

T: it comes from the trees when they shake

I: no it doesn't. Some clouds blow air, some don't. I know all about it.

Teacher: where does the wind go when it stops blowing?

C: it goes away home. It lives in the sky.

V: it goes back to the clouds.

I: on a roof or a plane, at my house or in California

T: it just stops 

L: somewhere else, like when it is long and the door is open, it goes into the classroom.

B: back to the sky

N: in the distance

M: up in the sky

We also asked the children to draw a picture of the wind thinking it would be interesting to see their visual interpretations of a force that mostly be heard or felt.

After the children drew their pictures we offered them wire. They laid the wire over their drawings to help create the shapes of wind. 

This is where the project ended. Revisiting the documentation, I would have explored the children's thoughts on the origins of wind.  I would perhaps go on a walk and search for the wind both indoors and outdoors in particular bringing them past the kitchen where a large fan helps cool the room. 

Where would you go from here?

Fast trains have lights, they move and move! Following the childrens interest in trains, in a Reggio-inspired way

Every year I have a number of children devoted to trains. This post documents a journey we took two years ago. Of course, I did not do this alone. We had weekly team meetings with other teachers and assistants, and the guidance of our studio coordinator.

Fast trains have lights, they move and move!

The children love playing with trains. It was such a popular activity one year that I decided to rearrange the room and devote an entire area to the trains.

The project started off slowly. First we read books about trains and learned about the different parts of freight trains:

We drew pictures of our trains as a whole and pictures of individual cars with Sharpe markers:

The children told me about trains as they drew:






J: It's a flying train. It goes into outer space in a rocket!




Other's words:

I:  I want to draw the caboose. [Points to the engine] This one is gonna be a hard one. I'm gonna hafta do a tough one...I did it! They are all connected
T.L.: I drew a train stop where everyone gets on the train. I'm blowing the whistle (woo woo wooowoooo)! Everyone all aboard!

We formed trains with our bodies, and negotiated who went were.

J: I'm going to be the engine
D: I want to be the back.
B: The freight car
E: I want to be the coal car
A: Hopper car
B.R: The blue one.
H.L. Tracks and tracks and tracks!

Then we decided where our train would go:
J: the office, by Ms. Maria, the studio, Ms. Karol's class and then back to our room.

Next I set a photo, rulers, thin strips of paper and charcoal on the table and invited the children to draw train tracks.

We then used wire and wire cutters to make three dimensional tracks. Alas, I don't have a photo of that, but here are some words documenting the challenge:

T.L: I give up
I: You can't give up, you have to keep trying!
A: Practice makes perfect!

Finally, two children created a collaborative train drawing:


















I hope their interest in trains never ends!