Problem Solving and Innovating
Problem Solving and Innovating – “Learning to think creatively, analytically and critically is important in all aspects of life. Children are naturally curious. By asking questions, testing theories, solving problems and thinking creatively, they learn to understand the world around them. Through play, exploration and inquiry children develop their ability to innovate and problem solve.”
What does it look like at home? – Problem solving and innovating is something we do every day but most adults do this for young children. It takes longer to include young children in solving small everyday problems, and the solutions they come up with will likely be unconventional, to say the least, but young children are capable. The other thing we often do as adults is answer children’s questions instead of supporting their questions and helping them find the answers.
Some simple things you can do to support your child’s learning:
Make everyday objects, such as food containers, paper tubes, blocks and boxes, available for your child to play with and give your child time and space to create and build.
Play outside and explore the natural environment. Encourage your child to search for bugs and critters and observe how things grow.
When you are out for a walk, share your observations, ask your child questions about what they see, hear, feel or smell.
Make time to have conversations with your child.
Activities
At Home Play-Doh
This at home play-doh recipe is a great way to teach children how to create their own play-doh. Play-doh is a fun material for your children to use in exploring their creativity and ideas. You can also use different materials like a rolling pin (or an unopened can), a butter knife, or cookie cutters for them to use on the play-doh. If you click the title above you will be linked to a simple play-doh recipe.
Can You Stack It?
Find different materials (outside and inside) and see if they are stackable. Test out how many they can stack, and ask different prompting questions like: “why do you think this item stacks easier?”, “How many of these items do you think you can stack?”, etc. Have your child count them out, sort the items, and discover play alongside learning mathematical concepts.
Simple At Home Bird Feeders
Explore nature by creating different styles of bird feeders. When clicking the link, you will be brought to six different types of easy, at home bird feeders. Have your child explore the building process as they work on problem solving skills, and learn about birds and what they eat. The different types of feeders can lead to different types of questions. This activity is also great for building fine motor skills as your child works with different sized materials. Once the bird feeder is created and placed outside, engage your child by having them check on the feeder, or observe when birds come to visit!
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
14. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings.
24. use technological problem-solving skills, on their own and with others, in the process of creating and designing (i.e., questioning, planning, constructing, analyzing, redesigning, and communicating).
25. demonstrate a sense of identity and a positive self-image.
28. demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings.
29. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment.
Wooden Geoboards:
This activity requires a bit of preparation that will include finding a piece of wood or a stump that can be made into an interactive geoboard. Once the wooden log or piece of wood is usable and safe, you can hammer nails into it (far enough that they won’t come out, but leave about an inch of space in between the wood and the nail). Once prepared, your child can explore different patterns, designs, and creations by using elastics and stretching them out from nail to nail. By clicking on the link, you will be able to see an example of these wooden geoboards.
Kindergarten Expectations:
○ (2) Demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
○ (13) Use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.
○ (16) Measure, using non-standard units of the same size, and compare objects, materials, and spaces in terms of their length, mass, capacity, area, and temperature, and explore ways of measuring the passage of time, through inquiry and play-based learning.
○ (22) Communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms.
(30) Demonstrate an awareness of themselves as dramatists, actors, dancers, artists, and musicians through engagement in the arts.
Kindergarten Expectations:
○ (15) Demonstrate an understanding of numbers, using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships.
○ (17) Describe, sort, classify, build, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects, through investigation.
○ (18) Recognize, explore, describe, and compare patterns, and extend, translate, and create them, using the core of a pattern and predicting what comes next.
○ (20) Apply the mathematical processes to support the development of mathematical thinking, to demonstrate understanding, and to communicate thinking and learning in mathematics, while engaged in play-based learning and in other contexts.
○ (22) Communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms.
(24) Use technological problem-solving skills, on their own and with others, in the process of creating and designing (i.e., questioning, planning, constructing, analysing, redesigning, and communicating.
Create Your Own Lego Maze
Creating a lego maze is an interactive and fun way to use these materials that some may already have in their homes. By clicking on the title, you will be able to see an example of an interactive lego maze. The best part about this activity is that the design process can have unlimited different outcomes, and you can encourage your child to try out different designs. Explore different routes, shapes, patterns, and skills by having your child create their own mazes. This activity helps promote creative design and problem solving skills by having them create different styles of mazes, as well as trying to figure out yours or their siblings' versions.
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
2. demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
4. demonstrate an ability to use problem solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts.
17. describe, sort, classify, build, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects, through investigation.
22. communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms.
24. use technological problem-solving skills, on their own and with others, in the process of creating and designing (i.e., questioning, planning, constructing, analyzing, redesigning, and communicating).
Overall Expectations:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
2. demonstrate independence, self regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in learning and other endeavours.
14. demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings.
