Michelle had brought in some red cups for the preschooler to explore. We were trying to imagine some ways that the preschoolers might use these cups when Christine remembered that there were some cardboard strips that Denise had given to us. We placed these cardboard strips, along with the cups and some other building materials and placed it on the carpet with all our building supplies, such as blocks and cones. We invited the preschoolers over and they began to explore. Soulene would stack the cups, then knock them down, giggling the entire time. Once the preschoolers had their fill of the cups, we introduced some ping pong balls and some marbles to see if their explorations would change. Rory piled a ton of cups and toys and placed one of the cardboard strips on top, rolling down the ping pong balls. Finley created a ramp and placed a cup lying down on the ground, he conducted an experiment by rolling balls of different weights down the ramp (ping pong, golf ball and a large marble) to see what might happen to the cup. Finley noticed that the ping pong didn’t move the cup, while the golf ball lifted up the cup so that it was standing, and the marble sent the cup flying across the carpet. Celine and Hazel collected all the cups and decorated the doll house with them. The preschoolers were able to use their creativity and learn cause and effect as they experimented on the different ways to build and test out their ramps.
A few days later the preschoolers were still excited about the cups, so we did some more building with them. This time we had to create bridges for some bears to cross. Christine got out the cups, the cardboard strip, long popsicle sticks, clothes pins and the bears. After placing these items on the table, Celine, Levi and Felix came over to check it out. Felix took some of the popsicle sticks to fix some shelves, while Celine took the cardboard strips and lined up the bears by colour. After setting up the bears, Celine placed the cups in a line and put one popsicle stick in each cup. Finley made a bridge, connecting the two cups with a cardboard strip. The preschoolers were able to use their creativity while safely getting the bears across the bridges!
Rory indicated that he wanted some of the cars out to play with, and while Christine thought about what else we can use with the cars, she remembered that we had all the cups, cardboard strips and popsicle sticks that we used to make bridges for the bears. Sebastian and Christine made a bridge with popsicle sticks and then Sebastian would knock it down. Soulene saw the bridge that Sebby and Christine had made, and then tried making a bridge with the cardboard strips. Soulene noticed that the cars kept falling off the one end of her bridge, so she added another cardboard strip to the other side so the cars wouldn’t fall off. When Soulene noticed that the entire bridge would fall down she added some more cups to the bottom. Tyler placed the cardboard strip upside down and pushed the cars through as if it were a tunnel. Finley placed the cardboard strips on an angle and then pushed the cars down, watching them zoom down the ramp. The preschoolers were able to use their cause and effect, learning about the different ways the cars can move and how different angles and items can make the cars move slower or faster. They were also able to learn the different ways to build and what structures would be the strongest.
Next, we took the ramp building outside, exploring with some bigger ramps and new materials. the children showed great curiosity as they explored how balls move using gutters, pipes, blocks, and other materials. They experimented with different ways to build ramps and observed what happened when they rolled or threw balls down them.
Robbie connected a gutter and a pipe to create a ramp. He threw a ball upward along the slope and watched carefully to see what happened. Later, he continued exploring by throwing the ball in different ways.
Sebastian and Rory worked together to place one gutter on another, creating a longer ramp. Soulene stacked several wooden blocks and placed a pipe on top to create a raised ramp. She was amazed and excited when she saw the ball roll down through the ramp.
Finley attached a gutter to a bike to create a ramp and then moved to the sandbox, where he created another ramp to continue his exploration. Nathan repeatedly built and adjusted his ramp, showing persistence as he experimented with different designs.
Celine and Cecelia worked together to lean a pipe against a tree and roll their balls down the ramp. Tyler explored the pipe in his own imaginative way, pretending it was a vacuum cleaner as he moved it across the ground and made “woo” sounds.
Through this play, the children were developing their problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and persistence. They were exploring early scientific and mathematical concepts such as gravity, speed, slope, force, balance, and cause and effect. They also demonstrated that there can be many different ways to use the same materials and that experimenting, adjusting, and trying again can lead to new discoveries.
Lastly, we went a little off course, and instead we wondered “What might happen if we brought the red cups outside and introduced them to our mud kitchen?”
As soon as we arrived, Soulene looked at the cups and had an idea: “We need wet sand. Can you grab a bowl of water?” What a wonderful idea to experiment! We brought over some water, added it to the sand, and began mixing.
From there, the children’s ideas began to flow. Soulene transformed the wet sand into chocolate and strawberry ice cream, while Nathan created his own coffee. Sebby and Beau discovered different ways to use their cups, scooping and transferring sand from one place to another.
Throughout the play, we noticed children experimenting with scooping, pouring, mixing, filling, and transferring. Cups became scoops, containers, and tools for creating. Spoons and shovels were also incorporated as the children tested different ways to move and manipulate the sand.
The children had so many ways to use their cause and effect, observations, build on their problem solving skills, and use their creativity. They were able to reflect on what was happening, communicate their finding, and have positive interactions as they interacted with each other. There was so much learning happening, while also having fun.
What began as a simple red cup became so much more—a tool for imagination, collaboration, problem-solving, and sensory exploration. The children reminded us that when we provide open-ended materials, there are truly endless possibilities for learning and play. We can’t wait to see what else we can do with the cups!
