One of our favourite materials in Preschool 1 is our magnet tiles. The Preschoolers often enjoy building “really big towers” and have recently been interested in trying to build towers that are taller than them! One day, we wondered how many magnet tiles it would take to build a tower that was as tall as a preschooler. The children worked together to build a big tower and when they determined it was as tall as them, we counted out how many magnet tiles tall the tower was. “But it’s not as tall as me! We need more magnets!” The children quickly realized that not every preschooler is the same height, and our towers kept toppling over, so we had the idea to lay out some paper and mark how tall we each are, then measure that with the magnet tiles. The preschoolers took turns laying down on the paper and then helping to count how many magnet tiles tall they were. They even got educator Michelle involved, and requested to measure and record her height on the paper too!
Throughout this spontaneous experience, the children practiced some early mathematics skills like counting, measuring, and comparing. They also practiced their name recognition as they found their names on the paper and practiced lining up the magnet tiles to their name. This experience also supported the foundations of belonging and engagement, as the children were supported to find answers to their inquiries and were connected with one another as they compared their heights and worked together to find and stack the magnets.
We wonder if the children will continue to be interested in measuring their own height, and if there are any other materials that they would like to explore this concept with? Perhaps there are other blocks or learning materials that we can explore our heights with!
