GEKA Carnegie

Engineering, Maths and Risk Taking

GEKA Carnegie Educators

Our 3yo’s were using STEM Skills as they experimented with design, construction, lines and weight. They built a single tower which kept crashing down as it became top heavy.We problem solved together and the children began increasing the weight in their base so that they could build higher with less risk.  It was risky play as these towers were going above their heads and they were balancing on chairs to achieve their goals.While supervision is important it is also important to let some mistakes be made so that children can learn how to manage risk.We had a couple of minor bumps and we discussed the need to stand clear of falling objects from above (this still needs practise).Risk taking leads to resilience which is important to nurture from a young age. There is also risk in proceeding in an objective without a certain outcome and our tower crashed many many times before being rebuilt with new confidence.   

Extensions

• Stack other objects around the house including things that don’t neatly stack up on one another (rocks)
• Line up objects/ pictures smallest to largest
• Find a game like Jenga or tippy toadstool to build and experiment with balance
• Walk a line of masking tape for further understanding of line and body balance as they walk along
• Notice the lines on the sidewalk and skip and jump these
• Compare and draw lines, using descriptive language- straight lines, wavy lines, curved lines, circles

STEM Skills Presented:

Science: Students will explore the design and construction of a tower through individual (or collaborative) use of skills in the scientific method: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating.

Technology: Students will use digital cameras to photograph the free standing towers for documentation of learning.

Engineering: Students will learn about engineering through design and construction of a simple tower.

Math: Students will explore geometric shapes, lines, weight, and patterns as they design and construct the towers.