Building a structure to block the sun

Structures were made!  When it came time to build after planning, everyone seemed to start with their initial plan and materials.  After putting together the materials, some changes were made but most were a version of the original idea.  

It took a couple days for the sun to cooperate and make shadows, but as soon as the sun came out, we rushed outside!  I brought the dollhouse person with us for the children to test with.  

...and it worked for everyone!

While scrolling, keep in mind that the dollhouse person is often inside of a structure and unable to be seen.  It seems that the children really wanted to be sure that the sun didn't touch him.

Making shade plans

After charting local weather and discussing extreme weather around the world, we've moved on.  I gave the children a task to create a structure to block the sun.  To do this, I grabbed a familiar toy and told them to build a structure with familiar materials.  We chose legos.  

They were given a flashlight, a small person, and legos.  Here is some of their initial thinking:

The next day I brought out recycled materials to use a different medium.  This was more of a challenge.  The children worked with materials like paper towel tubes, foam trays, fabric, and pipe cleaners.  Their structures had to be strong enough to stay together in the wind and tall enough to fit the man.  The children tested out ideas and then drew plans.

The next steps the children will make are to follow their plans, build their structure, and test it out on a sunny day!