Problem Solving Observation

[Guest]

can anyone help with any ideas i have an observation looking at problem solving

it can be in any area - number, science etc.

trying to think of something different to try, alway up for a challenge!!

thank you

[apple]

build a den with given materials- step back and observe how they go about it? Think of a 'hook' to get their imagination's fired e.g. Ben Ten needs a den!

provide a range of materials, tarpaulin/material (piece of weed suppresser if no tarpaulin), bamboo canes of different lenghts, sellotape, masking tape, string, etc

[cathrich]

Make some holes in the bottom of a bucket and ask the children how they can transport water from one place to another. I did this with my children and they LOVED it!

Cath

[Guest]

Make some holes in the bottom of a bucket and ask the children how they can transport water from one place to another. I did this with my children and they LOVED it!

Cath

 

 

Hi Cath, A warm welcome to the forum and thanks for your mind boggling first post.

 

So did they have to work out how to transport the water without any pouring out? or just enjoy getting wet feet as they ran as fast as they could?

 

Peggy

[Guest budgie1]

Hi Cath and welcome to the forum! Thanks for that great idea, I have a broken bucket ( which I have just retrieved from the recycling box) and I am going to take it into school and have a go. Cant wait to see what happens.

[cathrich]

Hi Cath, A warm welcome to the forum and thanks for your mind boggling first post.

 

So did they have to work out how to transport the water without any pouring out? or just enjoy getting wet feet as they ran as fast as they could?

 

Peggy

 

Well....the wet feet came first (!) and then we talked about ways we could do it without getting wet. The children did come up with the idea of blocking the holes up so we set about finding ways to do it. First of all it was resources from outside - sticks, pebbles, leaves and then items from our sand/water trolley - glass stones, corks (Fantastic floating and sinking obs and discussions), even the actual sand! We still had water leaking through so we set about things from inside - the children thought they had it sussed when we tried a piece of paper but it was still leaking through!! Anyway....you get the picture! The best thing to block up the holes in the end was play dough which was moulded and pushed in to the holes. ALL of the children got involved and had such a great time....thoroughly recommend this activity!

Cath

[dublinbay]

Hello Cath and a warm welcome to the forum.

 

I can see myself tomorrow putting holes in one of our new shiny metal buckets just to see what ideas our children come up with. Excellent activity - thanks for sharing.

[Guest]

thank you for the ideas - buckets with holes in and materials to build dens at the ready.

i can't wait to get started.

any more ideas welcome as i have 2 more observations over the next two weeks again on problem solving.

thank you again for sharing your ideas x x

[StrawberyTwirl]

Hi, I did an activity about Humpty Dumpty.. how could you stop him falling off the wall! The children had lots of ideas but the outcome was a bit of a surprise... the problem ended up being how to get him to fall off in the first place! We used a rubber egg in the prota type methods!

[Guest]

I got outstanding for my observation

I using a combination of the activities suggested so thank you again

I also added watering the flowerbeds which are a distance from the water supply

The building tents problem really showed that the children are bringing everything they have learnt to everything they do. We ended up talking about pyramids, dodecahedrons and prisms! With children making some excellent 3D shapes from poles and string. the year 2 came out to the playground and used the shapes we had made for their maths lesson.

[emmajess]

I got outstanding for my observation

I using a combination of the activities suggested so thank you again

I also added watering the flowerbeds which are a distance from the water supply

The building tents problem really showed that the children are bringing everything they have learnt to everything they do. We ended up talking about pyramids, dodecahedrons and prisms! With children making some excellent 3D shapes from poles and string. the year 2 came out to the playground and used the shapes we had made for their maths lesson.

 

Well done with your obs, Tiggersmiff! Sounds like an amazing lesson! Were you introducing this vocab in the lesson, or were the children using it having learnt it earlier in the year?

[Guest]

thank you

we had looked at pyramids before. When one of the children made a tent with triangles at each end we had to talked about prisms we ever had a hexagonal prism which kept falling over (a lesson on knots i think would help lol) dodecahedrons came from the dome my HA made from tubes and conectors a real master piece. the language the children were using by the end of the lesson was excellent.