Exploring & Investigating Shapes

We just finished up exploring 2D and 3D shapes in our classroom. Here is a little glimpse of the activities that the students were involved in during this time. Although this was our focus the past month, throughout the year the students are constantly playing with shapes, exploring shapes, and using shapes each day in our classroom.


Building with 3D blocks
We simply set out a basket full of 3D wooden shapes on a table with a book about shapes in the centre and let the children explore on their own. They built things like houses, towers, cars, trains, etc. with the blocks. One student in particular who struggles to play at activities without the encouragement of the teacher and ECE would eagerly play at this table on his own and use all the blocks to build his creations.  

Creating pictures with 2D shapes

Exploring shape dominoes
I have to admit that I had no idea what these wooden domino-like shape blocks were all about but I found them in a spare cupboard and figured the children could find a variety of ways to use them if they were put out. It was so neat to see the students use their imaginations and creativity to come up with games and ways to play with them while using 2D math language.

3D tower
The students were asked to bring in a variety of 3D shapes from home that can be reused such as; cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, tissue boxes etc. Each day they were brought in to the classroom the students were so excited to paint the shape they had brought in. After they were all dry it was up to the children what they wanted to build with the variety of shapes. Most of the kids built towers, while another had built a rocket ship.