A Caper Building Challenge

Today in Birch our Building Challenge was 

"Can you build a structure as tall as you?" 

 We had lots of friends up for the challenge. 

Students had all different plans as to how they were going to build their structures.  Some students grab a partner for help and others worked on their own.  Some structures were tall and straight pieces stacked one on top of the other.  Some were more elaborate with angles and arches.

 

"It's not as big as yes yet. We need more pieces."  

 

"This one is my size!" 

 

This building challenge took persistence and perseverance.  It was great to see teamwork as students were helping each other build or cheering them on as they got close to completing their structure.

"I did it!" 

"Stedy, stedy, stedy"

 

H: "Its almost done! I can't see"
B: "I'm making sure its not going to fall over."

 

The students also enjoyed measuring themselves against each other's structures.  

C: "I did it!"

W: "I fits me!"

 

C decided to bring an arch over to help him reach the top.  

Teacher: "C, you grew! Now is your structure taller than you or smaller than you?"

C: "I need more pieces"

C gets off the  arch and says, "Its really big!"

 

W. "It's really bigger than me!"

Towards the end of capers I notice A. making a design on the other carpet.  I was going to ask him what he was doing, but then he laid down next to it measuring himself.  He noticed he was longer than the structure.  He got up and grabbed two more rectangle blocks.  He measured himself again. 

"This is too much. I think I need a square one."

A: "This is right!" 

I love how A took our structure question into a whole new direction than what the teachers were thinking.  We never know how the children can guide our learning.