3D Shape Fun

This year due to implementing Common Core Standards my district revamped our curriculum guides. Due to this revamp, we are now in the middle of our shape unit. I hope that next year we will have some freedom to choose the order of unit to teach since shapes at this point of the year is a little too easy for our kinder babies especially those that went through our Pre-K program.

But still, we are having fun, learning and creating, exploring and learning about 3D shapes! I started our 3D shape unit with our 3D PRINTER! WOOT WOOT! (I left my 3D printer pictures at school but I promise I will come back and add them!) This was a great introduction for my students to begin to understand the difference of a 2D and 3D shape. We talked about what exactly a 3D printer does..it builds, you can hold it, touch the sides etc. We talked about how the picture on the design model on the computer was our 2D shape but once it was built it was now 3D. Talk about some excited kiddos (and teacher!!!!)! They were really getting the foundational difference between a 2D and 3D shape.

We then turned to a trusty friends at BrainPopJr and watched this solid shape video. This started out buddy talk and share. I overheard some awesome conversations about items in our room that were 3D shapes. (I hadn't even asked them to start looking...proud teacher moment!) Then the fun began. I pulled out the huge, blue bin full of 3D foam shapes! Let the exploring begin....

They LOVED exploring these shapes. I am keeping these foam shapes out for a while for them to continue to build and explore with during free choice time. It is music to my ears to hear my students using the correct 3D shape terminology to describe the shape they need. They are learning how shapes can work together to build various objects and are coming up with some great ideas to build on our 3D shape printer. There are future engineers in our classroom!

In small math groups, they got to put their engineer skill to the test. I provided them with various length skewers and gum drop balls. They were then given the freedom to build various structures and shapes using their tools. This provided some great hands on learning to discus the faces of shapes, corner or vertices and edges. They got to place the shape in their hand and allow their mind to get to work. I was amazed at the different items they built. They built tents, homes, schools, churches, cubes, pyramids etc. My back counter and immersion table is full of their builds and I love it!

 

 

I will try to remember to take some pictures of all the different creations around our room tomorrow!

 

What do you do in your room to help your students understand their difference between a 2D and 3D shape?