During ECO the last two weeks, children worked in teams to begin building a structure that could keep a cardboard kid warm and dry.  We will check on them next week to see how they fared through the rain and snow!

We continued with the building theme on Wednesday afternoon, this time working in teams to build with four different materials:  cups, keva blocks, cubes, and geo-blocks.  This gave children an opportunity to consider the differences among the materials and effective strategies for building with each one.

On Thursday, we again worked in teams to build houses strong enough to withstand the blowing of a big bad wolf.  Each group was given a bag with either toothpicks, craft sticks, or foam bricks, along with clay and glue.  I will let your child tell you how we tested the strength of each house!

In the midst of all of this team work we had a very insightful class discussion about what makes a good team member.  What kind of person do we hope to have on our team when we are working in a group?  Children said they would like someone who is kind, someone who is willing to listen to and consider everyone's ideas.  They also appreciate teammates who are helpful and "don't wreck other people's work"- we decided we could call this respectful.  Finally they said they want somebody who will stay focused,  do the work, and not give up- someone who is engaged and has perseverance.  We then considered which of these qualities we might have, and which ones we could try to work on so we can all be good team members.