Transcript

Text on-screen: Exploring Spatial Thinking While Building (3–5 years)

Logo: Count, play, explore – for early education.

On screen: Eva and the children use blocks of different shapes and sizes to build a tall structure by stacking the blocks in different ways using both the short and long sides of the blocks. Eva holds up a blue block, and a child is standing behind the structure holding a red block.

Eva Zinzun, PreK Educator: What should we start with? We have this shape. We have—

On screen: Eva rotates the block around while holding it out.

Child 1: I don't want the blue.

On screen: Two more children approach the structure. One child holds a small wood block and kneels next to Eva. The other child stands next to the kneeling child. The standing child begins to prop a long wood ramp against the side of the tower.

Child 2: I got the bottom part.

Eva Zinzun: Okay. The bottom part of the lighthouse.

On screen: Eva taps their palm on the ground.

Eva Zinzun: We’re going to build a foundation at the bottom.

The block area is a great area to incorporate math because we have the blocks of different sizes. You work geometry in there, you do special relationships, sizes, space. Can you fit one here?

On screen: A video plays on-screen as Eva talks: Eva kneels next to a collection of small, square-shaped wood blocks. A child, Mika, kneels to the left of Eva. The blocks are lying flat on the ground. Eva and Mika slide the blocks on the ground, positioning them to create a square with an open center.

Eva Zinzun: If you take one here, and just expanding on that and letting them take the lead and me just following them and try to support their learning.

On screen: In the next scene, Eva works with Mika to move the small wood blocks.

Eva Zinzun: What else do we need to do, Mika? What else should we do? Okay, do you want to leave this open?

On screen: Eva places her palm in the center of the blocks that have been set up to create a square with an open center.

Eva Zinzun: Or should we add more pieces in the middle?

On screen: Eva holds both palms, face down, over the square and moves them out to the sides. Mika places a block in the center of the square. On-screen, “Eva Zinzun, PreK Educator.”

Eva Zinzun: I’m trying to help prompt them to, how can we bring the math into this area? So, by doing that, by me asking those open-ended questions relating to math ...

On screen: Mika places a wooden rectangular-shaped block into the center of the square that was built out of smaller square-shaped wooden blocks.

Eva Zinzun: Okay, we're adding these square blocks around—

On screen: Eva touches a square-shaped block and then the rectangular-shaped block that Mika placed in the middle.

Eva Zinzun: And in the middle, we are going to put the rectangle blocks in the middle.

On screen: Mika places a rectangular-shaped block next to the one previously placed in the middle. Eva picks up a rectangle block and places it next to the other two, filling up the center of the square.

Eva Zinzun: Okay? Is this our foundation now?

On screen: Eva touches the outside of the square, situating the blocks together. In the next scene, Eva kneels next to the square. Rectangular-shaped blocks, standing on the long side, were placed around the outside of the small wooden blocks. Inside the square are several small, rectangular-shaped blocks lined up side-by-side on top of the three rectangular-shaped blocks that fill the center.

Eva Zinzun: Should we make the structure taller by making it go up? Should we make it ...

On screen: Eva holds their hands over the structure, palms facing each other, and lifts them up. Eva talks while the video plays.

Eva Zinzun: We did talk about height, how tall can it be. We compared the sizes of the shapes of the blocks that we're using. There were some smaller, rectangular blocks, longer ones. So definitely, we had incorporated measurements and sizes in there, the spatial relationships.

On screen: Eva continues gesturing with their hands out, palms facing each other, and hands lifting up. Mika adds a small rectangle block to the row of rectangle blocks in the center of the square. Another child, sitting next to Eva, holds a toy person. The child holds the toy out, using it to point to the far side of the square.

Eva Zinzun: Mika's getting more blocks, so we can add, make a wall, and then the roof.

On screen: Eva is still seated at the square. Two children are next to her. Mika is across from her. Another child is to the left of Mika. Mika reaches out to place another block on the square.

Text on screen: A special thanks to the children, families, and staff of the Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools' Lighthouse for Children Child Development Center without whose help these videos would not have been possible.

Logo: Count, play, explore – for early education.