Create a block area with different types of wooden unit blocks. Place blocks according to size in baskets and on bookshelves that are easy to access.
Allow plenty of time for children to handle and experiment with the unit blocks. Young children who are new to blocks need time to test them out. They will observe other children playing with the blocks, as well as the material itself.
Leave large block models alone once children have created them. Clean up is an important part of learning, but some block projects should be left and played with again. This allows for different problem solving; children can add blocks to the model, or all the children can participate in a specific model-building activity, such as constructing a block town.
Ask children to observe the interior of the classroom or the exterior of the school. Assign the children the task of building a model of it with the unit blocks. The children should use clipboards with paper and pencil or crayons to sketch out what they observe.
Bring the children to the block area to build models of what they observed. Children should problem solve on their own when trying to recreate the classroom or the school.
Pour water into a large tub for a sink-or-float activity. Gather toys and household items that will be used in this activity.
Create a large chart on which the children can to note their predictions of what toys and household items will sink or float. Ask the children if specific items will sink in the water or float in the water.
Test each item in the tub filled with water. On your chart, check off if the item sank or floated.
Discuss with the children why they think items sank or floated and talk about why or how they made their predictions. Ask the children if they know additional items that they think will sink or float in the water.