Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Cup Stacking

The new obsession in our house is cup stacking. If you have never seen a cup stacking competition, look it up on YouTube and you will see elementary-junior high school aged children stacking and unstacking 12 cups into pyramids in record speed. I am not sure how the boys learned about this sport, but the past week has seen large pyramids, small pyramids, speed stacking, and strategic placement of cups. I have used the opportunity to discuss counting, prediction, subtracting, and the value of persistence. It is so fun when their natural curiosity leads them to learn new things and provides ways for me to scaffold onto their learning with solid curriculum skill building.

The kids' 17-year-old aunt has pulled her dusty 'official' cup stacking set out of storage and has it ready for us the next time we see her. Until then, no plastic or paper cup in our house is safe.

Mini Paper Cups - Counting, Subtraction, Balance, Fine Motor...and Feeling Proud!
Testing Different Theories, Discussing Results, Trying a Variety of Materials... and Friendship Building!
Testing Different Surfaces, Problem Solving (when others got too close), Persistence...and Hide-n-Seek!



What is the new 'thing' at your house? I would love to hear more ideas on how to use common household items to encourage math, creativity, and other skills.

Until next time...I hope all of your days feel balanced and stacked tall with inspiration!
Namaste~
Amber


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2 comments:

  1. Wow, I am so impressed! I've seen those videos, but I somehow never thought of translating it to our home. What a fun idea!

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    1. Thanks! It is so fun to follow their interests and see where it leads. They learn in a way that works for them and satisfies my need to attach a curricular area for my own piece of mind. Thank YOU for your blog and work...it has helped me along my parenting journey tremendously!

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