Constructing 2D Shapes with Sticks - Outdoor Play

Ever since Minnie designed her heart nature sculpture, she's been wanting to create more shapes with large sticks outside, & requesting that I 'build' them for her to play in!

Yesterday she requested we create a heart, square & circle! 





I created half of each shape & Minnie helped create the remainder (which was a useful way to introduce symmetry) & we set them in a line with just a short distance between each one. As soon as we had completed them Minnie was running through the outlines & jumping through each 2D shape. Then she started to create a game which incorporated different movements within each of the shapes.


She suggested we could do star jumps (something she has just discovered!!) in the heart, run around the circle, & jump in the square, then run back to the start! 


I suggested she went first, & she eagerly told me what to do as she lept from shape to shape! "Your turn now Mummy!" she beamed, & off I went! Nothing like a preschooler inspired workout to start your day! 

I pretended that I had forgotten what the last action was & hopped around which had her in fits of giggles. "Nooooooo Mummy, you do it like this..." she then showed me how it should be done! Silly Mummy! ;-)

We played this game for about 20mins, with Minnie adding new actions as we went along. She loved adding 'sit down stand up' which had to be repeated 5 times, & a version of 'Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes'!! (May be she'll be a gym instructor when she's older?!)


Great to observe her creativity & imagination, as well as her physical control & coordination. 

I'd love to see what would happen if this was suggested to a group of children & observe their collective creativity.