Cardboard Connections: A Case for Playing with Materials
When students are given pattern blocks, Cuisenaire rods, or algebra tiles, their first instinct is to play. This is especially true in intermediate where it might have been a few years since they held the coloured blocks in their hands.
Please let the kids have this time to play and explore the materials. Build a school block in for exploration before you start using materials for math or art. Challenge students to find math they can represent with the materials…or make the most beautiful pattern they can explain. The kids will do things you cannot even imagine. They will find new ways to move the materials and represent different aspects of numeracy. They will have fun.
Possible Way to Set Expectations for Materials
Yes, hands-on materials are engaging and kinesthetic. Yes, they are a fantastic way to take abstract ideas and make them concrete. Yes, they are playful and joyful. And yet, manipulatives or recycled materials can become tools with co-constructed rules and understanding.
Once your students have had a chance to play with the materials, you will be able to work with them to construct expectations. Start by collecting on sticky notes or through a group brainstorm (on tables or everyone with whiteboard markers) a list of ways these materials can be used. After the group brainstorm, marvel at the ways they materials can be used.
The next step is to create expectations for using these materials as learning tools. Give each table group a whiteboard marker and have them brainstorm on their tables what they think would be important expectations for using these materials as learning tools. Hand out a sticky note to each table as they are brainstorming. Challenge the group to identify the two most important rules and write them on the sticky note to hand-in.
Invite each table group to share their top expectation (you might have repeats—that is great because it shows your class it is an important expectation). Have the class vote on which expectation they think is the most important. Use the top three as your class expectations.
If you do this entire process once, you can skip the creation of criteria for the next manipulative. Do not skip the playtime though or the list of ways you can use it. This is a fun activity and helps the kids explore what they can do. Instead of creating criteria again, look at the rules you created and decide if a special expectation needs to be added. Chances are your top three will hold up and reviewing them will help reinforce class expectations.
Possible Expectations
Focus on the task
Use the materials safely
Clean up all materials when you are done
Mrs. Salter’s Arcade
My class is about to start Mrs. Salter’s Arcade. For this two-and-a-half-week activity, my students will be building a functional arcade game out of recycled materials. We will invite other classes and parents into the room to play the games. This activity was inspired by Caine’s Arcade and is the capstone on a simple machines unit. The students can work independently, in pairs, or in groups of three to build their games. This year will be the third time I run it, and I adjust my lessons a bit this year. Yesterday, I added in a cardboard connection lesson, and I am so glad. It helped the kids learn how to connect and cut carboard with very little glue or tape, which means the projects will be stronger and more environmentally friendly. If people are interested, I will do a full Mrs. Salter’s Arcade post.
Video of the cardboard connectors we introduced to my students.
Cardboard Connection Exploration: Playing with Cardboard in a low-stakes environment
The goal of our exploration was learning how to connect cardboard with less glue and tape. Learning this skill will allow my students to be less wasteful and more successful when they start their arcade games later this week. My amazing librarian already had made a connector cheat sheet, and I had the cardboard. We had the kids complete two challenges in groups of three. The room was filled with laughter and joy as the kids played with materials to learn an important skill.
Challenge 1: Create at least two connections
After introducing the different types of connections, we handed out the materials and let the kids work for about 15 minutes. Most groups made three different connections. The most popular were triangle support, tab in slot, and tabs.
The room was a frantic buzz of work as the students raced against the clock to work together and build functional connections. The students showed off their work and the joy was palpable: this really worked!
The students could immediately see how using these strategies would allow them to build stronger and more functional arcade games. Some even told me how the different types of connectors would become part of the game mechanism.
Challenge 2: Use the Make Do products and cardboard to make something a member of your group can wear.
Make Do is a neat product. My son got a set for his birthday –he is five—and he loves using the set to build with cardboard. Make Do Kits have screws of different sizes, screw drivers, and cardboard saws. They allow kids to connect cardboard to build things. Many schools have kits in their maker space and our school has a few larger kits.
The room was again a flurry of cardboard and planning. The kids made shoes, hats, jewellery, and even a very uncomfortable mitten. It made for an amusing fashion show.
Download a copy of the lesson plan HERE
Final Thoughts
Playing is learning. Yes, my students played with cardboard—AND they learned so much. They learned how to conserve materials, work together, connect cardboard, and think creatively…Cardboard as clothing? Absolutely!
When you introduce a new material, give kids time to play. Let them explore and then set expectations for how to use the material as a tool—not a toy. For this activity, we discussed safety as a class and rules around conservation of materials. Letting kids play and co-construct expectations helps every child to be successful when the materials come out again and it also creates a powerful opportunity for student voice.
So, bring out the base 10 blocks, two-sided counters, and pattern blocks. Let them play and find joy in the materials. Then the kids will be ready to bring that joy into the math class to explore place value, patterning, and fractions.