Brio Trains

One of my go-to set-ups for the patio area or the outdoor stages during the first weeks of a new school session is a Brio train and track set-up.

Trains, in my experience, are a comfortable and familiar toy for many children, especially the boys.  As we all know, helping a child become engaged with materials helps in the process of separating from their parent or caregiver.  

I have seen trains to be very helpful in engaging a child and keeping their attention, facilitating a smooth separation.

Trains are also very open-ended, allowing younger children and older children to engage with them at the same time and in different ways, relative to each child's development.  Some children enjoy building and modifying track systems, while others are content to connect and drive trains.

New Outlast Blocks

We are extremely blessed in terms of the resources we have available to us at my school.  One such blessing comes in the form of these wonderful Outlast blocks from Community Playthings for building large structures outside.

These are different from our other hollow blocks in that they actually have interlocking pieces, making the learning curve a little steeper, but the possibilities greater also.

We make these available nearly every day in our Redwood Grove or Back-40 area, often with a provocation like this set up at the beginning of the session.