19th June International Cardboard Box Day

I know it's not the 19th June, but yesterday at school Year 2 were involved in a design and make day with other schools as well, using cardboard boxes. A few years ago Kindergarten did a unit of inquiry on Building and they too made things using cardboard boxes. Back then we used to 'flood' the classrooms with a bulk loan from the library to accompany their unit of inquiry, so I have built up quite a collection of books that feature cardboard boxes and building. Sadly, none of these made their way to Year 2 before they embarked on their activity. This made me look online to see if there was a day to celebrate cardboard boxes and there is, the 19th June! Next year the library will feature a box display in honour of this event!

I would use these books among others:

• The Cardboard Box Book  by Roger Priddy

• Out of the Box  by Jemma Westing

• What Can I Do With a Cardboard Box  by James Maclaine

• Boxitects by Kim Smith

• The Box Full of Wonders by Karl Newson

• What to do with a Box  by Jane Yolen

• Star Jumper by Frank Asch

• The Nowhere Box  by Sam Zuppardi

• Mabel and Sam at Home  by Linda Urban

• The Man Who Loved Boxes by Stephen Michael King

• Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

• Chistina Katerina and the Box  by Patricia Lee Gauch

• Big Box Little Box  by Caryl Hart

• A Box Can Be Many Things  by Dana Meachan Ray

• The Box Boy  by Mal Webster

• Mila and Ivy  by Katrina McKelvey

• Eggbox Dragon  by Richard Adams

7th August Play Day

In the UK 7th August is Play Day. It seems amazing that we need to encourage children to play, but we do.

The campaign recognises that:

• Children should feel welcomed where they live and feel part of their communities.
• Parents want their children to be able to play outside.
• Public space should be designed and managed with children's play in mind.
• Children and young people need to be involved in planning the places and spaces where they play.

Each year the campaign has a theme and this year it is Playful Places. With these aims in mind and because Kindergarten at school are currently doing a unit on 'building', I thought it would be good to collect together books that would help the students plan their own playgrounds.  Starting with the Oxfam book  Come and Play With Us which looks at children playing all over the world, students could list some of the things they think are important for play.

Next compare the type of play in Noella Young's  Keep Out or Tess Brady's Nobody's Granny and that in Playground Day by Jennifer Merz to look at how play has changed for children today from impromptu child-constructed outdoor games and cubby building to organised playgrounds. 

Lastly share books such as Let's Build a Playground by Michael J. Rosen or  My Dream Playgound by Kate Becker and Jed Henry to encourage some student designing of their own. Perhaps part of this could also include an evaluation of an existing playground they use!