A “Marbelous” Toy Story

Griffen, Kyle & LukasBuild their own Marble-Works Maze

Definition of Play

Definitions for play can be widely varied and playfully elusive. A melding of definitions, with common themes, is sometimes more satisfying. Fromberg and Bergen (2006) write that play is both a “medium” and a “condition” for learning. They also say that “possibly the overriding attribute that is so gratifying and addictive about play is that it is intrinsically motivated, satisfying, and empowering. The experience of ‘flow’, an ‘optimal’ experience, is a compatible image “ (p. xviii). Researchers have found that younger children corroborate this definition. They see play as all activities that are voluntary, while required activities are labeled as work (Wiltz & Fein, 2006, p. 132).

The three boys that I observed truly fit these definitions. Marble Works was set out in the environment and these boys were both curious and excited to test out this new toy. Previously they have really enjoyed racing cars down tracks and creating their own ramps and buildings with blocks. This new toy had similarities and differences – and the boys were enthusiastic to learn more about it. Thus, this activity was both a “medium” and “condition” for new learning. Watching the marbles “race” down the chutes, turn wheels, swirl around dishes, and zigzag through pathways was gratifying and addictive. There were also puzzling aspects: why didn’t the marbles go on one of the ramps? With this question in mind, more marbles were dropped through the maze and the same result occurred. The boys were intrinsically motivated to discover the cause of the “empty ramp.” They explored the openings of the tubes and followed the course of the marbles. Eventually they found that it had to do with the construction of this pathway! When they discovered that they could create their own Marble Works structure they were enthusiastic and very motivated. Starting from the bottom up they began building and testing. Their construction project continued to grow – and with each step they appeared more satisfied and empowered. Time seemed irrelevant and the boys seemed unaware of other activities going on around them, during the “flow” of this play.

The day we brought Marble Works into the preschool, Griffen, Lukas and Kyle were all very interested! Each of them would drop a marble down the top opening and watch carefully to see where it came out. The three boys dropped many marbles down the top tube and they began to understand the path that the marbles would travel. First the marble came out of the red tube and swirled around and around the red “dish” – kind of like water going down a drain. Then it went down the red dish and came out of the yellow tube. As it rolled down the yellow ramp, the marble made the blue wheel turn. There was one place, though, that the marble didn’t travel. It was on the straight green ramp. Griffen saw an opening where the marble could come out. But for some reason the marble skipped the straight ramp and came out on the lower green ramp that was squiggly like a snake.

The boys kept investigating and they learned some things. After the marble made the blue wheel turn, the marble went around the yellow slide and dropped down the yellow chute. On this side of the Marble Works there was no opening until the squiggly green ramp. The boys were figuring this out!

Then Lukas found a blue piece of the Marble Works that was not connected to anything. He investigated both of the openings on the ramp. One side had a closed end; it stopped the marble and made it go down the blue ramp. The other side was an open tube for the marble to drop down onto another ramp.

When Kyle, Griffen and Lukas all realized that they could build their own Marble Works they took apart the first one and started building their own! First they had to put the base pieces on the bottom. The base pieces were flat and wide on the bottom. They made the Marble Works stable, so that it didn’t fall down. These pieces were also shaped like a dish on the inside and they held the marbles when they landed at the bottom. After they found the base pieces, then they started adding connectors and ramps. The boys all worked together and as they added ramps they would drop the marble in and see where it went.

The Marble Works structure got taller and taller – and this time the marbles went on every ramp!

Nick was interested too. He enjoyed putting marbles in the structure, and watching the three boys build.

The boys kept building and pretty soon it was as tall as Griffen could reach! The red piece was only connected on one side, but it didn’t matter because the marble could only go down on the dish side.  When a teacher got a stool for Griffen to stand on, he could see the top.  

Then Kyle and Griffen decided to add the green squiggly ramp. Now the structure was really tall! Even when the boys stood on the stool it was higher than they could reach. Their teacher put their structure on the floor for them. Now they could keep building.

Adding this green squiggly ramp was a little more challenging. It was hard because there was nothing underneath one side of the red piece. The red ramp wasn’t as strong and stable as the other ramps.Also, when the ramp is only connected on one side, it can twist around. Griffen and Kyle had to make sure the ramps stayed lined up. If the ramp twisted out, it made the Marble Works unbalanced and it started to lean or tip over.

Then Kyle decided to add one more piece. He really concentrated and connected the top blue ramp onto both sides of the green ramp.

The Marble Works structure was finished. Kyle, Lukas and Griffen had all worked together and made their own creation. When Kyle dropped the marble in the top, it was exciting to watch it move down all of the different ramps!

Meaning and Significance of this PlayGriffen, Kyle and Lukas are four year old boys who enjoy constructive play. In this

activity they worked cooperatively and collaboratively to build a simple working system, which is cognitively more demanding than the “construction of most static objects” (Forman, 2006, p. 104). Marble Works is a simple system which requires thinking about patterns of direction, spatial configuration, sequence, and attached and moving parts. The boys approached this project with a playful attitude as they experimented with parts of the system. They rearranged pieces and invented new sequences. None of the boys seemed concerned about a “finished” project; instead they were involved in the process. This type of play will be helpful in goal direction later (Forman, 2006). With each new piece that was added, there was a “What if?” attitude. Then as they tested each new development, by dropping a marble in and watching it sequence through, they saw the effect of their additions and modifications. Through their play they demonstrated a spirit of inquiry, curiosity and investigation which is at the heart of scientific endeavor (Wolfe, Cummins & Myers, 2006, p. 200-201). In this play, the boys were using classification to distinguish between open-ended tubes, base pieces, connectors and ramps; this is how physical and logico-mathematical knowledge develop (Kamii & Kato, 2006, p. 191). At times, teacher suggestions or questions (such as: What needs to be at the bottom of your Marble Works to make it stand up?) scaffolded them in this first time construction of a marble sequence. Most of the time they were able to assist each other and cooperatively accomplish something they may not have been able to do independently. New skills appear to be emerging at the upper level of Vygotsky’s ZPD (Bodrova & Leong, 2006, p. 168). Throughout this activity there was an optimal balance of problem-solving in their play, which made it challenging and rewarding emotionally and cognitively. Additionally, they worked together and contributed individually which was socially and personally satisfying.

Piaget instructs us that “logico-mathematical knowledge develops when children think to solve their own problems and to answer their own questions” (Kamii & Kato, 2006, p. 190). This sequential, cause and effect activity is contributing to physical knowledge. The boys “acted on” the marble pathway, mentally (with questions and experiments) and physically (by taking the marble pathway apart and rebuilding it anew). Their actions were for the purpose of: 1) seeing what happens, and/or 2) producing a desired effect. This Marble Works activity used both physical and spatial knowledge, since the marble needed a tube with an opening to the ramp and it also needed to be dropped to the ramp in the correctly ordered sequence. If either of these aspects were missing in this systems relationship, the activity was less complete (the marble didn’t travel on that ramp) and less rewarding emotionally.

Using Margaret Carr’s domains of learning disposition it is possible to analyze this learning activity with three parts in each area: being ready, willing and able.Taking an interest: the boys were all interested, curious, willing to participate andinvestigate this new activity. They were willing to ask

questions aloud, cooperate, listen to each other and receive input from a teacher. They were also able to pursue the answer to their question of why the marble(s) did not travel on one ramp, which meant taking apart the marble works and building a new pathway, using information gained from inquiry, observations and others.

Being Involved: Each boy was involved in this activity. All put marbles into the pathway and observed the sequence; all helped to investigate the reason why no marbles went on the green ramp. Lukas was most active in exploring how an individual ramp worked and Griffen was most active in building the marble structure higher. Kyle was an observant and active participant with his words, comments and actions. None of these three boys was passive in their involvement or interest. Each was able to be involved in his area of interest and no one dominated the activity. Kyle and Griffen were able to remain focused for the longest period.

Persisting with Difficulty: Griffen and Kyle were most interested in why the green ramp did not have marbles traveling on it (whereas Lukas was not as concerned). Griffen and Kyle persisted with watching the marbles and investigating the paths and the tubes the marbles traveled in. Together they looked at the whole system. Lukas began exploring the individual blue ramp and

understanding how the individual piece worked. Kyle and Griffen were willing and able to work with a structure that was less stable, but accomplished more complexity. Each of the individual investigations contributed to the whole group’s understanding of the problem.Expressing an idea or feeling: Each boy expressed their enthusiasm, their questions and their ideas. They stayed engaged to see their own

marble works creation succeed with marbles traveling on each ramp. The “language” of construction was used to express logico-mathematical ideas.

Taking responsibility: Griffen, Kyle and Lukas responded to the new activity and its challenges, in a cooperative project. They listened to one another’s thoughts and ideas and contributed their own ideas.. “There are two types of constructivism: Piaget’s individual or cognitive constructivism and Vygotsky’s social cognitive constructivism” (Powell & Kalina, 2009, p. 8). Each boy appeared to be willing to take responsibility for both types of learning. Kyle and Griffen were most able to sustain interest and to make use of social cognitive constructivism.

Using the California Preschool Learning Foundations, it is possible to analyze this play activity in the following way. In the area of Social-Emotional learning the boys demonstrate that they view themselves positively, enjoy demonstrating their abilities, and assert their preferences and desires. They all exhibit self-regulation in this activity, listening to one another and appropriately asserting their ideas without dominating the activity. They also demonstrate initiative in learning and confidence in their abilities to make new discoveries. In the area of Social Interaction they interacted easily with each other (their peers) in ways that frequently became a cooperative effort.

In the area of Language and Literacy they used both skills of listening and speaking. Their language skills enable them to communicate their thoughts, ideas and emotions to children and adults. In the area of Mathematics these boys demonstrated that they are able to sort and classify objects by attributes with increasing accuracy (i.e. ramps, base foundations, tubes with closed and open passages). They are also beginning to recognize simple repeating patterns in a sequential system, and attempted (successfully) to create their own repeating pattern in their new marble pathway. They also exhibited their developing knowledge of positions in space (i.e. in/on/under; inside/outside). Lastly, they demonstrated their ability to begin to apply simple mathematical strategies to solve problems in their environment (i.e. by reconfiguring the marble pathway).

Opportunities and Possibilities

There are two areas in the Language and Literacy portion of the Preschool Foundations where the boys’ play could be expanded upon: 1) Using language to construct short narratives that are real; 2) Understanding and using simple words that describe the relations between objects. In the Learning Story I seek to use vocabulary that will describe and define new cognitive concepts that are being developed. In the future it would be possible to take pictures of new constructions and have the boys dictate their own story.

In a follow-up activity I will seek to build on the interests, ideas, and concepts learned in the Marble Works activity. All three boys really enjoy construction projects that have “cause and effect” action. I will provide the boys with large wooden ramps, tubes, baskets and boxes, along with Ping-Pong balls so that they can build a larger model of Marble Works. This project will have more challenges (no defined connector pieces or base pieces, and no ramps with a built-in downward slope). It will also have more possibilities (the ball could travel greater distances, on steeper slopes, and have more variety in its construction).

In the future I would like to try an idea that was in one of our readings, “Developmentally Appropriate Play”, by Gaye Gronlund (2010). On pages 156-157 the author describes a learning activity with blocks, ramps and friction. The classroom teacher, Jeff, introduces a challenge of changing the surface of the ramps that have been built and posing the question, “I wonder if that will change how far and fast things roll down your ramps?” (p. 156). The teacher had the children make predictions about whether the surface would cause the blocks and cars to roll faster or slower. The children also kept a chart recording their finding. I believe Griffen, Kyle and Lukas (and other children in the class) would enjoy this challenge.

Pictures from the Follow-Up Activity

Other Children Get Involved