The Twiga Foundation

By Harriet Shaklee, Diane Demarest, Patti O’Hara and Janica Hardin, University of Idaho
Presented to the Annual Meeting of the National Conference on Family Relations
San Francisco, November 14, 2009

Recent concerns about global competitiveness have led to state initiatives to strengthen math and science skills, with a focus on the junior high and high school years. However, research suggests that children’s early experiences play an enormous role in the development of their understanding of mathematics.  Between birth and five years of age, children develop mathematical concepts of space, shape, size, pattern, number, and operations (Ginsburg, Lee & Boyd, 2008). Young children’s emerging math concepts serve as a foundation for their later cognitive development, and can predict later school success from the elementary through the high school years (Duncan, et al., 2007).

Play is a natural learning lab for young children where they can work out math ideas such counting, equality, addition and subtraction, planning, patterns, classification, volume and area, and measurement.  Informal concepts such as these provide the foundation for later formal math learning (Bergen, 2009).

Parents and teachers help young children learn by offering materials that promote construction of math concepts. Research shows that block play provides a particularly rich learning context for children (Cohen & Uhry, 2007; Hanlin, Milton & Phelps, 2001; Newburger & Vaughan, 2006; Sarama & Clements 2009).  Longitudinal evidence shows a link between block play and later math competence – that is, early block play predicts math interest and competence in junior high and high school, when the concepts get more complex and difficult to master. Even when IQ and gender were controlled, preschool block performance still accounted for significant variance in later math performance (Wolfgang, Stannard & Jones, 2001).

Block play also provides a natural context for exploration of the physical world as children experiment with structures and observe the outcomes of their building efforts.  Through this process they learn elementary concepts of physics such as mass, weight, proportionality and balance, and can use their new ideas to plan and predict outcomes.

Block play supports other aspects of development as well, including language as children talk about their structures with others.  Blocks also provide opportunities for social development as children build and share with others, and challenge children cognitively as they focus and solve problems as they build. 

The University of Idaho Extension developed a traveling interactive exhibit called Block Fest to bring this message of early math and science learning to parents of young children (8 months to 8 years) in communities of all sizes. Block Fest is a hands-on block building extravaganza incorporating 5 building stations, each featuring a different kind of blocks. A station with large cardboard blocks allows children to experiment with the architecture of big structures and enclosures, while the large geometrically shaped blocks at the foam block station pose challenges of balance, symmetry and shape.  One station features colored cubes with pattern cards for children to match as they build shapes with color patterns, while the unit block station invites exploration of proportional relations among blocks.  The final station has Keva blocks, uniformly shaped building planks that can be stacked into structures of all sizes and shapes. 

Children and their parents move through the stations over a one hour period. At each station, children enjoy block building while family adults learn about block play and ways to support their children’s math and science exploration.  Information about emergent math and science is available at each block station, and lessons are reinforced through the research-based take-home book we developed for parents, Playing and Learning with Blocks.

Since Block Fest was first launched in Idaho in 2006, we have reached over 8000 children, parents, and other family adults in 50 Block Fest events throughout the state, involving over 300 volunteers and staff members. Block Fest regularly fills to capacity when it comes to a community, with parents – both Moms and Dads – enthusiastically learning with their children. Results reported here represent outcomes at two large Block Fest events in Boise, ID, with 316 adults and 308 children in 2006, and 371 adults and 505 children in 2007.  Block Fest procedures and recruitment methods were comparable at the two events. 

Block Fest was designed to introduce parents to information about emergent math and science for their young children, and ways that they can support that learning. Parent learning at Block Fest was assessed immediately after the event, with a follow-up assessment three months later.

Parents and Children Learn at Block Fest

Parent learning:  After the Block Fest activities, parents to used a 7 point scale to rate their agreement with three statements about what they learned at Block Fest (-3 = strongly disagree, 0 = neutral, +3 = strongly agree). Ratings of +2 and +3 were combined as statement agreement, while -2 and -3 were taken as disagreement. Adults agreed that they could see how their children learned through block building at Block Fest (76%) and that they learned ways to support early math and science learning for their children (66%).  Participants also agreed that they learned how block building helps children learn early math and science ideas (76%).  69% of participants identified an idea from Block Fest that they will use with their children at home. These results show that Block Fest was an effective learning environment for parents. However, the Block Fest experience may be best described in the participants’ own words – see Table 1.

Table 1:  Selected parent comments about Block Fest 

Adults Learning

• It was an amazing exciting experience for myself as well as my children.
• What a great way to get down on the floor and see the world they do and build something amazing at the same time.
• It was fun for us as parents to see her “get” a certain concept and it was exciting for her.
• It was a great way to experience some of the learning a child works on every day!
• Learned new ways to help our child with math skills – not something I would associate with regular block play.

Exploration and Creativity

• Creative juices flow at Block Fest!
• This was a great and fun way for children to explore and problem solve through play.
• It has been great to see how creative the children are! They have a natural ability to build sturdy structures.
• It always amazes me how creative children are when they are given an opportunity to build.
• My child focused all the time. He was innovative.

Cognition and Problem solving

• Children loved it – stayed focused entire time.
• Go and let your child have fun while they develop their brains; and bring your camera!
• See how much fun the kids have – and how much they can learn from playing with blocks.
• Experience a fun time that inspires enthusiastic, truly interested kids.
• My child built from a plan.

Math and Science Learning

• Great way to encourage math and science at an early age. 
• A great opportunity to learn and play with kids. Blocks really do set the stage for school learning. 
• Block Fest is a good way for children to learn about creative play and working with others about science and a bit of math.
• My child created the patterns with an expertise unknown before.
• Color matching and shape recognition skills were enhanced as a result of the wide range of blocks used. Fantastic!

Enthusiastic children

• My five year old attended Block Fest last year too and he was waiting for this event all year long.
• The kids had a blast!
• I was surprised at how some very young toddlers were completely engaged.
• My children said spontaneously “This is the best place you’ve ever taken us!”
• See how much fun the kids have – and how much they can learn from playing with blocks!

Parent observations of children’s learning:  At the conclusion of Block Fest in 2007 parents reviewed 25 descriptors and circled those that characterize the behaviors of one of the children they brought to Block Fest. The behavioral descriptors represented one of five developmental categories including language, social development, science, math, and cognition.  Parents were asked to identify the age of the child they were describing.  The descriptors representing each behavioral domain were: 

• Language:  describing, asking, naming, listening, pretending
• Cognition:  focusing, thinking, problem solving, wondering, being creative
• Social:  sharing, watching others, building with others, planning together, taking turns
• Science: comparing, predicting, experimenting, balancing, observing outcomes
• Math: estimating, sorting, counting, adding, making patterns

175 respondents completed the parent observation survey (only one parent per family completed the form).  Individual descriptors were combined within behavioral domains, so that children with two or more behaviors circled within a category were tagged as showing that behavioral domain.  Table 2 shows the children in each age group described by 2 or more behaviors within each behavioral domain. 

Table 2:  Parents describe their children at Block Fest, 2007

Children with 2 or more behaviors observed per category:

                        Language       Cognition       Social              Science            Math               N

Age                 N         %              N         %            N         %           N         %            N         %

Under 3          9     20.4%       29   69.0%       28   66.7%       22   52.4%       13   30.9%       42

3’s                   17   41.4%       28   68.3%       27   65.8%       23   56.1%       24   58.5%           41

4’s                   20   52.6%       27   71.0%       27   71.0%       29   76.3%       25   65.8%       38

5+                    16   29.6%       43   79.6%       36   66.7%       41   75.9%       35   64.8%       54

As the table shows, parents were especially likely to report seeing social, science, math, and cognitive behaviors as their children engaged in the Block Fest activities, with language the least commonly observed category of behavior. Comparisons show that observed behaviors increased with age for language ( 12×2′> (3) = 9.96, p<.025), science ( 12×2′> (3) = 9.39, p<.025), and math ( 12×2′> (3) = 13.92, p<.01). Social behaviors were reported at a constantly high level across age, while observed language behaviors were low across age.  Age differences were not significant for either domain ( 12×2′> (3) = 2.03, p>.10 for cognition; .39, p>.10 for social behavior)

These parent observations suggest that Block Fest was very successful indeed at engaging children in several important aspects of development.  Interactions among the children offered plenty of opportunity for social development, and active play with the block materials challenged the children cognitively.  The block play environment also provided a rich context to explore concepts in math and science.  Even many of the youngest children showed behaviors in these areas, but the level of engagement was even greater for the older children at the exhibit.  Block play is sometimes considered to be for preschoolers — not challenging enough once children enter school.  However, these results show that older children were very interested in Block Fest and found an engaging learning environment there.

Block Fest Learning Goes Home

Three months after Block Fest 2006, an email survey was sent to the 110 parents who provided e-mail addresses, with a 49% response rate. Those parents reported many follow-up activities to Block Fest.

Parents pursued more information: Nearly all respondents (96%) told someone else about Block Fest, and 78% talked with their child about their time at Block Fest.  Parents reported reading the parent handbook, Playing and Learning with Blocks, which they received at the event (83%).  Many respondents checked out the Block Fest website (40%) and 24% talked to their child’s preschool teacher or care giver about early math and blocks.  Only 17% inquired about Parents as Teachers, the Block Fest event host.

Block activities at home:  Since attending Block Fest, respondents have done many block related activities with their children at home, including getting out their blocks and making them more available (70%), playing blocks with their child (89%), building with objects instead of blocks (61%), purchasing blocks (31%), making blocks (13%), and looking for information on the internet about blocks (28%). 

Science and math at home: Parents said that they increased their math and science interactions with their children, using more math and science words (44%), seeing opportunities to talk about math and science ideas with their children (55%), and finding math and science in everyday activities (72%).

Parenting strategies: Parents took also took parenting lessons home from the ideas presented at Block Fest, with 46% of parents reporting that they’re using more open ended questions with their children, 36% encouraging their child to clean up in different ways, 54% playing on the floor more often with their child, and 50% describing their child’s play more rather than directing it. 

In summary, evaluation results show that Block Fest was a hit with the kids, and that parents saw their children engage in challenging cognitive and social activities, including math and science concepts and behavior.  Parents increased their understanding of early math and science learning at Block Fest, and became more aware of the math and science in everyday events.  Even 3 months after the event, Block Fest lessons were still strong in parents’ thoughts and in their activities at home with their children. 

Extending the Impact of Block Fest

Block Fest is an Extension program with a message for families about early math and science learning.  We have extended that outreach though a suite of interconnected events to increase program impact.  At the launch of Block Fest we raised visibility for our message by hosting a Block Fest Gala in the Idaho State Capitol featuring Governor and Mrs. Kempthorne (February 2006).  We also hosted Block Fest in the capitol building during the legislative session to increase understanding about early learning among our policy makers (February 2006 and 2007).  In addition, we developed a block building challenge for adults and youth, sponsored by area businesses, to spread our message about math/science learning further in the business and educational community (February 2006 and 2007). We have also reached over 300 educators and early childhood professionals with training on early math and science learning, enabling them to strengthen the learning environments for children in child care and school settings. Block Fest events have received generous coverage by television and newspapers in host communities.

Block Fest has been able to travel so extensively throughout the state through partnerships with community agencies and organizations.  In many cases, county Extension offices were central players, but even more frequently other family-serving programs hosted the event.  Parents as Teachers programs throughout the state were especially helpful in program outreach, and Block Fest served as a way to raise visibility for these parenting education programs.  At each site, Block Fest was launched through partnerships and coalitions. Youth groups have provided volunteers and made blocks to sell, Lions and other civic organizations have provided funding and food, Parents as Teachers programs have promoted the event and set it up, schools and churches have donated space for the event, child care and Head Start centers have helped spread the word to parents.  This strategy has strengthened relationships between Extension and family-serving agencies, schools, child care, and parenting programs throughout Idaho, extending the educational reach of the University of Idaho well beyond the capacity of our county offices.

Block Fest is designed to draw business sponsorship as a funding strategy.  The message of early math and science learning fits well with business concerns about workforce development, and sponsorship allows businesses to raise their visibility with area families. Block Fest has helped cement new partnerships between University of Idaho Extension and companies in science and technology, architecture and construction, and early learning, as well as other family-oriented Idaho companies. Business sponsorships have generated over $60,000 for Block Fest exhibit development and travel.

In sum, Block Fest has provided a platform for the University of Idaho Extension to bring a message of early math and science learning to parents and young children throughout Idaho.  Evaluation evidence shows strong program impact, with continuing effects on family behavior three months after the event.

References

Bergen, D.  (2009).  Play as the learning medium for future scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, American Journal of Play, 1(4), 413-428.

Cohen, L. & Uhry, J.  (2007).  Young children’s discourse during block play, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 21, 302-8.

Duncan, G., Dowsett, C., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A., Klebanov, P., Panani, L., Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., Duckworth, K., Japel, C.  (2007).   School readiness and later achievement.  Developmental Psychology, 43, 1428-46.

Ginsburg, H., Lee, J., & Boyd, J.  (2008). Mathematics education for young children: What it is and how to promote it.  Social Policy Report, 22, 1-23.

Hanlin, M.F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P.  (2001).   Young children’s block construction activities: Findings from three years of observation.  Journal of Early Intervention, 24(3), 341-355.

Newburger, A. & Vaughan, E.  (2006).  Teaching Numeracy, Language and Literacy with Blocks.  St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Sarama, J. & Clements, D. (2009).  Building blocks and cognitive building blocks, American Journal of Play, 1(3), 314-337.

Wolfgang, C., Stannard, L., & Jones, I.  (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of math achievement.  Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15(2), 173-81.