Vacuum Disassembly- "Just Playing?"

I've been offered a special opportunity to join in a weekly blog-hop with a handful of AMAZING bloggers. This blog-hop is entitled, "Just Playing?"

Here's how it works...

Each week, we will post photos of children engaged in play, BUT...

Are the children JUST playing? 

Your job is to look at the photos, consider what learning you see taking place in the photos, and comment on the post.  

THEN...follow the links to the other bloggers (at the bottom of the page here) who have also created a "Just Playing?" post and comment in their conversations as well!

This is a tremendous opportunity for parents and teachers to take a few minutes to discover how exactly this learning-through-play thing REALLY happens!

SO, without further adeu...

Vacuum Dismantling- "Just Playing?"

Our vacuum broke this winter, and we replaced it with a new vacuum. The man at the vacuum shop offered to keep the old one for recycling...to which we said no thank you. 

The children LOVED the opportunity to dismantle the old vacuum using various tools.

They used screwdrivers.

They used scissors.

The activity ran for a period of several days.

Children continued tinkering with any part they could on the old machine.

So we may be "just playing", but...

What are the children doing here?

What do you see?

What learning is taking place?

What skills are being practiced/developed?

Thank you for remembering that young children do not “just play.” Young children play. They develop through play. They learn through play. They experiment through play. They grow through play. A child’s work is play. Play is important!

Please take a moment to reflect upon the photos and questions above. I would love for you to share your observations in a comment. I’d also like to invite you to “hop” on over to all of the other bloggers who are sharing photos of children learning through play this week: