keeping up with the times...

ANGRY BIRDS in my classroom?!?

I love kid's creativity!  I had blocks out on the carpet this week for one of my centres.  I don't give them any "instructions" other then to build something.  I don't want to put limits on their creativity and love to see what their minds come up with.  Some children (working in pairs), build one thing together and other build their own thing.
On Monday one of the students started building a "tower" and then another one a little bit further away.  He then had some coloured blocks and started throwing them to knock over the towers.  I do not prefer the students to throw things in the classroom (understandably) so I walked over from helping another student and asked him to stop throwing blocks please.  He said "I have to."  Obviously needing an explanation as to why he felt the NEED to throw, I asked the big question "Why?".  He answered "because I am playing angry birds!"  As I looked at what he had made, one of the structures looked like a level of the game and the one "tower" did resemble a sling shot.  He proceeded to show me his "pile" of angry birds.
I have come to a consistent realization that the Kindergarten classroom that I grew up in only slightly resembles the one that I teach in today.  Change is good, I just hope I can keep up ;)

a "level"

round blocks are "bomb birds" then the coloured ones are like the game (or so I was told)

the "slingshot"

And for those of you wondering, I did follow through with my "no throwing rule" and asked them to maybe roll the birds instead.  Needless to say it wasn't as "fun" but I believe we can make the most of any situation.  The students gave no complaints to the new rule, it just became a new challenge to overcome!