Today, five children worked together in the outdoor Building Area.  The structure started out flat.  But eventually they started to stack blocks on top of each other.  Although they work together, when we asked them what they built, each child had a different answer. It was a “sidewalk”, a “house”, a “bed”, a “wall” and a “really big house.”  Larger construction materials require children to use their large muscle groups.  They learn to bend, lift, tote, squat, reach, and stretch.  They learn coordination, using their arms and legs in tandem to accomplish a task.  Most importantly, they learn to follow safety guidelines because blocks that fall can hurt.  These are called hollow wooden blocks.  They are durable, noisy, comparatively expensive, and heavier.  Young children tend to build structures that they can get into and stand or sit on.