Recently the children have been getting bored of our regular puzzles so we added parquetry blocks to give the children a chance to challenge themselves.
The parquetry block set we have has coloured blocks in the shapes of triangles, squares and diamonds, as well as large cardboard squares with the patterns printed on. Some of the boards have the shapes filled in with colour, and some have white shapes. I love this because it gives the chance to either make it less complex by not having to match the colour to the shape on the board, or to make it more complex by having to think about which shape and colour will fit.
The puzzle table is usually our solo-play area but with the parquetry blocks added it became an area for group work as the parquetry blocks provided a challenge and the children worked together to complete the puzzles. Some of the puzzles were easier than others, and they worked together to complete the more intricate, complex puzzles.
Parquetry blocks get their name from the art of parquet, being the geometric mosaic of wood pieces for a decorative effect, usually used in flooring or veneer patterns on furniture.
We had similar blocks to these Justine. It can be very interesting to provide them to the children without the pattern cards and just let them go for it themselves ... We've seen some of the most beautiful geometric shapes and patterns being created that way too!
ReplyDeleteDonna :) :)