Copyrighted Material sand the sides of these strips to remove any burrs or splinters. 3. These strips should then be crosscut with the miter saw into the 2Y-inch lengths. They will need some light sanding, but not much if the saw blades are sharp. 4. This is a lot of blocks. Another good idea is to use them as gifts. A set of these blocks makes a wonderful birthday or holiday gift for young children, especially if they have played with them in your program. What’s Learned These blocks are great for working small- muscle skills and learning about cause-and- effect relationships, hand-eye coordination, and engineering. The children will also find all kinds of ways to integrate these blocks into their dramatic play. Other learning will take place with the variations below. Variations Build stuff with them; they’re blocks! 5. To use, simply make a row of upended blocks spaced an inch or two apart and topple it. The kids will quickly start building and toppling on their own. Grab a marker and add faces to a few blocks to create people. Storage Add them to the dramatic play area, where they will become money, food, and other necessary items in the worlds the kids create. Plastic milk crates are great for storing these blocks. Let the children decorate some of the blocks with markers. Activities—Learning Equipment to Build Copyrighted Material 195