#Infant Ruler Baby Measuring Math

[merry-tes]

Technology and Engineering

"Station #2" Photo Credit: Marites A.

"Station #2" Photo Credit: Marites A.

"Station #2" Photo Credit: Marites A.

"Station #2" Photo Credit: Marites A.

Children provide opportunities to gain and develop cognitive skills when playing. Play with blocks is a simple yet essential tool for learning for children. From babies holding blocks in their fists and banging them together to their ability to stack them as they grow and develop, blocks are essential for a child's learning.

According to Iowa Regent's Center for Early Developmental Education (n.d.)

As toddlers develop muscle control, they learn to stack and line up the blocks. They reveal their developing cognitive skills as they attempt to build basic structures by combining the blocks. At around eighteen months, toddlers begin displaying their creativity and imagination by holding two coloured window blocks in front of their eyes and looking through them to suggest glasses. Adults can support the development of children ages twelve to twenty-four months by imitating what they do and then adding subtle variations to invite further explorations (paras. 3).

It also mentioned that as the child develops playing with blocks, they are more able to understand each block's complexity and that they can contrast and compare them, and this leads to them being able to build and construct more complex structures, which are the fundamentals of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Furthermore, Suh et al. (2019) add that when children play with blocks, they can recognize basic features such as size, shape, pattern and symmetry, which further develops to them learning spatial relations skills by rotating and aligning and rotating the blocks. Aside from these benefits, children's ability to index spatial skills and anticipate later STEM performance by introducing activities such as copying structures with block use.

During our experience in the workshop, it is a challenge for us to use only blocks to create what's in the photo, like making a staircase. I can connect the engineering step with it because we test if it's going to work using blocks only, we do some designing, and we try to solve by using 36 pieces of blocks to build a structure. After we built it, we measured our design's height using a ruler and tape. Also, we make sure that each of us shares any solution with others.

Playing with blocks is fun and provides a learning experience for children as it allows them to explore and play with them.

References:

IOWA Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education. (n.d). Infants and Toddlers Block Play: STEM in the Blocks Center. The University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved February 08, 2023, From https://regentsctr.uni.edu/sites/default/files/activitySheets/infants_and_toddlers_block_play_activity_sheet_final.pdf

Neff, M. (2019). Blocks: So much more than building. Michigan State University. Retrieved February 08, 2023, From https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/blocks_so_much_more_than_building

Suh, D. D., Liang, E., Ng, F. F.-Y., & Tamis-LeMonda, C. S. (2019). Children’s Block-Building Skills and Mother-Child Block-Building Interactions Across Four U.S. Ethnic Groups. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1626–1626. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01626

[alkestrijaya]

[anistarrose]

Stan and Ford Vs. The Future - Chapter 3

Summary: Tensions rise between the young and old twins as they’re tried for their time travel crimes, but Stan has a plan to fix everything.

Warnings: none this chapter

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/17353937/chapters/53190085

…Well, that sure was quite a hiatus, wasn’t it? Oops! Let’s just not think about that too much and hop right back into the story. (Or reread the previous chapters either on AO3 or in my “safvtf au” tag on Tumblr, because I can see why a refresher might be useful.)

But anyways, this is for @stanuary Week 3: AU!

***

Stan’s hands are cuffed in front of him, and he stays close by Ford’s side as they’re marched into the arena with time cops flanking them. Their older selves lag behind at the end of the procession, refusing to make eye contact with each other, and young Stan’s not sure if that makes him feel better or worse than the glares the elder twins were exchanging earlier.

Their expressions are hard to read. The older Ford looks like he can’t make up his mind between feeling furious and feeling guilty, and the older Stan looks like he’s concentrating extremely hard on not letting his emotions show on his face at all.

At least the younger Ford, for his part, seems less and less upset by the minute. He’s staring at the matches ongoing in the arena with starry eyes, not so much captivated by the violence itself as much as the holographic weapons and alien monsters that the combatants are doing battle with. (And Stan has to admit, the laser guns do look pretty cool.)

“Halt, time criminals!” one of the time cops barks as they approach the stands. The older Ford is so lost in thought that he keeps walking and nearly bumps into young Stan in front of him, but the time cop sticks out a baton to stop him. “You will now await trial!”

“We’re awaiting trial, but we’re already criminals?” the younger Ford asks, and the older Ford snaps back to awareness, giving his young self an approving nod. “What happened until innocent until proven guilty?”

“You’re guilty until proven innocent in the future times!” another cop shouts with inexplicable enthusiasm. “There are also wars raging, species going extinct every day, and powerful politicians committing crimes without facing any significant consequences! Isn’t it fantastic?”

“So, what year is it now?” the younger Stan asks. “Wait, no, lemme guess. 2020?”

“You couldn’t be more wrong — it’s 207̃012! We’re approaching the bisñentennial anniversary of our supreme overlord Time Baby’s ascension to the high chair!”

The older Ford sighs. “I was never especially optimistic about the state of the justice system in the future, but this is worse than I’d feared.”

“I feel like we really glossed over that ‘supreme overlord Time Baby’ thing,” the older Stan says. “What the hell is a Time Baby?”

The audience begins to roar with excitement, and a column of neon purple light illuminates in front of them. A massive silhouette materializes within, and as the light fades, the figure becomes visible — a colossal infant with a glowing green hourglass symbol on his head, floating in a metallic seat equipped with proportionally sized teething toys.

“That, I’m assuming, is a Time Baby,” says the older Ford.

Older Stan groans. “Gee, you REALLY THINK SO?! I sure am glad I have my GENIUS BROTHER here with me, ‘cause I don’t know how dumb ol’ Stanley EVER woulda figured that one out for himself!!”

Young Ford scoots a little closer to his brother — the one his age, not the one he barely recognizes. Still clinging to optimism, he whispers: “Maybe that big baby will help us fix whatever got messed up in the timeline to make us turn out like this?”

“Maybe,” Stan whispers back. “But I wouldn’t count on it.”

Time Baby burps, drenching several dozen unfortunate audience members, and fixes his eyes on the younger twins.

“YOU TWO ARE ANOMALIES DISTORTING THE TIMELINE AND THREATENING TO UPSET YOUR CORRECT FUTURES,” he booms. “MY RULING IS AS FOLLOWS: YOUR MINDS WILL BE WIPED AND YOU WILL BE SENT BACK TO YOUR CORRECT CENTURY. THEN, WITH NO MEMORY OF THESE EVENTS, YOU WILL FOLLOW THE PRE-EXISTING TIME STREAM TO BECOME THE FUTURE SELVES STANDING BEHIND YOU TODAY.”

Time Baby doesn’t say so, but all young Stan hears is you’ll become a person who wants nothing to do with your brother.

The older Stan gestures between himself and the older Ford. “But hey, at least we’ll be free to go, right?” he asks in a tone that suggests he knows it won’t be that simple.

“OF COURSE NOT. WE CAN IMPRISON THE TWO OF YOU —” Time Baby points at the older twins, “— WITHOUT CREATING A PARADOX, SO YOU WILL SERVE PENANCE FOR YOUR CRIMES BOTH PAST AND PRESENT! SPECIFICALLY —”

He begins to count one by one using his fingers. “ONE — TWO — THREE — FOUR — FIVE LIFE SENTENCES EACH!”

“But that’s not fair!” young Stan shouts. “We weren’t trying to cause any paradoxes, I swear! You think — you think I wanted to come to the future and see me and my brother shouting about how much we hate each other? You think I wanted to know that’s all I have waiting for me when I grow up?”

“Stanley…” the older Ford interrupts, but young Stan ignores him.

“I hate this future! I never would’ve come here if I knew what I was doing!” He’s getting a little teary-eyed, and he hopes he can blame it on the arena’s bright neon lights if anyone asks.

“And if I didn’t have to grow up,” he adds softly, “I never would.”

“It’s going to be okay, Stan,” young Ford whispers. Still constrained by handcuffs, he awkwardly rummages through his pockets. “Look, I have an idea…”

He manages to retrieve the broken time tape, the source of all their troubles, and holds it as high as he can for Time Baby to see. “Look at this! We only got into this mess in the first place because we unintentionally stumbled across this thing — and it’s got your hourglass symbol on it, just like tapes that the officers who arrested us wear!”

A hush falls over the arena, and Ford crosses his arms as best he can in the handcuffs, smiling smugly. “Esteemed Supreme Ruler Time Baby, if your incompetent employees hadn’t lost this tape where two innocent, oblivious twelve-year-old kids could find it, none of this would’ve happened. So why don’t you throw them in jail instead of us? And maybe also erase their memories instead of ours, just for good measure?”

A blue-green tractor beam extends from the hourglass on Time Baby’s forehead, levitating the time tape out of Ford’s hands and into the air. The portrait of an officer is holographically displayed, depicting him wearing goggles and smiling uncomfortably.

“BLENDIN BLENJAMIN BLANDIN, OWNER OF THIS TAPE, WILL BE DISCHARGED FROM DUTY,” Time Baby announces. “BUT MY RULING FOR THE FOUR OF YOU STILL STANDS. NOW STOP WITH THESE APPEALS SO I CAN GET TO MY NAP, OR I MIGHT GET VERY CRANKY.”

“What?” young Ford cries. “How can you say that? Stan meant what he said — we didn’t know we were messing with a time machine! We only —”

“What about trial by combat?” old Ford interrupts, prompting his fellow prisoners to gasp as the audience chatters excitedly. “You do offer trial by combat here, correct?”

For the first time since his arrival, Time Baby smiles.

“Whoever invokes Globnar upon a competitor of their choosing shall not be denied!” one of the time cops recites. “The winner will be granted a Time Wish — the power to alter time free of paradoxes — and will also get to choose the loser’s fate!”

“It’s usually total erasure from existence via painful vaporization,” another cop chimes in.

“But be warned,” the first cop continues, “many games of Globnar have no winner at all because no one survives! The time trials will be fierce, thrilling, and often deadly! But you may select any opponent or opponents you desire from any moment in history, as long as you can explain why they’ve wronged you — so if you don’t fear complete existential obliteration, then have at it and name your challenger!”

Old Stan grabs his brother by the shoulders. “Are you seriously thinking about challenging our kid selves to a death match?”

“Obviously I wouldn’t be challenging the kids!” old Ford shoots back. “There are a million more strategically viable choices, for one thing —”

As the older twins continue to squabble, young Stan and young Ford exchange a look.

“Ford, do you trust me?” Stan asks.

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s the craziest idea you’ve ever had,” Ford replies. “But of course I trust you. I’d follow you to the end of time itself.”

“Then let’s do this.” Stan grabs Ford’s hand, and with his free arm, points to their older selves. “Hey, older me! Older Ford! We invoke Globnar on you!”

The audience goes wild with feral roars and deafening applause.

“What?!” old Stan gasped. “Why us? Why not Crampelter, or any of your math teachers? How have we wronged you?”

“By ruining my friendship with my brother, you jerk!” young Stan shouts back. “I’m not you, and I’m never gonna become anything like you, ‘cause when I get that Time Wish I’m gonna make sure my Ford and I never grow up!”

The older Ford stares at his young self in shock. “You can’t possibly be okay with this, can you, Stanford?”

Young Ford scowls. “You would’ve erased my mind, and set me down the same path as you took all those years ago! I don’t know what mistakes you made with your life, but you clearly messed up somewhere — and if not growing up means I won’t make those mistakes for myself, then you know what? I think I’m alright with that!”

The old Ford flinches. He opens his mouth to reply, but can’t put a single counterargument into words.

“ONE GLOBNAR IS INVOKED, IT CANNOT BE TAKEN BACK! ARGUING IS FUTILE!” Time Baby declares. “BOTH TEAMS WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE TO DISCUSS STRATEGY. THAT TIME STARTS NOW!”

***

The young and old twins are separated as walls out of the floor, surrounding each pair. The arena’s screen displays a countdown clock accurate to the microsecond, and the crowd claps and shouts in sync with the flashing numbers. Their intensity grows as the timer falls, and more and more people join in the chant.

“So, when we win that time wish, are you still gonna be singing the praises of memory erasing?” the old Stan asks, shouting in order to make himself heard over the roar of the crowd. “Or have you got a different plan?”

Slumping against one of the walls, Ford groans — or at least, Stan assumes from his expression that he’s groaning. The pregame cheering has grown deafening.

“I — look, I don’t know! Probably not, if we don’t have to worry about time paradoxes at all! I need to ask for more clarification about how that works — but right now, the both of us should be more concerned with making sure those kids don’t win eternal youth and possibly erase us from existence altogether!”

“You really think we’d do that?!”

“You saw yourself!” Ford shouts back, expression grim. “You hated our future!”

“I still hate what happened to the two of us,” Stan blurts out before he can stop himself, but Ford doesn’t seem to hear, cupping a hand to his ear and squinting at Stan in confusion.

Before Stan can decide whether it’s a blessing or a curse, the countdown reaches zero and a shrill alarm bell begins to ring. The walls retract back into the floor, everyone’s handcuffs shatter, and an eerie silence fills the stadium for just a second, though the spectators remain tense with anticipation.

Then, Time Baby breaks that silence and bellows:

“LET GLOBNAR BEGIN!”