Going through or round a boundary

Going through a boundary schema - causing oneself or some material to go through a boundary and emerge at the other side, (Arnold 2010)

A child following a fascination with things or oneself that goes through a boundary may enjoy:

• Threading Activities
• Tying Knots
• Crawling through a tunnel
• Tying items up
• Watching water or sand run through holes (plant pots/ colander)



This two year old is not interested in the water wheel spinning or in the  trajectory of the water pouring out of the cup. She is fascinated and watching the water as it passes through the boundary of the water wheel and emerges out of the other side.

Children interested in items going through boundaries will enjoy:

• Marble runs
• Circle Games
• Tunnels
• String/Rope
• Going through doorways and into another room
• Going through one area of space into another
• Watching water go through the boundary of the sink hole
• Watching water going thorugh pipes and coming out the other side.
• Watching trains go though tunnels.
• Lentils through the holes of a colander or funnel



This boy watches again and again a tube passing through a bridge

Looking through a boundary

Children love to go through the boundary of a tunnel

Athey makes a link between this schema, and some of the others she observed: 'the schemas going through, enveloping, containing and going round were closely related and it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between them', (Athey 1990:153).

This child shows an interest in placing rings over the top of  a post thus allowing the post to 'go through the boundary' of the ring.