WEAVE recycling centre in Leamington Spa

I had the privilege of visiting the WEAVE recycling centre in Leamington Spa last week and came away both impressed and inspired (as well as armed with a decent sackful of open ended 'waste' materials to try out in my setting :-) ).

I attended a course on Creating and thinking critically. We were first shown a short PowerPoint to show the benefits of open-ended play with recycled materials and to detail exactly how well it fits in with the new elements of the EYFS framework. Then, after exploration of the materials at hand, we were asked to create an exciting and stimulating environment that would help children to ask questions and give them an opportunity to try out new ideas and ways of thinking...we had 45 minutes until 9 reception children (4-5year olds) arrived!!! We had great fun and it was interesting to see how different each of the environments were. The children were lovely and engaged well with the materials (mostly!) :-) it was fascinating to see how they approached the materials and they gained in confidence in a short space of time - it was the first time they had been in this environment. Lots of them experimented with fitting, overlapping and threading - a common recurring concerto throughout the group and something I would want to plan for next time if I were to meet them again....sadly I will not!! But I am exited to try these resources out with my own group...watch this space!!

Exploring Natural Materials Part 2

What a fab day! I put out tubs of natural materials and our mirror spots and left the children to explore. Last week, we were looking at patterns and it was lovely to see some pattern-like constructions emerging in their play. Their fine motor skills are improving daily and the children are spending more time engaged in these activities than 6 weeks ago. Even more importantly, they are having fun, learning to share and talking about their work as they go :-)

Exploring with natural materials Part 1

One day last week it was pouring with rain...a small group of children wanted to go outside but still wanted to carry on playing with the natural materials...
So we put out our trusty tuff spot, some chalk and little tubs of natural materials. One child had the idea to use the chalk to create a face, then fill it with 'natural' features. Lots of conversation ensued. See below for some of their examples of work :-)
We loved the way that the chalk showed up better because the tuff spot was so wet!

LIght box fun and story telling

I really like these glass nuggets - I got them at a discount store for very little money and the children haven’t stopped playing with them! I put them out next to the light box along with a basket of people. One of my EAL speakers then called me over to tell me the story of the people playing in the swimming pool at their party - great for confidence building and language development!

Inspiring small world play environments

We love making small world environments for the children to explore. The children love them even more, adding and changing them throughout the day (often coming up with much better ideas than us lol!)  :-D Here are a few individual ones we have made, all to fit in with our current topic, Under the sea!

I put out this invitation to play this morning and the children have been actively exploring and telling stories all day with it. Lots of building has been going on, stacking the tiny bark pieces on top of the larger wooden blocks - quite a difficult feat it turns out to be!!

What are your favourite invitations to play this week?

Mirror Exploration - using a mirror table

Using a mirror table…

I love having a mirror table in the classroom and seemingly so do my class!! The first few weeks after we got it, I was unsure how to use it to best effect so we had a brainstorming session and the children came up with some fabulous ideas. That was several years ago and now there isn’t a day that goes past when it isn’t in use….and usually the ideas are all completely different. Here a just a few:

• Lenses and mirrors on the surface for exploration of reflections, light and colour
• Use of blocks, recycled and natural materials on the surface to make patterns and pictures, often resulting in teamwork and/or high levels of concentration and involvement - in the picture with the spiral, the child was inspired by the African land snails that we had as class pets at the time
• Shaving foam (or paint, gloop or other tactile material) - lots of pre-writing skills developed, creating shapes and patterns
• Using the mirrors outside, creating lots of natural reflections and inspiration for imaginative play

Overhead projector fun!

Using an overhead projector…

These are just some of the ways that the children have come up with to use the overhead projector during their play:

• Playing with gel numbers
• Writing numbers on acetates and making up games to go with with them
• Using ribbons and scarves to dance in and out of the lights creating shadows
• Using bottles of coloured water (sealed!!) that the children had mixed in a previous activity
• Creating patterns and scenes using translucent shapes
• Exploring colour and light using translucent blocks
• Exploring shadows and silhouettes

A Reggio Emilia-esque poem

"If..." A poem by Pamela Houk

If I can
ask my own questions,
try out my  ideas,
experience what’s around
me, and share what I find;

If I have
plenty of time for
my special pace,
a nourishing space,
things to transform;

If you’ll be
my patient friend,
trusted guide,
fellow investigator,
partner in learning;

Then I will
explore the world,
discover my voice,
and tell you what I know in a  hundred languages.

by: Pamela Houk

When I started teaching nearly 9 years ago, I did not realise the path I was embarking on, where it would take me and how much I was about to learn! Now, 3 countries later, I am happy but with still much to learn and I cannot see that changing any time soon. I have developed a love for natural objects within the classroom setting and am amazed by the ideas our children come up with, how they manipulate and combine objects to make new and exciting discoveries and constructions. I enjoyed visiting the town of Reggio Emilia in Italy and their work continues to inspire me, as well as following the children’s own interests and ideas - life is never boring!