Enabling Environments: Let's explore ... Light

The three- and four-year-olds at Reflections Nursery became fascinated by crocodiles when I brought in an unusual gift from a friend: the preserved head of a baby crocodile, complete with skull, teeth, glass eyes and scales. As part of the project, we used an overhead projector to cast images of crocodiles on to a wall within our atelier. This was an experience that the children loved and provided inspiration for our next big area of exploration: light.

HANDS-ON LEARNING

During the project, our atelier became a laboratory, providing opportunities for the children to test their theories about the characteristics of light. Access to a wide variety of resources, from candles and cameras to fluorescent paint and glowsticks, all helped the children to develop new understandings about light and its properties.

Throughout the project, the children were encouraged to investigate, experiment and predict. Many of the children's explorations were held within our 'darkroom', which we created by hanging a blackout blind on the exterior windows.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

The projected images of crocodiles on the atelier wall led to the children exploring their own shadows. Some children didn't like their shadow initially, but they soon became friends with it and started to observe how and why it changed in size.

The children also used the projector to create shadow pictures on the wall, among them a selection of shells. Keen to keep a record of some of their creations, I provided them with light-reactive paper on which to set out their compositions. We then exposed the pictures to sunlight, and as the children rinsed the paper under water, they were delighted to see an outline of the pictures emerge.

DRAWING, MAPPING AND MOVING

Early in the project, children tried to capture light in their drawings. One of the children achieved this by tracing around the beam of a torch on white paper.

This led to them attempting to map the path of a light. Here, we laid out long sheets of white paper on the floor and provided some pens and torches. Those with torches cast light on the paper, while those with pens tracked the light.

Mapping, in turn, led on to a series of investigations about how light travels. On one occasion, children held a mirror close to a large torch, causing the light to rebound around the room. In another experiment, we shone a light through jars of coloured water, so the children were able to see the colour reflected on their hands. Eventually this led to children investigating the colours of the spectrum by splitting light using prisms.

MORE TO EXPLORE ...

The children made many other explorations, as follows.

Sculpture An interesting feature of the project, children made sculptures in a variety of ways - for example, from paper, illuminated by a torch or lightbox), and from open-ended resources such as cardboard tubes, lit by a torch or the overhead projector.

Candlelight At a forest school session, some of the children had commented on how light looked like fire. In response, I introduced candles and the children spent a day by candlelight alone. The children chose to draw candlelight and, wanting to keep their candles 'safe', went on to make clay candleholders.

Transparency and opacity The children shone torches through paper and a variety of other materials to see if the light would still shine through. Some experimented with layering cellophane over a torch.

Colour Layering and colour mixing often occurred spontaneously throughout the project. For one activity, which also encouraged mark-making, I provided paint inside two layers of plastic. The children placed these on the lightbox and used their fingers, or other resources such as seashells and bottle tops, to move the paint around to create letters, shapes or artistic patterns.

Reflection The children observed how images projected on the wall were also reflected on the floor.

Sound We introduced voice-activated lights, which are so much more fun than just flicking a switch, and the children thought it was wonderful to turn a light on or off by singing to it.

BLACK LIGHT

Some of the most exciting investigations for the children involved ultraviolet (UV) light, also referred to as black light. While it enabled the children to undertake new experiments, it also enabled them to develop some of their earlier lines of inquiry. For example, the children:

• explored the effect of UV light on objects and materials

• dressed in fluorescent clothing and observed their glowing reflections in mirrors

• created pictures using fluorescent paints

• explored the effect of UV light on paper and acrylic and fluorescent paints. White paper glowed, but white acrylic paint, contrary to their expectations, appeared deep purple

• created sculptures using glowsticks, including a house and rainbow

• explored how light travels using slow-shutter photography. I set up a tripod and took pictures of them as they drew with glowsticks (or torches) in the darkness. The photographs captured the path of the lights.

ON REFLECTION

Although the project evolved over several months, we still didn't have time to test all the children's hypotheses. In our experience, however, unexplored theories often resurface in future work!

Whether in groups, in pairs or alone, I believe the children built up a good understanding of elements of light and that our resources, environment and culture of listening to children and taking their theories seriously contributed enormously to the scope of their learning.

Angela Chick is senior atelierista at Reflections Nursery, Worthing

REFLECTIONS NURSERY

Reflections Nursery, a private setting in Worthing, West Sussex, draws its inspiration from the infant-toddler centres and pre-schools of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy.

The nursery employs two full-time indoor atelieristas (or artists) and a part-time outdoor atelierista. The senior atelierista, Angela Chick, has a degree in fine art, graphics and textiles and visited Reggio Emilia on a study tour in 2010. Senior management at the nursery have also attended many such study tours.

Adopting the Reggio approach means that children at Reflections have the opportunity to engage regularly in long-term project work, usually inspired by their own interests.

Reflections won Nursery World's Nursery of the Year award in 2009/10, gained an outstanding in its 2010 Ofsted inspection and was voted Worthing Business of the Year 2010/11.

To find out more about the nursery, go to www.reflectionsnurseries.co.uk

MORE INFORMATION

• Reflections Nursery has published books about its crocodile and light projects. To order a copy of Crocodile! or Light Everywhere!, priced £10.99, e-mail susan@reflectionsnurseries.co.uk or go to www.onreflectionpublishing.co.uk

• 'Let's explore ... Crocodiles': www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1062509

RESOURCES

Books

Day Monkey, Night Monkey by Julia Donaldson and Lucy Richards (Egmont Books).An award-winning tale that illustrates the differences between day and night through the antics of two confused monkeys.

Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot (Kingfisher). Darkness enters Daisy's bedroom, but they end up dancing until Daisy is ready to sleep.

Amy's Light by Robert Nutt (Sharing Nature with Children; Dawn Publications). Amy peers out from under her bedclothes at the dark shadows on the wall and spies a flicker of light from the garden.

In the Dark, Dark Wood by Jessica Souhami (Barefoot Books). In this touchy-feely version of a classic scary story, children can lift the flaps to search the dark, dark house in the dark, dark wood.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson and Paul Howard (Egmont Books). Plop the Owl's mother sends him out of the nest to ask people about the dark,and these encounters make him realise that the dark is not so bad after all.

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle (Penguin). A lonely firefly goes out into the night searching for other fireflies.

I Spy the Sun in the Sky by Stella Blackstone and Nicoletta Ceccoli (Barefoot Books). A tale about a small boy setting sail for a distant island, which provides a new take on the I-Spy game.

Gracie, The Lighthouse Cat by Ruth Brown (Andersen Books). Ruth Brown mirrors the true story of Grace Darling, the Victorian heroine, in this parallel tale of Gracie, the lighthouse cat.

The Magic Sky by Lucy Richards (Egmont). Little bear Rory eagerly counts down to the night when he can stay up late and watch the magic of the Northern Lights.

Non-fiction

Oscar and the Moth: A book about light and dark by Geoff Waring (Candlewick Press). In this first science book, Oscar the kitten watches the sun set one evening and finds he has lots of questions about the sun, stars, fireflies, streetlights, aeroplanes and shadows.

Light and Dark by Angela Royston (Popcorn: Science Corner, Wayland). A look at light and dark through examples from within children's own experience.

Why Do Living Things Need ... Light by Daniel Nunn (Heinemann)

RESOURCES

While resources for exploring some early years themes may still be lacklustre, that is certainly not the case when it comes to the theme of 'light'. In recent years, suppliers have come to recognise its potential as a source of learning for young children and have added an array of related resources to their ranges. Alongside stimulating new products you can also find many revamped basics. Here are some examples of what's currently on offer:

Torches

Much more interesting than the basic torch are Reflections on Learning's wind-up and fibre optic torches (£4.99 each) and palm-sized LED light (£3.99), with 24 intense LED bulbs. With the Shaking Torch from Mindstretchers (£11), no batteries are required; simply shake to power the electro magnet, which, in turn, powers the torch. Ever popular is the award-winning Easi-Torch from TTS (£39.99), a set of six LED torches with a docking station that fully recharges the torches in up to four hours.

Light boxes

With lightboxes now a staple of early years provision, their design and variety are developing apace. Ultra-slim light panels (large, £119.99, Reflections on Learning; small, £56.95, TTS) are available separately or combined with a folding table (£150) or wheeled resources trolley with four trays (A3 panel, £150; A2 panel, £225), all from Reflections on Learning.

The variety of lightbox resources is also expanding, with current products ranging from translucent agates (£14.95) to crystal lustre nuggets (1kg, £2.99) and squidgy sparkle flowers (£26.95), all from TTS.

Kits

As the popularity of 'light' has developed as an area of investigation in early years settings, so too has the number of suppliers providing themed kits, for exploring light generally or for a lightbox in particular. Among them are:

• Lightbox kit (£69.95, TTS, pictured) - includes agates, transparencies, coloured jewels, splats and transparent shapes.

• Light Box Resources Set (£59.99, Reflections on Learning) - includes round and square counters, linking people, acetate sheets, colour paddles, test tubes and skeleton leaves.

• Light and Dark Space Box (£179.00, Spacekraft) - includes multi-function lantern, dynamo torch, neon scarves, glow-in-the-dark gloves, light-diffraction panels and plasma ball

• Exploring Light (£50, Mindstretchers) - includes a range of spectacles, coloured paddles and magnifying glasses

• Light and Colour Grab & Go kit (£79.95, TTS) - includes a colour changeable torch, coloured scarves, colour mixers, wooden viewers and acetate sheets.

• Light Toys Class Kit (£44.95, TTS) - a class pack of 30 light toys, with five each of glow-in-the dark ducks, fibre optic torches, magic money boxes, mirage scopes and kaleidoscopes.

Another look ...

Other interesting products exploring aspects of light or dark are:

Scratch Light Pack (£13.25, NES Arnold) - contains rainbow-coloured acetate sheets, covered with blackened film which can be scratched off using the scratch pencils provided. The finished effect looks like stained glass when held up to the light.

Solar Helicopter (£30) and Solar Biplane (£32), both from Mindstretchers.

Shadow Screen (£19.95, TTS) allows children to see what happens when an object is moved between the light source and screen.

Sun Print Paper (£5.50, TTS).

Boing light ball (£5.95, NES Arnold) - Squeeze to change the colours; squeeze again to make the flashing fast or slow.

Mesh lights (£59.95), crystal string lights (£39.95) and string lights (£49.95), all from TTS.

Insect X-rays (£14.99, Reflections on Learning) and human X-rays (£24.95, TTS)

Sound-activated LED spotlights (£12.80, pack of two), available on Amazon from Household Heaven. Keep an eye out for voice-activated lights from Poundland.