Diving into the enchanting world of mermaids lured nursery children on an adventure involving treasure maps, mythical and real sea creatures as they explored the whole curriculum. Children at Holbeach Primary School in Catford, south east London had immersed themselves in pirate role play on a ‘ship’ in the outdoor area when one of the children decided to be a mermaid and attempt to steal their box of treasure. Staff observed how other children also became intrigued by these fantastical creatures and decided to develop this interest.
the setting's curriculum
‘Holbeach Primary School has a thematic curriculum which can be a challenge in the early years because we like to go with the interests of the child,’ explains early years lead Jane Wilson. ‘The theme that we do in summer is called Splish Splash Splosh, which can go a wide variety of ways depending on the cohort and allows them to naturally gravitate to what they are interested in.
‘We can then adapt our provision and the environment to go with the children's interests, so we might put out boxes of pirate-related resources or provide lengths of fabrics that are blue, shimmering and silvery to replicate water alongside our core provision, such as water play that's always available to provide continuity.’
what they did
Staff started by sharing picturebooks about mermaids and showing children a variety of mermaid images so they could envisage them. ‘We had a lively discussion about how a mermaid's tail might feel,’ says Jane. ‘The children shared their thoughts, describing the tails as “smooth”, “slippery” and “shimmering”. We then explored different textures and materials to bring these ideas to life using sequins, satin and shiny fabric. Children used descriptive words like “bumpy”, “shiny” and “scaly”.’- A high number of children have English as a second language and speech and language needs so there is a lot of work to support language acquisition via running commentary during play, focusing on descriptive language and thinking aloud using ‘I wonder…’ comments.
- Children linked their mermaid discussions to the nursery's pet goldfish. Staff brought in some actual fish from a fishmonger for the children to handle and discuss whether they thought a mermaid's tail would feel similar. They also looked at the fish's anatomy.
- Looking at the fish led to enthusiastic conversations about going fishing, eating fish and chips and going to the seaside.
- They explored different loose parts to find treasure, and staff introduced mathematical concepts around sorting and counting. The children collaborated to decorate each other with the beads, fabrics, bangles, hair clips and other treasures.
- Throughout the mermaid discussions, children continued to play at being mermaids and pirates – organising themselves into the different roles.
- Staff introduced the idea of treasure maps and hid little boxes of jewels around the environment for the children to find. They used directional language and went on hunts with maps and telescopes they had made themselves.
using new techniques
Jane says one of the highlights of the mermaid explorations was trying out a new art technique called ‘gyotaku’, inspired by having fish in the nursery.
Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese art form that involves printing fish onto paper or fabric. Children learned that the practice originated in the mid-1800s as a way for fishermen to document the size and species of their catch. They would coat one side of a caught fish with sumi ink, press rice paper onto the fish and rub it to capture a precise image. Since the ink was non-toxic, the fish could still be processed and prepared for eating.
Children experimented with different forms of paint to see which worked best for their fish prints. They found that watercolours and poster paint were not too successful, but acrylic paint brought impressive results and the prints were very detailed.
‘They created beautiful prints on paper, which allowed them to appreciate the intricate details of the fish's body,’ says Jane.
what they gain
Through exploring fictional characters and playing games around mermaids and pirates, Jane says the children's story language was strengthened. They learned new vocabulary in context, which helps them understand and use words more effectively in their own communication.
‘The games that they were enthusiastically playing helped them to develop negotiation skills, problem-solving and resilience,’ adds Jane. ‘We are constantly trying to challenge children's thinking and support them to build on what they know. Through exploring mermaids we were able to bring in the whole curriculum, from mathematics and literacy to science.’
- Further information: ‘We've explored… dissecting fish’ by Annette Rawstrone (Nursery World, April 2022): https://bit.ly/4eFl3B9
