Approach
The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (page 11) emphasises the importance of providing children with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. This project, therefore:
* identifies adult-led activities, to introduce or develop children's understanding of the topic through stimulating, meaningful experiences which offer challenge
* suggests ways to enhance areas of core provision, to consolidate children's learning about the theme. It is the practitioners' role to make daily observations of children's learning which inform individual child profiles and future planning. Children should be encouraged to use the resources to support their own learning. This means that the possible learning outcomes will be wide-ranging and varied
* advocates that settings should be organised and resourced using a 'workshop' approach so that children can access resources autonomously and independently.
Adult-led activities
Dream world
Unlock children's imagination with a focus on Salvador Dali's painting 'Swans Reflecting Elephants'.
Key learning intentions
To develop imaginative ideas and explore the idea of representation
To use language to communicate thoughts and ideas
Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
* NW poster of 'Swans Reflecting Elephants' (1937) by Salvador Dali * piece of fabric such as velvet (larger than the poster) * paper and pen
Preparation
* Plan for this activity to take place in a comfortable area free from distractions.
* Organise staff to enable one adult to lead the focus as the other observes and scribes children's comments.
* Display the poster at children's eye level on the wall or a free-standing board.
* Gather the fabric to create a curtain effect and drape over the poster to cover the image.
Activity content
* Gather the children together and build up anticipation by asking them to guess what is behind the curtain.
* Ask a child to help you to reveal the poster and allow them time to look and respond in their own way.
* Ask questions to extend children's thinking and stimulate imaginative ideas.
* Encourage children to share their ideas with the group.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Elephant, trunk, ears, legs, swan, wings, neck
Questions to ask
* What can you see in the picture?
* What kind of animal/bird do you think it is? What makes you think that?
* What do you think has happened to the swan/elephant?
* How did the swan change into an elephant?
* Why are the trees bare?
* What else do you think might be in the water?
* Why do you think the man is standing by the lake?
* Who is the man?
* What is he thinking?
* Where is he going?
* How could we get to the lake?
* Why would we go there?
* What would we do?
Extension ideas
* Enable the children to develop their ideas through play by providing appropriate additional resources. For example, if the children decide they want to visit the lake, offer them a rug that could be a 'magic carpet' to transport them.
* Take photographs of the children's play and use the images in sequence to tell their 'story'. Annotate with children's comments and other observations.
* Make a storybook using the children's imaginative ideas. Keep a copy in the book corner and share with children during storytelling sessions.
* Invite the children involved on a trip to the local library to present a copy of their story book. (If you include photographs of the children in the book, make sure that you have written permission from parents to use images for this purpose.)
Mirror images
Raise children's awareness and understanding of reflection through pattern-making on a mirror tray.
Key learning intentions
To capture children's interest and motivate them to learn
To explore objects and the idea of reflection
To make arrangements of objects, explore pattern-making and use everyday language to describe position
Adult:child ratio 1:2 to 1:4 (depending on the size of the tray or table top)
Resources
* Shallow trays covered with safety mirror or pieces of safety mirror on a tabletop * everyday objects
Preparation
* Collect suitable objects beforehand such as buttons, straws, keys.
Remember to include some taller objects that will stand and reflect a 'taller image', such as bobbins.
* Be aware, through observation of the children, of any individual interests or identified patterns. Include resources to support these. For example, a child involved in a schema relating to circularity may enjoy a collection of curtain rings of various sizes.
Activity content
* Show the children the everyday objects and give them time to explore these, looking at and comparing features. They may want to sort the objects or select their favourites.
* Introduce the mirrors to the children and encourage them to look at their own reflections, and those of others.
* Select some items and place them on a mirror. Encourage the children to comment on their observations.
* Investigate with the children, looking at the reflections of different objects in the mirror.
* Work alongside the children, selecting objects for pattern-making and arranging.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Shape names, for example, circle, square and rectangle; big, bigger, small, smaller, next to, in front, behind, same, different, reflection
Questions to ask
* Which button do you like best? Why?
* What can you see in the mirror if you hold the button over it?
* What can you see if you put the button on the mirror?
* What happens to the reflection if you pile the buttons on top of each other?
* How are you going to arrange your favourite objects on the mirror?
* Which one will you put next to that one?
* If you line up all the bobbins, how long do think the line will be?
* Now can you make the bobbins into a circle?
* Can you see another circle reflected in the mirror?
Extension ideas
* Make the tray available to children for a period of time and encourage them to bring objects of interest from other parts of the nursery (such as twigs, pebbles and leaves from the outdoor area) to arrange on the mirrored surface. Keep or photograph the arrangements for the children to show their parents.
* Create a 'mirror box' by removing the lid of a shoe or boot box and cutting out one of the long sides. Then attach a safety mirror to the 'floor' and remaining sides. Encourage the children to put objects on the 'floor' mirror and to look at the repeated images in the side mirrors.
Support them in experimenting with effects - for example, by placing a few play people in the mirror box, the reflected images create a whole crowd of play people!
* Offer convex and concave mirrors so that the children can experience how images are altered.
Child-initiated learning
Home corner
Additional resources and adult support
* Include mirrors in the home corner - for example, a full-length freestanding mirror or a horizontal mirror wall-mounted at child level.
* Provide a range of dressing-up clothes, scarves and lengths of fabric.
* Display 'feelings' photographs and also photographs of people pictured in a variety of roles and dress.
* Encourage the children to look at how their facial features change with different expressions.
* Talk with the children about how our facial expressions can indicate how we are feeling.
Play possibilities
* Pulling faces as they look in the mirror.
* Looking at similarities and differences, for example, in eye colour, hair texture and length.
* Dressing up in different clothes and looking at themselves in the mirror.
* Observing themselves in mirrors as they move in different ways.
Possible learning outcomes
Shows respect for personal differences
Shows an awareness of gesture and expression as means of communication
Looks closely at, and talks about, people's facial features
Shows awareness of own body and movements
Explores different roles
Paint area
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide safety mirror tiles or pieces in the mark-making area.
* Provide ready-mixed paint (primary colours of red, blue and yellow).
* Make sure aprons are available and floor surfaces or coverings are washable.
* Offer clay modelling tools and pieces of paper of a similar shape and size to the mirror tiles.
* Play alongside the children, modelling skills and ideas.
* Talk with the children about their observations and challenge their thinking with questions, such as, 'What can you see when you scrape paint off the mirror with your fingers? You can see your nose in the circle you have made, but can you make a circle big enough to reflect your whole face?'
* Support children in exploring printing techniques.
Play possibilities
* Looking at faces, fingers, hands and objects in the mirror tiles
* Covering the tile with paint using the palms of their hands
* Mixing two colours of paint together with their hands to produce a third
* Making random marks in the paint with fingers
* Using modelling tools to make marks
* Making circular and linear marks in the paint
* Creating pictures in the paint using fingers or tools
* Writing names in paint
* Looking at reflections in the mirror revealed as they make marks in the paint
* Making patterns using marks, shapes and spaces made in the paint.
* Taking mono prints from marks they have made in the paint.
* Removing paint, and revealing the mirror by washing tiles.
Possible learning outcomes
Becomes absorbed in learning at a self-chosen activity
Ascribes meaning to marks
Forms recognisable letters
Engages in activities requiring hand-eye co-ordination
Explores pattern
Investigates materials and comments on what is happening
Explores media and materials and uses marks to represent ideas
Outdoor area
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide a range of reflective materials, such as foil, metallic fabric and silver ribbon.
* Enlist the help of parents and carers in making a collection of reflective, everyday objects. Ensure that all contributions are safe for children to handle, for example, sunglasses with plastic lenses, stainless steel soup ladle, metal bangle, foil gift boxes and bags, metallic buttons and disused keys.
* Offer the resources in large, shallow trays and provide empty trays for the children to collect and further investigate objects that particularly interest them.
* Model appropriate language such as 'shiny', 'silver', 'metal', 'reflect'
and 'mirror'.
* Provide lengths of thread or ribbon and scissors. Support the children in hanging their chosen objects on a selected tree or a frame in the outdoor area. With the children, think of a name for the special tree - for example, 'the shiny tree', 'the mirror tree' or 'the reflections tree'.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the resources
* Collecting additional reflective materials and objects from around the nursery
* Making temporary arrangements, patterns, collages or pictorial representations using resources
* Looking at how reflected images can be distorted in objects of varying shapes - for example, observing faces in ladles, metal bowls and pan lids
* Selecting items to hang on a tree and talking about reasons for their choices
* Talking about imaginative and story ideas related to the 'special tree'
* Using materials and objects as props for imaginative play, such as metallic fabric for a king's cloak
* Tapping objects together and exploring the sounds that can be made with combinations of objects, such as a pan and a metal egg whisk or a spoon and a foil plate
* Listening to the sounds made by the hanging objects as they blow in the wind
Possible learning outcomes
Explores sound and distinguishes one sound from another
Talks about, and compares, features of objects
Sorts and counts objects and uses language related to size, shape and length
Uses one object to represent another and explores imaginative ideas
