Isn't play a wonderful way to learn? My four-year-old daughter is obsessed with horses, and she has invented a game called 'Horsie Factory'. I have learned more about horses in the past few weeks than I ever knew. And I remember it too (otherwise I can't play the game properly).
All this goes to show what a powerful learning tool role play is, and a great way to learn about how technology is used today. Our role-play settings need to reflect modern life now, not what it was like when we were children, using the plethora of technologies available. And this means not just computers.
* Many new role-play toys are now electronic and readily available from toyshops and catalogues like the Early Learning Centre. These could be nursery rhyme tapes or CDs and baby monitors for a babies room, walky-talkies for a space ship, metal detectors and drilling machines for a building site, or big chunky calculators (the ones that print out on a roll are great) for an estate agent.
* Make some cardboard mock-up machines, or use old electronic equipment - cardboard petrol pumps, cash machines or old mobile phones and computer keyboards.These are great for generating awareness of technology. If you're using old telephones, have a made-up telephone directory next to them for the children to use.
* Use a computer to print out weekly diary sheets, prescriptions, or stock- taking charts for the children to fill in. You and the children can print out signs and notices for shops, parks and buses.
* Would you be brave enough to use your computer or a laptop in your role play area? At most places you go to now, you see the ubiquitous PC in use.
Wouldn't be great if the children could use the computer for stock-taking (a simple table in Word would suffice), printing a prescription, making a chart to see how many wild animals have been spotted on safari (try 2Count from 2Simple's Infant Video Toolkit), or use a paint programme to make posters for adverts and signs. There are also some great role-play CD-Roms produced by Granada Learning - 'At the Vets', 'Doctors' or 'Cafe'.
* Just think of all that wonderful play, created once, and then lost forever. If only someone had invented a time machine so that we could travel back and review! Well, the next best thing is a digital camera, a video camera or a dictaphone. These recordings could be used later. Try digital images in Word, and add speech bubbles to them, with adults scribing for the children. Or get the children to retell their play using a dictaphone.
And what about the digital video? Find out more next month.
