We can't always guarantee sunny weather during a British summer but it is a time of year when we all like to be outside whenever we can, whether we are on holiday or at home. Make the most of your outdoor area and build on children's first-hand experiences of the summer season.
Adult-led activity
Setting up camp
Dens and tents are always popular with young children. Set up a camp in the outdoor area and recreate an open air summer holiday!
Key learning intentions
*To use language to imagine experiences and to clarify thoughts and ideas *To use mathematical ideas to solve problems
Adult:child ratio 1: 4
Resources
*Two small camp tents or play tents *four children's sleeping bags *portable barbeque with safe utensils (for example, plastic fish slices) *plastic or metal pots and pans *washing-up bowl *washing line *clothes pegs *Ordnance Survey maps *torches *binoculars *compass *walkie-talkies *nature books (for example, about birds and trees) *food packets and tins *rucksack *postcards (showing photographs of different landscapes) *Nursery World poster *clipboards *paper *pens
Activity content
* Explain to children that they are going on a 'pretend' camping holiday and encourage them to talk about any camping or caravan holidays, or barbeque parties, that they have experienced.
* Look through, and talk about, the resources that you have provided with the children.
* Ask children what else they might need to take with them and discuss how they will manage without everyday objects such as a washing machine, cooker or fridge.
* Make a list of what they have decided to take and tick off items as you pack the rucksack with the children.
* Set off with children to find a suitable location for their camp, consulting the map on the way and describing imaginary landscapes.
Encourage the children to communicate with each other over distances using the walkie-talkies.
* Pitch the tents with children and 'live' the holiday with them, for example, writing postcards home, cooking barbeques, drying clothes on the line, sheltering in the tent from thunderstorms.
* Encourage children to solve problems together and challenge their thinking by asking open questions.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Tent, camp, hot, cold, big, small, long, short, heavy, light.
Questions to ask
How many sleeping bags do you need to take? We have two tents - how many children will sleep in each one? What kind of food will you take to eat? How can you keep the milk cold without a fridge? Which will be heavier to carry, tins or packets? How will you keep warm at night? How long does the washing line need to be to fit between these two branches/rungs in the fence?
Follow-up activities
* Encourage the children to make their own maps and to plot the position of their camp and the route they followed to reach it.
* Provide materials for children to construct their own dens or tents.
Offer them a challenge such as building a den that will be big enough for four children to sleep in.
* Encourage children to make links with the technology workshop area - for example, making food to cook on the barbeque, selecting boxes to store food in.
Kitchen garden
Create a kitchen garden that will create interest in even the smallest of outdoor areas throughout the summer.
Key learning intentions
*To observe, and talk about, features of living things and conditions for growth *To observe changes over time
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
*A designated 'dug over' border, bed, troughs *planters or 'grow bags'
*compost *gardening hand tools (for example a fork and trowel) *watering cans *a selection of mature vegetables *wooden 'lolly' sticks *packets of seeds such as lettuce, radish, tomato, runner beans, peas, carrots, marrow.
(Seed packets will provide instructions for planting and care. Some plants may need to be planted in pots first, then transferred outdoors. Select early maturing varieties when buying seeds.) Activity content
* Encourage children to explore the materials and equipment and allow them time to handle and talk about the compost, fully-grown vegetables and seeds.
* Ask children to try to guess which vegetables have been grown from which seeds.
* Refer children to the pictures and instructions on the seed packets and talk about your plans to grow vegetables in the nursery garden.
* With the children, plant the seeds and discuss the conditions necessary for growth.
* Make labels for the different vegetables by laminating the seed packets to make them waterproof and attaching them to wooden lolly sticks.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Seed, seedling, soil, compost, fork, trowel, leaf, root, stem, vegetable names.
Questions to ask
What do you think this seed will grow into? What do you think would happen to the seedlings if they had no water? What else do they need to grow? How big do you think the carrots have grown in the soil? How big do they need to be before we pull them up? What are the differences between the leaves of the carrots and the beans?
Follow-up activities
* Provide gardening tools, seed trays, plant pots and watering cans in the sand tray and encourage children to recreate their 'planting' experiences.
Replace sand with compost for a while and encourage children to make comparisons.
* Encourage children to take responsibility for the care of their garden.
Vegetables grown in containers must be well watered regularly, and children can take turns in performing this task.
* Take photographs at various stages during the growth process and use these in a book or display about the 'kitchen garden' experience.
* Harvest, clean and prepare the vegetables. Make salads and soups with children and encourage them to comment on the different flavours and textures. Even children who are reluctant to eat vegetables at home are usually eager to taste their own produce after tending the garden with such care.
* Use vegetables as a stimulus for observational drawing. Provide magnifying glasses to encourage children to look closely.
* Try a selection of summer fruits such as strawberries and make a summer pudding (see the back of the Nursery World poster).
Child-initiated learning
Encourage the children to develop their own ideas and interests across the curriculum by adding topic resources to your basic provision.
Outdoor area
Additional resources
*Sun umbrellas *lengths of fabric, cardboard packing boxes *hats *hand puppets *chalk *wooden or plastic paper towel holder
Possible learning experiences
* Talking about the shapes of shadows in the outdoor area, for example, trees, climbing frame and sun umbrellas.
* Making interesting shadow body shapes.
* Drawing around shadows on the ground or walls with chalk.
* Standing on an agreed spot at different times of the day and comparing the positions of their shadow.
* Making a simple 'sun dial' using a paper towel holder on paving stones and marking its shadow at intervals during the day.
* Making 'character' shadows, for example, dragon, kings and robots, perhaps with the help of props such as fabric and hats.
* Casting shadows with hand puppets and making up stories.
The practitioner role
* Draw around children's shadows as they stand in the same spot at different times of the day.
* Model use of vocabulary such as big, small, long, short, same, different, dark and light.
* Read stories such as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Red Fox, 5.99) or Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas (Oxford University Press, 4.99) as a stimulus for recreating characters in shadow.
Home corner
Additional resources
*Picnic hamper *picnic play food *four plastic plates and cups *cutlery *picnic rug *sunhats *raincoats *shopping list pad *pens *shopping bags Possible learning experiences
* Talking about their experiences of picnics.
* Planning a picnic with friends - negotiating choices of foods and drinks.
* Writing shopping lists of picnic food needed.
* Shopping for picnic food, reading back marks from their shopping lists.
* Packing the picnic hamper, discussing what to include.
* Counting how many plates and cups are needed for the number of children involved.
* Engaging in imaginative and role play - going on a picnic, perhaps taking their play outdoors.
* Using language to express ideas and thoughts.
* Talking about features of the weather.
* Dressing appropriately for weather conditions imagined in their play, such as in rain and sunshine.
The practitioner role
* Engage in discussions about picnics with children, offering some of your own experiences.
* Write shopping lists alongside the children asking for their ideas.
* Support children's number development by modelling counting skills and use of number names.
* Join in their play, if appropriate, asking questions such as 'Where shall we go for our picnic?', 'What if it rains?', 'What shall we take to drink?', 'Susie doesn't like orange juice. Can we think of a drink that everyone likes?'
Sand
Additional resources
*Water *small-world people *boats *ice-cream van *toothpaste tube lids ('buckets') *cocktail umbrellas, with any sharp points sanded down ('sun umbrellas') *gravel *large stones, potted plants (trees) *information *story and poem books about the seaside *photograph album containing holiday photographs from children and staff
Possible learning experiences
* Setting up a small-world seaside with a beach, sea, trees and rocky cliffs.
* Playing imaginatively in the small-world seaside, revisiting personal experiences and introducing a narrative into their play.
* Using one object to represent another.
* Commenting on the differences between wet and dry sand.
The practitioner role
* Talk with the children about their experiences and engage in their play.
* Support their developing play by adding materials and equipment as appropriate.
* Encourage children to find objects around the setting that they can use to represent other things.
* Retell their imaginative ideas in a story at story time.
Book area
Additional resources
*The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Puffin Books, 4.99) *information books about butterflies *photographs and posters showing the developmental stages in the lifecycle of a butterfly *model caterpillar and butterfly *large leaf *play food *magnifying glass, safety mirror. (See also the back of the Nursery World poster) Possible learning experiences
* Listening to the story, asking questions and making comments.
* Retelling The Very Hungry Caterpillar using props and picture clues.
* Talking about the lifecycle of a butterfly and sequencing the stages.
* Learning about the food and conditions necessary for caterpillars to thrive.
* Relating the story to caterpillars that you may be keeping in the setting or have found outside.
* Looking at butterfly wing patterns.
* Learning about symmetry, using mirrors to reflect an image (large photographs are ideal) of one wing and so creating a 'whole' butterfly.
The practitioner role
* Read the story with the children, talking about the illustrations and their own knowledge of butterflies.
* Recap on the story by asking questions such as 'What popped out of the little egg?', 'What did the caterpillar eat that made him feel better?'
* Reread the story, asking children to predict what comes next.
* Look for butterflies with children in the outdoor area.
Reader offer
We have ten copies of How Bees Be by Alison Boyle and Laura Hambleton (Milet Publishing, 4.99) to give away to Nursery World readers. Send your name and address on the back of a postcard or envelope, marked 'Bees', to the address on page 3. Winners will be the first ten names drawn on 1 May.
