Projects should always be informed by observations and planned to support the interests and needs of children. A project about 'birds' would generally develop from the interest of an individual child or a group of children. This interest may have been inspired by a family visit to a bird sanctuary, a programme on the television, or looking at books such as Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 4.99). The project may also be part of a larger topic such as 'Flying' or a focus on the books of author Martin Waddell.
Approach
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:
* identifies adult-led activities, to 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 observations of children's learning daily to inform individual children's 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 for each child.
* advocates that settings should be organised and resourced using a 'workshop' approach so that children can access resources autonomously and independently.
Adult-led activities
Home alone
Share with the children Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, in which three little owls sit and wait in a tree for their mother to come home.
Key learning intentions
To have a developing awareness of their own needs and feelings and to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others
To listen with enjoyment, and respond, to stories and make up their own stories To extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words Adult:child ratio 1:up to 10
Resources
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 4.99) 3owl hand puppet and three owl finger puppets 3poster of an owl 3branch of a tree 3magnetic story props (see Resources) Preparation
* Display the poster and attach the three small owls to the branch.
Activity content
* Introduce the book to the children. If the group are familiar with other books by Martin Waddell, or you are developing an author focus, discuss the role of an author and an illustrator. Look at the front cover illustration and discuss what the story could be about.
* Read the story to the children, emphasising the repetitive text in which Bill says, 'I want my mummy'. The children are likely to join in with this refrain.
* Revisit the beginning of the story, until the fourth page: 'But their Owl Mother didn't come. The baby owls came out of their house and they sat on the tree and waited.' Introduce the branch with the props and discuss how the owls must be feeling when their mother doesn't return.
* Retell the story, with the children joining in. Ask one child to hold the mother owl puppet, and to swoop towards the branch as mother returns.
* Discuss with the children how the owls might feel when their wish comes true and their mother returns to them.
* At the end of the session, give some children opportunities to retell the story using the branch and the puppets, and encourage others to retell the story with magnetic props.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Sad, lonely, unhappy, miserable, gloomy, sorrowful, abandoned, happy, glad, overjoyed, delighted, thrilled, ecstatic, trunk, twigs, wise, branch, ivy, swoop, flap, wingspan
Questions to ask
* What do you think the three baby owls are thinking at the moment? How do you think they feel? Can you think of other words that mean the same as 'sad'?
* Have you ever felt alone? How did you feel? What cheered you up?
* How are the baby owls feeling now that their mother has returned? Can you think of words to describe how happy they are?
* Why do you think their mother went away? If their mother goes away again, do you think the owl babies will be as unhappy and afraid? Why not?
Extension activities
* Revisit the story with a small group of children and encourage them to discuss the owl babies' feelings. Provide leaf-shaped pieces of paper and encourage the children to write down individual words to describe happy or sad feelings, acting as a scribe where appropriate. Create a three-dimensional display, with the owl babies alone and the 'sad' words, and then the owl babies with their mother and the 'happy' words.
* Encourage the children to make their own story props of the owls.
* Introduce the rhyme 'Two Little Dicky Birds Sitting on a Wall' to the children, using finger puppets.
Feed the birds Learn about birds by feeding them.
Key learning intentions
To work as part of a group, taking turns
To listen and respond to instructions
To investigate objects and materials using all their senses as appropriate
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 4
Resources
Wild birdseed, raisins and peanuts ,suet ,yoghurt pots ,string ,mixing bowl and wooden spoon ,scissors ,digital camera
Preparation
* Where possible, plan one or two visits for two children and an adult to visit the shops to buy the birdseed and suet.
* Gather the resources together, with the birdseed in shallow trays.
Activity content
* Talk to the children about the birds in the outdoor area and the things they like to eat. Explain that birds sometimes need some help finding enough food and water.
* Give the children lots of time to explore and discuss the birdseed.
* Support the children as they take photographs of all the ingredients.
* Explain that you are going to make bird cake.
* Encourage the children to take photographs of all the stages of making the cake.
* Make a small hole in the bottom of each yoghurt pot, just large enough to thread the string through and tie a knot inside. Make sure there is enough string to hang the pots on the bird table or tree.
* Allow the suet to warm up to room temperature and place it in the mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and stir with a spoon.
* Fill the yoghurt pots with the mixture and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
* Hang the bird cakes in safe places away from cats.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Suet, seeds, mix, soften, hard, chill, warm, cold, seasons, autumn, winter, freeze, frozen, ice, insects, worms, berries, hungry, thirsty
Questions to ask
* What do you think birds like to eat? Where do they find their food?
* Have you ever fed the ducks in the park? What did they do when they saw the bread? What else do you think they eat?
* What do the seeds look like? Which ones are the biggest? What do you think the seeds would grow into if we planted them?
Extension activities
* Look at the photographs of the activity with the children and put them in the correct order. Discuss how to write instructions for making bird cake (look at a simple recipe book for ideas). Make a photographic book to describe the process.
* Provide clipboards and pens and bird identification books, laminated cards or posters from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to encourage children to record the birds they have seen in the outdoors area or eating the bird cake.
* Mix some birdseed in a shallow tray with potting compost, water, and watch it sprout.
Child-initiated learning
Water play
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide a builder's tray with an imaginative play scenario including blue water, silk water lilies, pebbles and rocks, white glass stones or gravel and five small plastic ducks with one large duck.
* Provide a copy of 'Five Little Ducks', a cassette recorder with the song playing quietly and laminated cards with numerals 1-5.
* Encourage the children to learn the song 'Five Little Ducks Went Swimming One Day' and support them in singing it.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the play scenario.
* Creating new scenarios with the natural resources.
* Singing the song and making up own songs.
* Counting the ducks.
* Using the ducks to support their own imaginative play themes.
Possible learning outcomes Listens with enjoyment and responds to songs and rhymes.
Begins to use talk in imaginary situations.
Says and uses number names in order in familiar contexts.
Counts reliably to five.
Recognises numerals 1-5.
Expresses and communicates ideas and thoughts using imaginative play.
Home corner
Additional resources and adult support
* Enhance the home corner role play by introducing a new 'pet' bird soft toy or puppet, cage, food trays, toys, empty birdseed packets, sand sheets, bird carrying box, vet's card and books about caring for pet birds.
* Enhance children's role play by initiating conversations with them about the needs of the pet bird and the differences between domestic pets, such as budgerigars and parrots, and wild birds such as owls, pigeons and crows.
* Support the children as they extend and develop their role play, perhaps introducing other pets and the resources they need.
Play possibilities
* Making connections with their own experiences of pets.
* Developing role play including families and pets.
* Caring for the 'pet'.
Possible learning outcomes
Shows care and concern for others and living things.
Makes connections between different parts of their life experience.
Initiates a conversation, pays attention to and takes account of others'
views.
Introduces a storyline or narrative into play.
Creative workshop
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide assorted feathers, reclaimed boxes, trays of paint, paper and card in different sizes and shapes and adhesive.
* Encourage the children to explore the feathers and how they can be used to make marks.
Play possibilities
* Making marks and creating patterns with the feathers and paint.
* Exploring the resources and materials.
* Fixing boxes together and painting them.
* Using the feathers to enhance 3D models or as decoration.
* Making 2D collages.
Possible learning outcomes Operates independently within the environment.
Uses language for an increasing range of purposes.
Uses a range of small equipment.
Explores colour, texture, form and shape in two dimensions.
Malleable materials
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide damp red or grey clay with rolling pins, wooden or plastic eggs, information texts, pictures of birds and nests and a variety of feathers and twigs.
* Introduce and model the use of specific vocabulary.
* Encourage children to discuss what they are doing and why.
* Observe children's achievements and plan to extend their learning appropriately.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the properties of materials.
* Making nests for the eggs.
* Making birds with the clay and feathers.
* Rolling out the dough making marks with the eggs or twigs.
* Using the 'birds' or nests to support their imaginative play.
Possible learning outcomes Shows curiosity.
Has a positive approach to new experiences.
Uses one-handed tools and equipment.
Judith Stevens is an early years advisor for Lewisham Education
Extending child-initiated play
Recent EPPE research has found that: 'In the "excellent" settings, the balance of who initiated the activities (staff member or child) was nearly equal, revealing that the pedagogy of the excellent settings encourages children to initiate activities as often as the staff. Also, staff regularly extended child-initiated activities, but did not dominate them.
'Freely-chosen play activities often provided the best opportunities for adults to extend children's thinking. Adults need, therefore, to create opportunities to extend child-initiated play as well as teacher-initiated group work, as both have been found to be important vehicles for promoting learning.'
* EPPE Technical Paper 10 - Case Studies of Practice Across the Foundation Stage (DfES/Institute of Education, 2003, London)
Resources to support the theme
Organisations
* The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) website has ideas and resources including instructions for making different bird feeders. A free set of five A1 full-colour posters aids basic bird recognition. Visit www.rspb.org/youth
* Through the World Owl Trust, you can find out more about owls, arrange for an owl to visit your setting or to adopt an owl. Visit www.owls.org
Books
* Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 4.99)
* Hoot by Jane Hissey (Random House, 5.99)
* Birds (Lift the flap series) by S Kahn (Usborne, 7.99)
* Baby Bird by Joyce Dunbar (Walker Books, 4.99)
* Five Little Ducks Board Book (Ladybird, 4.99)
* Five Little Ducks by Ian Beck (Orchard, 3.99)
* Owls by Timothy Biel (Wildlife Education, 2.95) Areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, language and literacy
Mathematical development
Knowledge & understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
Resources to support the theme
* Owl poster (610mm x 910mm, 3.99, from www. oneposter.com)
* Coloured feathers (1.90) and natural feathers, including peacock feathers (14.75, GLS Educational Supplies, www.glsed.co.uk)
* Chicky Memo memory game - children have to collect as many eggs as possible (11.25) and Number Fun - wall chart with 22 detachable Velcro pieces. Children can add and take away the number of eggs in the bird's nest (Pounds 15.85). Both available in Asco Educational, tel: 0113 270 7070, www.ascoeducational.co.uk)
* TUFF Spot builder's tray (11.90, Early Steps from TTS, tel: 0800 318686, www.tts-shopping.com)
* Large barn owl (22.50), snowy owl (29.50), small barn owl (6.00), owl finger puppet (2.50) and assorted RSPB fluffy birds with calls (non-puppet, 5.75). All available from Puppets by Post, tel: 01462 446045, www.puppetsbypost.com.
