Enabling Environments: Let's explore ... Giants

Children are often fascinated with characters from traditional tales and also things that 'scare' them. Giants fulfil both criteria, so can be doubly exciting! Exploration of such a theme could begin through favourite stories, through the children's interest in 'huge' things, or through some children's recent opportunities to visit pantomimes or shows featuring giants, such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.

Giants feature strongly in stories, and when practitioners share a wide range of traditional and classic texts with children, individually or in small groups, at story times and spontaneously, children will find their own firm favourites. Moreover, if children are to write their own original, exciting, imaginative stories, they need lots of opportunities to use the oral language of fantasy and revisit fantasy themes over and over again.

Stories can be an excellent way for children to confront their fears, in safe, secure surroundings with a trusted adult. We need to remember that a lot of children like to be 'frightened', just as long as the stories have satisfying, positive conclusions.

Settings that promote effective links with home create a dialogue, initially verbally, and later supported by a noticeboard for messages. So a message to families could say, 'At the moment some of the children are very interested in fantasy and magical play, especially giants. Has anyone got any of the following at home and would like to contribute: lengths of shiny fabric, costume jewellery or broken watches, wooden or metal boxes, empty ring boxes?' The message could be accompanied be photographs, a full list of possible resources and some speech bubbles recording children's comments.

ROLE-PLAY AREA

Create a fantasy castle role-play area indoors or outdoors by providing: a wicker or wooden blanket box full of assorted lengths of fabrics; assorted hats, including crowns and magicians' hats; wands; fantasy dressing-up clothes; treasure chest and treasure; back-pack and explorer's equipment (torches, maps, compass, lanterns); huge pencils, paper and envelopes; props to support story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' - fluffy chicken, golden eggs, beans, huge gold coins, a fabric, paper or card beanstalk. Consider adding a letter from a giant on a huge piece of crumpled paper, such as the one from Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs:

DEER JIM

Thank you for the teath and the glassis also the lovly wigg

Your frend

The Giant

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Co-operation and collaboration
Talk for a variety of purposes
Writing for a purpose
Using the language of size
Counting and calculating
Recreating roles and experiences, imaginative play

ADULT ROLE

- Act in role as a fierce or friendly giant or a brave or timid hero.

- Introduce and model the use of literary language, such as 'once upon a time' and 'happily ever after'.

- Make up rhymes to support the play - 'Fee fi fo fum, I hear the laugh of a little one!' or 'Glee gli glo glum, I smell huge feet of a giant one'.

- Provide writing frameworks for children to write letters or postcards to respond to the giant.

- Support children as they explore the resources.

GRAPHICS AREA
Add:
- zig-zag books and mini stapled books
- assorted picture books about giants, with 'Jack and the Beanstalk'

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Making links with earlier experiences
Talk for a variety of purposes
Writing for a range of purposes
Selecting and using appropriate tools
Using imagination

ADULT ROLE

- Ensure the children are familiar with the books. Where appropriate, revisit the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, focusing on the characters and props. Encourage the children to imagine what they would see in a giant's castle. Support the children as they draw pictures of giants and castles and write about them in speech bubbles (act as a scribe where necessary).

- Encourage the children to think of words to describe the giant and where appropriate, record these.

- Respond positively and value children's independent attempts at writing and making their own books.

- Plan shared writing sessions to explore the written materials - perhaps making a shared book about giants and castles.

SMALL-WORLD AREA
Add:
- a castle
-wooden building blocks
- 'magic beans'
- jewellery boxes and treasure
- gold painted wooden or plastic eggs
- small wooden, fabric and plastic characters
- toy giants, trolls
- fabric beanstalks or real runner beans in pots
- maps
- markers and 'old' paper in scrolls

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Co-operation and collaboration
Talk for a variety of purposes
Writing for a range of purposes
Using the language of position
Choosing the appropriate tools for a purpose
Recreating roles and experiences, imaginative play

ADULT ROLE

- Encourage the children to consider the journey Jack makes to the castle.

- Encourage the children to use their imaginations.

- Ask open questions: What treasure do you think Jack would choose? How could he climb up the beanstalk more quickly? What will happen if the beanstalk breaks? Where do you think Jack could live with all the treasure? What would Jack see from high in the sky? Where do you think we could find a magic beanstalk?

- Support the children as they make maps, retell and adapt familiar stories, act out stories, make up new stories and develop imaginative play themes.

SAND AREA
Add:
- treasure chest
- jewellery boxes
- magic beans
- treasure
- sieves
- tea strainers

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Co-operating
Problem solving
Exploring the properties of materials
Using a range of equipment
Exploring stories

ADULT ROLE

- Observe children, noting significant achievements.

- Encourage the children to explore the resources - what is the same about them, and what is different?

- Support the children as they sieve the sand to find treasure.

- Ask open questions about what the children are doing, and why.

BOOK AREA
Add:
- assorted picture books about giants including 'Jack and the Beanstalk'
- props from the story, including a fluffy chicken
- a magnetic board or wedge and magnetic story props from the story
- laminated card
- golden eggs and gold coins, with magnetic tape on the back
- markers, small card, scissors, magnetic tape

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Working together as part of a group
Retelling and creating own stories using props
Exploring books
Using the language of size
Exploring numbers

ADULT ROLE

- Share books with individuals and pairs of children.

- Model the use of the story language.

- Support the children as they retell familiar stories and create their own.

- Encourage the children to make their own story props.

- Support children as they explore the use of the language of size and number.

OUTDOOR AREA

It's important that outdoor play isn't a repeat of indoors. In general, it should extend learning and offer opportunities for children to work on a larger, noisier or messier scale or to use natural resources and experience the weather.

- Mark out 'giant trails' with huge footprints chalked on the ground. Provide huge boots and shoes for children to wear 'moving like a giant'.

- Plant runner beans and support children as they record their growth using digital cameras.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Co-operation and collaboration
Using a growing vocabulary
Measuring and estimating
Noticing similarities, differences and changes
Moving in different ways

ADULT ROLE

- Support children as they explore giant footprints. How far can they walk in one stride? How many giant strides would it take from the door to the gate?

RESOURCE BOX: FANTASY PLAY

Collecting role-play resource boxes around predictable early childhood interests ensures that practitioners are well-equipped to respond when children show an interest in a particular topic. Such resource boxes can be added to as new items become available. It's a good idea to have a list of the resources in the box, originals, where they came from and a reference to anything stored on a computer - for example, writing frameworks. Children's play themes often revolve around fantasy play, including treasure and magic. So, to support children's interest in fantasy play, consider providing:

- a collection of treasure chests, jewellery boxes and assorted metal, wooden and plastic boxes;

- a collection of glittery or sparkly bags handbags, purses and coins;

- images of giants, wizards, elves, goblins, dragons, fairies and other fantasy creatures;

- tiny things - spoons, picnic sets, books, baskets;

- huge things - joke teeth, glasses, pants, huge boots and shoes;

- shiny things - stars, Christmas tree decorations, glitter, sequins, holographic wrapping, 'treasure', costume jewellery and watches, golden painted plastic or wooden eggs;

- cloaks, wands, crowns, lengths of wonderful fabrics - sequinned, Lurex, velvet, metallic - in a wicker box;

- books about giants and fantasy characters (see Book Box, p22);

- salt-dough cakes, buns, biscuits, pies and other foods in huge and tiny sizes;

- recipe cards and cookbooks for fairies, giants and other magical characters;

- old 'scrolls' - crumple the paper, tear or singe the edges, and stain with cold tea; roll and fix with ribbons;

- 'magic' beans - spread a whole bag of dried butter beans on newspaper and spray one side with non-toxic metallic paint. Use to support imaginative and role play or instead of dice in games (throw five beans and count how many land shiny side up).

EXPLORING CHILDREN'S INTERESTS

Tuning in

Making time to talk to parents and carers is an important way of finding out about children's current interests and about what matters to them. Such information helps practitioners provide a curriculum that is relevant and meaningful.

Having an existing interest in a particular theme means that children approach it with enthusiasm and expertise, giving them confidence and increased motivation to engage in the activities provided. Children can use this expertise best in carefully planned, open-ended learning opportunities without prescribed uniform outcomes.

Enhancing provision

Any significant interest that a child or children may have should be explored by enhancing a setting's continuous provision - that is, by adding theme-based resources to the areas of provision that is available daily to children and should comprise:

- role play
- small-world play
- construction play
- sand and water
- malleable materials
- creative workshop area
- graphics area
- book area

By taking this approach, children can choose to engage with the theme or pursue their own interests and learning independently. Adults need to recognise that children require a suitable length of time to explore any interests in depth and to develop their own ideas.

ADULT ROLE

If children's interests are to be used to create the best possible learning opportunities, the adult role is crucial.

Adults need to be able to:

- enhance continuous provision to reflect children's interests;

- use enhancements to plan meaningful learning opportunities across all areas of the EYFS;

- know when to intervene in children's play and when to stand back;

- recognise that children will need a suitable length of time to explore any area of provision to develop their own ideas;

- model skills, language and behaviours;

- recognise how observation, assessment and reflection on children's play can enhance their understanding of what young children know and recognise how these should inform their future planning.

AREAS OF LEARNING
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication, language and literacy
- Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
- Knowledge and understanding of the world
- Physical development
- Creative development

Creative small worlds

The Mindstretchers company has put together a selection of beautiful, durable and highly sensory resources from different parts of the world to enhance children's small-world play. These open-ended resources are made of natural products and can be combined with others found on the website to create highly creative and imaginative structures and environments for children of all ages to make and remake. Visit www.mindstretchers.co.uk

KEY VOCABULARY

The following language could be introduced and modelled during a focus on giants:

Large, big, huge, gigantic, enormous, vast, great, jumbo massive, mammoth, colossal, gargantuan, titanic, small, tiny, mini, miniature, little, petite, minute, minuscule, wee, teeny-weeny

BOOK BOX

There are some great storybooks available about giants. Remember to use the local library and encourage families and members of the local community to share books.

- Jack and the Beanstalk narrated by Richard Walker and illustrated by Niamh Sharkey (Barefoot Books)This version of the fairytale offers a touch of eccentricity.

- Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs (Picture Puffin) This retelling of the fairy tale classic is set in modern times, featuring a giant who is short of teeth, hair and clear eyesight.

- Shhh! by Sally Grindley and Peter Utton (Hodder Children's Books) Based loosely on 'Jack and the Beanstalk', this story involves the reader in the narrative and adventure. Can you get through the book without waking up the enormous scary giant?

- Giant Hiccups by Jacqui Farley (Tamarind Books) Ayesha's hiccups disrupt a quiet town on the hill. When the townspeople meet her, however, a great friendship develops. A new look at the giant tradition.

- Has Anyone Seen Jack? by Tony Bradman and Margaret Chamberlain (Frances Lincoln)An enchanting interactive book that lets children lift flaps to find clever Jack's hiding places as he tries to escape the giant.

- The Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler (Macmillan Children's Books) George doesn't like being the scruffiest giant in town, so when he sees a new shop selling giant-size clothes he decides it's time to update his image. With smart trousers, a smart shirt, stripy tie and shiny shoes, George is a new giant. But on his way home, he meets various animals who desperately need his help ... and his clothes!

- Once Upon a Time by John Prater (Walker Books) According to the little boy, it's a dull day, but the pictures tell a very different story. There's Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Humpty Dumpty, a giant, a cow jumping over the moon ...

- Look Out, Jack! The Giant is Back! written by Tom Birdseye and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand (Holiday House) What happens after Jack slays the giant? He takes the hen that lays the golden eggs, the harp and bags of money and flees, with his mother, to a farm in the North Carolina mountains to escape the giant's even bigger brother - who catches up with them, but can Jack outwit the giant by overfeeding him?

- from Nonsense Nursery Rhymes by Richard Edwards and Chris Fisher (Oxford)

Fee fi fo fum

Little Freddie's looking glum

How to make him giggle?

Give his toe a wiggle.

- from Nonsense Counting Rhymes by Kay Umansky and Chris Fisher (Oxford)

Two shoes for the baby (They have to be tiny), Two shoes for the lady (They have to be shiny), Two shoes for the giant (They have to be leather), How many shoes do we have altogether?