Enabling Environments: Let's explore ... What is a reflection?

Umbrella theme for:

• reflections - sparkle and shine

• the same and different - mirrors

• symmetry

About this Interest

This develops children's curiosity, understanding and knowledge about mirrors, reflection and symmetry. At the heart of the Interest, children will develop an awareness of their own reflections and reflections of things in shiny surfaces. Throughout their experiences children should, as part of small or large group, take turns to share ideas, conversations and materials, understanding that playing and working together can help them get on better, build good relationships and develop thinking.

In this Interest possible lines of enquiry might be:

• Materials that are shiny and those that are not

• Materials that reflect and those that do not

• How mirrors can be used to create symmetry and symmetrical patterns

• About details of their own reflection

• About reflective surfaces in nature and those that are man-made

• About symmetrical and non-symmetrical patterns

• About things that are the same and things that are different.

Key Stage One Links: This Interest could be linked to Supermarket.

ENGAGE

Initial ideas

During starting-point activities observe to find out what children know and what interests they are developing on the theme.

• Make a collection of shiny objects and materials encouraging the children to play and talk about reflections of themselves. Objects could include spoons, mirrors of different types, foil, Christmas baubles, buckles, tins and other reflective items.

• Collect a range of different mirrors and use imaginative language to describe colour, shape and size. Who might use a mirror like this?

• Look at photographs of reflections in nature such as of trees and boats on water and talk about why they think the boats and trees are reflected. Document the children's ideas and thinking including what they say.

Memorable experiences

Take the children on a 'reflections' hunt in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Look for reflections in mirrors and shiny surfaces like a glass door, a kettle, a toaster, a spoon, an oven door, a puddle or a shop window.

Or

Set up a large mirror in the classroom, one that enables the children to see a full length reflection. Provide a range of props including fabrics, hats, masks, etc and let the children explore, imagine and discover their creative reflections.

During these experiences children might:

• Experiment with reflections and describe what they can see.

• Use language associated with mirrors and reflection to talk about what they can see such as same, different, shiny, smaller, clear, and reflection.

• Talk to parents and carers who are taking part in the activity about things that are shiny and things that are not.

• Move in front of reflective surfaces and see what happens.

• Document what happens as they play in front of the mirror - using cameras - and talk imaginatively about themselves.

Stop and think

• What do your observations tell you about children's developing interests?

• What interests are the children beginning to demonstrate?

• How can I provide for these in the next stage of learning?

• What changes might I need to make to the suggested activities to support children's developing interests?

• How are the children's interests developing?

• What other interests are emerging?

• What do the majority of children seem interested in?

DEVELOP

Talk and share ideas

• The children talk about why we need mirrors in places like hairdressers, clothes shops, cars and bathrooms.

• Using a collection of shiny and non-shiny materials explore which give reflections and which do not and sort into groups.

• Talk about the word 'reflection'. Find out what the children think the word means and document their ideas.

• Document any questions the children may have about reflections to think about during the Interest.

• Use mirrors and magnifying mirrors to explore details of their own faces. Talk about small details such as freckles, spots, scars, hairs, eyes and eyelashes.

• Talk about safety when using mirrors using words such as sharp, edges, breakable, shatter and glass.

• Look at patterns that are symmetrical and non-symmetrical and use language such as 'the same' and 'different' to describe.

• Encourage the use of imaginative language and document what the children say and do.

Communication and Literacy

The children could:

• Play a range of reflection and copying games following instructions and copying shapes and movements from a leader as if they were the reflective mirror.

• Think of words to describe shiny things like sparkle, twinkle, shine, smooth, polished, varnished, glassy and write them on shiny stars and moons.

• Talk about the route taken on their reflection walk and make a group map to show where they went. Talk about things that were reflective and draw on the map where they were found.

• Use non-breakable mirrors to explore positioning. Let them explore different angles of their own bodies. For example, 'What can you see if you hold the mirror above you?', 'What can you see if you look down on to the mirror?' and 'How does your face change?'.

• Look into mirrors and explain how they feel when looking at their own reflection.

Stop and think

• Am I providing a range of play, including child-initiated play and adult-led playful activities?

• How can I support and encourage developing interests further?

• What resources do I need to do that?

• How can I tweak the suggested activities in the areas of learning to facilitate children's developing interests?

• How can I build on these experiences in the Innovate Stage?

Maths possibilities

The children could:

• Use small unbreakable mirrors to make symmetrical patterns using 2D shapes.

• Make symmetrical patterns using blobs of paint and folding the paper to make a reflected image.

• Use a basket of numbered shiny stars for counting and ordering.

• Make symmetrical and reflective patterns using ICT software.

• Sort and make sets of items that are reflective and non-reflective and describe why they have sorted them in a particular way.

• Create patterns in mirror trays and describe what they can see using positional language such as next to, on top of, behind, in front of.

• Use a range of images of different butterflies to look at the symmetrical patterns on their wings. Explore what happens when a mirror is placed in the middle of a pattern. Is it the same pattern reflected or a different pattern? Use vocabulary to describe what is seen such as same, different and symmetrical.

Creative possibilities

The children could:

• Make shiny mobiles using old CDs, reflective buttons, mosaics, mirrored shapes and tin foil containers.

• Paint and draw on mirrored surfaces to create temporary art.

• Make symmetrical butterfly patterns using paint and paper folding.

• Make symmetrical patterns into clay tiles using beads, mirrored buttons and collage materials including sequins.

• Decorate a mirrored bauble using glitter and glue.

• Use face paints to change their reflections. Take photographs and display their designs.

• Create a mirror dance with a partner.

• Play 'sound copy' games making sounds with hands or voice for others to copy.

This is an extract from Cornerstones focus on 'What is a reflection?', one of 16 themes within its EYFS curriculum

CORNERSTONES EYFS CURRICULUM

The Cornerstones EYFS Curriculum Framework meets the learning and development requirements outlined in the new EYFS Statutory Framework 2012 and provides early years practitioners with a framework on which to build creative, childinitiated or co-constructed learning experiences that are balanced with adult-led support.

Taking as its starting point young children's questions about the world around them, it aims to support children's instinctive curiosity and so enable them to see the world from their own perspective, as inspired explorers of knowledge.

The framework is built upon the three 'Characteristics of Effective Learning' within the EYFS and runs parallel with the expectations of the Development Matters framework. Each of the 16 'Interests' within the curriculum is structured around five stages:

• Initiate - initial ideas

• Engage - playing and exploring

• Develop - enhance and deepen

• Innovate - ceating and thinking critically

• Express - active learning, reviewing and reflecting.

For more information and to download a free version of the 'What is a reflection?' project, visit: www.cornerstoneseducation.co.uk.