Come and Play in the Hay!

Come and Play in the Hay!

Hay provides a sensory experience for children to explore openly with their peers in different ways. Place some hay bales and some loose hay and see what happens!  

Hay Bales provide some structure and a platform for jumping or walking across, while still being lightweight and movable for children to manipulate into different shapes and create their own play spaces. 

Providing rakes, shovels and buckets allows children to move the loose hay and explore it in different spaces, as well as encouraging them to tidy and look after the space. 

An environment set up from children's interest in the home corner and hay. 

Scissors and mortar and pestles were then added for children to grind and cut their own hay to include in their recipes. 

Children explored different ideas and uses for the hay, having quiet conversations and time to just sit with a friend and feel the hay between their fingers and mix it up.

 Others grabbed bundles of hay in their arms to see how much they could scoop up and hold, and then toss up into the air. 

Hay is an open ended material with many different uses to explore for everyone! 

Even our chickens enjoyed playing in the hay!

Working with IT

 

Inquiry through IT

To support our inquiry process and the use of our hundred languages, we encourage children to express their ideas in many different ways. One of these ways is though IT where they can extend on previous ideas, develop further representations or drawings by using the computer, and can research and investigate their understanding further through questioning. Children and adults can work together closely, or children can work with a peer in a paired situation Small groups are able to work together to explore wider interests such as rockets in space, where they can draw and animate images.

  

 

Some representations of space from the children.

We worked with the children on the computer, but projected it onto a larger screen so that other children could see what they were doing and have their own discussions.

 

The children explore kid pix to represent their ideas digitally for the space scene background.

They drew their own rockets, cut them out, and took pictures of them moving across space.

 

 

After we explored animation with rockets, some children wanted to create their own videos with props to tell a story. With the help of adults, the props were set up, moved and photographed to develop an animation which was shared as a movie to the rest of the children.

 

More animation ideas and pictures to come! This is a new area of exploration for us and we're continually learning and creating with the children.

 

 

 

WHY MUD! 

 

 

 

Sensory play is an important part of learning through play. Children engage with materials THROUGH USING ALL THEIR SENSES.

 MUD PLAY engages the senses as children use the mud to cook with, imagine they are in a dinosaur swamp, and also use the transformative qualities of mud( it can be made into mud balls, sludgy soup, chocolate sauce) to play with all those real life numeracy concepts like quantity, time, conservation....so lets make a list and keep it simple.

 

1.Playing in the mud makes you happier.

studies reveal that dirt/ mud contains microscopic bacteria which releases levels of serotonin helping us soothe relax and be calm

 

  2. Playing with Mud connects us to nature.

 

getting kids outside to interact with their environment creates memories that connect them to one of the most primal elements in our world.

 

 

 

 

 

3.Smarter happier children

The same release of serotonin is said to increase cognitive function.

 

 

3. Sensory play!

Sensory play and hands on play feeds children's brains.

 

5. Mud play welcomes all children of all abilities.

 

Mud is an open ended material and welcomes children of all ages and developmental abilities, from enjoying the squishing of mud through your toes to making mud bricks, it welcomes everyone.

5. Mud play stimulates creative thinking.

Playing with open ended materials like mud allows children to imagine that they are playing with chocolate , in a swamp etc and is key to develop creative thinking.

 

6.Mud as an art medium!

Keep watching this post.

 

7. Positive dispositions.

We all need some spaces to go to play on our own or with a couple of friends and our mud pit provides just that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things to do with light!

Playing with transparent blocks of different colours allows children to explore the various shades of colour evident on the floor spaces and the wall behind, as the light shines through from the overhead projector. Adding some opaque objects with interesting shapes like trees and people of different size and shape allows the exploration of comparison and depth. A further dimension of a background city or simple coloured background adds another dimension to enjoy.  

So they started building, creating and adding as they excplored the blocks. Comparing the sizes and shapes of the light and shadows that came through as well as the actual buildings against each other. It was interesting to see them discover the different angles and shapes that made a difference to how the shadows looked.

After a while they were showing the other children what they discovered with the blocks. They even began comparing their own shadows to one another, as well as to the objects they were playing with.  

Things to do with Light!

We use our data projector as well as our light table for children to explore light and shadow.



We have an outdoor Gazebo set up inside and we can close off one side and project images from our data projector!







A sheet of mosaic tiles set up with opaque magnets and metallic objects.

We also try and add sensory props like perfume bottles and flowers to the the light table. Noticing the details on the bottles and engaging with the the perfumes, as well as working out which lid fits on its' respective bottle opens up a world of imaginative, sensory and concepts of numeracy in such a beautiful way!

We went to a Patch Theatre Performance for "Lion in the Night:" The theatre performance was a representation of Pamella Allen's book. After the show we re-created the set by using props from the performance. Using the light projector we projected the image of a bird in a cage to revisit some of the things the children remembered from the show.

We also set up playscapes on the light box in this case to represent the sea. We placed different coloured blocks on the light table which resulted in children creating their own pirate ships.





We photocopy children's images onto an overhead transparency to use on the light projector.
 The children add props like blocks or cut out paper they've made to add to their play.

 Providing different textured materials and tiny objects to be discovered  - a miniature Zen garden, some hidden treasures!

Using light to represent objects, a torch as a baby in the home corner (inspired by the Patch Theatre Performance) 

Using letters, numbers and pictures to move around the light and explore.

Adding clear contact for the light to shine through as we paint patterns with our fingers and hands.

Play scapes relating to a story, with different textures to explore.

Noticing attributes of shape, size and colour through light box materials.

More Light Box Pictures to come soon as we experiment, play, and explore light possibilities with the children!

Outdoor Environments

 

Why be outside?

To explore the natural environment, to investigate the outside world, to be involved in projects with others, to imagine a place, to feel a space, to create with friends, to be messy, to touch the leaves, to feel the sand, to smell the garden, to hear the water run, to feel and just be in nature. To represent new ideas and thinking in different ways, TO PLAY!

These are just a few of the many reasons to take learning outside & explore with children!

 

We value the outdoor environment by providing large open spaces for children to run, jump climb and play, we provide moveable materials such as sticks, logs, crates and tyres for children to construct with, and change spaces to support their interests and learning. Smaller areas are created with different sensory textures and surfaces in mind, as well as encouraging individual and small group play, and transition to different spaces in the yard through paths, gardens and walkways.




Textured surfaces create interesting live play scapes for children.



 



A shaded barrel creates a cosy play space for a small group of children.








The very beginning of our simple mud patch (work in progress).

We began with a muddy patch, added a plank of wood and some pots.



 



Paths created from pavers and grass  provide different sensory surfaces to walk on and feel the hard and soft textures.



 



Rocks, plants, bark and log cuts, create interesting surfaces for children to explore and adapt.



 



The veggie patch we created with the children. The children painted the fence to show what they planted. They all help to look after our gardens with the watering cans provided. We created this simple small garden from an old wooden palette.



More outdoor pics to come soon!

Some cozy outdoor cubbies,  quiet spaces, and  places to explore with friends. These outdoor spaces were created with as much natural material as possible, taking advantage of the already existing trees, fences, gardens, paths and walkways.

We created this 'cubby wall' by tying some wooden planks to an already existing fence. With some old pieces that would have otherwise been scrap, we made a window with curtains and one with a hinged opening. The children love to look through the windows and talk to the children in the other yard.



Bridges, benches, and soft furnishings add to these outdoor spaces, making them comfortable in their natural surrounds.

More Outdoor Pics coming soon!



Story tables

 

What are story tables and why do we use it in our site?

Story tables are a rich litracy experience where children use props to sequence, recount and retell the story . They are exposed to concepts of print as they help create story tables of their own.

A popular traditional story " The three billy Goats Gruff."

Using story tables is an excellent tool for children with English as a second langauge as well as special rights, as they use the props and use verbal and non-verbal communication to tell the story.

The story tables can be a functional or factual book with props and adjuncts from the story, for children to retell the story or recreate the story their own way.

We often try and use non representational props for (e.g a block for an oven) to extend children's ability to represent ideas and objects.




Waddle, Giggle, Gargle! -A great book to begin with as it only needs a few simple props.

Different textures create a snowy environment for the story





Pamela Allen books are great story table books. This one encourages lots of conversation about problem solving and working together .



'Mary Elizabeth's House' , the children painted the house red and made signs for the house.

Another simple story about growing.

Remember to involve and include the children when creating a story table!

Another favourite,  add toy fruit as well as pictures of the food, this is an excellent counting and sorting story.

This one although a favourite , was a bit tricky with all the sheep going missing especialy the green sheep. Great way to let children know to leave all the props on the story tables.

Traditional stories like, ' The Three Little Pigs', 'Goldilocks', 'Red Riding Hood', 'The Gingerbread Man', 'The little Red Hen' are great ones to try......Keep watching this post!