'Our Friendship Tree'

Members: Ashley Mason, Charlotte Ainsworth and Megan Nelli

Reasons for Selection:

•As a group we have decided to combine two of the provisions that were of interest to us all

•These are creative play and literacy

•We have chosen creative play due to the lack of opportunities we found for the children whilst we have been in placements. We felt that due to the potential mess and cleaning up time, some practitioners may be in favour of an activity involving minimal preparation and resources, making it easier to clear away to proceed the next activity.

•From choosing creative provision, we then researched activities within this topic leading us to our final decision of using paint within our project.

•Literacy was a common interest within the group, therefore we have decided to use both provisions within our project.

•From our own challenges as children, we preferred to be hands on with creative play using paint or cutting and sticking rather than choosing academic work such as literacy and mathematics. For this reason, we chose to have both provisions in our activity to encourage children to enjoy all areas of provision.

Activity:

1.Circle time at the beginning to ensure everyone is included and that all children understand the aims and outcomes of the activity. Throughout circle time prior to the activity, it can be discussed about the season we are currently in and give the children an opportunity to share their thoughts on what happens in autumn and what they associate with autumn. Through this, some answers may link to the tree. However if they don’t, autumnal colours can be introduced. Once these points have been discussed, a brief overview of the activity will be given. 

2.With the creative area already set with the resources, the children will then be allowed to go and  complete their hand prints for the tree. Simple image instructions will be available on the table for children to look at should they need any additional help. This therefore means that the activity could be completed without adult input.

3.Once the hand prints have been completed, the children will allow them to dry. Throughout any time whilst the hand prints are drying, the children will have the chance to practice writing their names with the use of a dot to dot template.

4.When they have dried, the children will write their names on their hand print leaf. This could be with the use of the dot to dot template or however for those that can attempt it without due to the previous practice can do so without.

5.The children will then cut out their hand print leaves and stick them on to the branches of “Our Friendship Tree”.

Reflection:

Planning and creation 

As a whole, we believe that the planning and creation of our activity has been successful. Tasks were delegated to those in our group and completed within the time frames and targets that we set to allow us to move on to the next step of the product. We struggled with the creativity of the tree, however we overcome this barrier by researching other examples of excellence.

Improvements and changes on planning and creation

If we were to carry out this task again we would carry out our activity in various settings rather than just one with different age groups in order to find our target audience for our activity. This would allow us to tailor our activity to the needs of different children.

Carrying out the activity

We were able to set out the activity before hand. It could have been more beneficial if we had a table to work at however we improvised well by using the floor covering it with paper. When carrying out the activity we didn’t have too much of a time slot. The leaves were wet therefore the students were unable to write directly onto the leaves. However these were stuck on, on separate pieces of white paper whilst the paint was still wet. We think that the participants enjoyed our activity.

Improvements and changes on carrying out the activity

If we were to carry out the activity again, it would improve it if we had more time to do so. This would allow leaves to dry so the child can therefore write on their leaf that they have created. Additionally, this would enable more time for the handwriting of the names to be practiced as well as completing the extension activity. Furthermore, we would ensure there was table space for the larger tree to sit on with the children around it to therefore show what the leaves will be being used for.

Arctic Sensory Bin - Polar Bears House pictures of completed activity and feedback

Group members: Hayley Vella, Jodie Barnes and Daljit Cheema

We created an arctic sensory bin for our activity which was based on this book.












Peer Feedback:

1. The group demonstrates good understanding of the learning outcomes:

Reflected critically on the ways in which children learn through experimental, creative, and / or play-based approaches - YES

Demonstrated how to plan and implement opportunities for holistic development in an area of provision based on an analysis of children's interests and needs - YES

Explained the main principles and processes of documenting children's play and / or learning - YES

2. Information presented was well researched - YES

3. Ideas were clearly communicated - YES

4. Resources used supported the project theme - YES

5. Session was interesting and interactive - YES


Comments

The best part of the presentation was...

• Presentation and activity was very interactive
• Enjoyed all the different senses in the polar bear story/habitat

From this presentation I learned...

• Different senses and the benefits of sensory play for children

My question for the presenters...

• What environment/habitat would you use next time?

In future the presenters should...

• Arrange a mini extension activity. 

Pictures of our activity being presented and in the process of making it using the following materials:

• Mudrock
• Sugar Cubes
• Cotton Wool
• Shaving Foam
• Water Beads
• Tray
• Glitter
• PVA Glue

This above photo was taken during the activity, it began by reading the story book.

Everyone getting involved in the sensory bin.

A photo on the activity before it started, Shaving foam representing the snow and sugar cubes representing the ice cubes.












Below pictures during the preparation for our activity.

Final pictures once the activity was completed

Improvements for next time:

We would improve our group task by creating further activities which would extend the use of mathematics and literacy within the tasks in order to enhance the older children's learning. This is because we feel that when the activity is completed it may not have as much of an impact on the development of these particular skills. 

Project title – The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Names of group members – Francesca, Sarah, Hayley and Summaia

1.       The group demonstrates good understanding of the learning outcomes:

Reflected critically on the ways in which children learn through experiential, creative, and / or play-based approaches – YES

Demonstrated how to plan and implement opportunities for holistic development in an area of provision based on an analysis of children’s interests and needs – YES (also included different tasks depending on levels of children’s ability)

Explained the main principles and processes of documenting children’s play and / or learning – YES (how it’s adapted to EYFS ages and stages and their aims)

2.       Information presented was well researched – YES (from settings and EYFS)

3.       Ideas were clearly communicated – YES

4.       Resources used supported the project theme – YES (large caterpillar, food items)

5.       Session was interesting and interactive – YES (all involved in feeding the caterpillar)

Comments:

·         The best part of the presentation was…. Feeding the caterpillar.

·         From this presentation I learned…. The life timeline of a caterpillar. Interactive ways of telling the story (pop-up book and the activity).

·         My questions for the presenters is…. What activities could stem from this for the cocoon or butterfly?

·         In future the presenters should…. Could use real fruit to reinforce dietary needs as well.

          

 

TITLE OF ACTIVITY: The Very Hungry Caterpillar 

AREA OF PROVISION: After researching different areas of continuous provision, as a group we decided to focus on an area of professional learning; mathematics. We chose to focus on numeracy as we believe it is a challenging area to engage children in.

MATERIALS: > Cardboard box
> Craft paper and card
> Textures (buttons, cotton wool etc.)
> Glue, velcro and scissors
> The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book
> Access to computers
> Large sheet of paper

OBJECTIVES: o Improving numeracy skills through fun activities in relation to a popular book e.g. feeding the caterpillar the right number of food.
o Extending children’s learning based on their abilities by developing the activity further e.g. changing the order of the days of the week to eliminate the risk or memorisation.

VOCABULARY: We would like the children to view the activity as a fun way of learning rather than purely learning numeracy. This is why we would use informal language whilst presenting the activity to engage their learning. We would also introduce different names of fruits/foods that they may not have heard of before.
STAGE:
Our activity can be altered to suit children from various stages such as from the ages of 30-60 months.

PRESENTATION: 1. Firstly we will need everyone to sit down on the carpet so that we can see the book in clear view. Everyone will need to sit closely to ensure they can hear the adult reading to them.
2. Whilst reading, the adult will ask the children questions such as “How many plums did the Caterpillar eat on ____?” or “What did the Caterpillar eat on Tuesday?”. This will be done so that the children can gain deeper understanding on the book. After the child answers, they will be asked to “feed” the caterpillar the correct fruit. For a child to be selected, we will pick names out of a pot so that the activity is fair and equal for every child.
3. Alternatively, the adult may select children to “feed” the caterpillar whilst she goes along reading the book. This can be done if the children seem disengaged with the activity.
4. Towards the end of the book, the adult will ask the children what they believe the Caterpillar turned into. This is done just to grab the children’s attention at the end of the book.
5. After reading the book, a child will be asked to select a fruit the adult asks for, or collect the correct numbers of fruit for a certain day. The questions will be varied depending on the ages of the children. The children will find it enjoyable to stick the different foods or days on the chart.
6. After we have conducted our activity, we will allow the children to have time amongst them-selves to enjoy playing with the objects as it is a continuous activity without the need of provision.

ACTIVITY:
The children will be likely to use the provisional activity independently as it is fun for them to feed the caterpillar the food/fruits. They will also enjoy sticking the velcro foods onto the daily chart as well as changing the day of the week.

POINT OF INTEREST:
A point of interest throughout our activity is once again; numeracy. We believe the mathematic area of continuous provision often lacks entertainment for the children, resulting in poor input/effort from them. However, once the children are interested in the activity their actual skills and abilities begin to emerge.

FURTHER ACTIVITIES: Our activity can be developed to suit the needs of younger children to older children, or even those who are more/less developed for their age. This will be done by either keeping the days of the week in order so the children who are at a lower development stage will find the activity easier to do, whereas the children who are in the higher development stage will find the activity more challenging as the days of the week will be mixed up.

EXPLORATION: o Role play with the caterpillar and the different foods/fruits
o Playing with the daily chart and the days of the week labels

LINKS TO THE EYFS:
> This activity links to the EYFS Developmental Matters (BAECE, 2012) in the area of Mathematics. For example it states that a Unique Child aged 30 – 50 months “shows interest in shapes in the environment” (BAECE, 2012; p36).
> Our activity is also supported by the EYFS Communication and Language; Speaking area as it states that a Unique Child aged 30-50 months “can retell a simple past event in correct order” (BAECE, 2012; p20).– meaning retelling a story in order should not be too challenging for them.
> According to the EYFS, a Unique Child aged 30-50 months can listen “to stories with increasing attention and recall” and can also describe “main story settings, events and principal characters” (BAECE, 2012; p.29). This relates well to our activity as we read the story book to begin with.
> Lastly, the EYFS Mathematics; Numbers area supports our activity as it is understood that a Unique Child aged 30-60 months typically “Counts objects to 10, and beginning to count beyond 10” whereas for the younger ones, it is stated that the child can recite “ numbers in order to 10” (BAECE, 2012; 33).

DIFFERENTIATION:
Our activity includes a story book which is read out to the children. If a child had a hearing impairment for example, we could use sign language to show the amount of fruit the caterpillar ate each day. As we read the story, the images will be clearly visible to the children so they can relate the words to the page of the story and gain better understanding of the book. On the other hand, if we had a child with a visual impairment, we have included textures on the fruit which can help with sensory development. There are many ways to adjust this activity to meet the needs of individual children.

REFLECTION ON WORK WITH CHILDREN: As we were busy creating our activity, we did not have the chance to try it out on the children in our settings. However, whilst planning which area of provision to focus on, we took note on which areas of development are used the least or interest the children the least. This is how we came to the result of focusing on mathematics as our area of provision as we thought it would be interesting and challenging. Whilst in our settings, we also observed which types of activity children within our selected age range enjoy the most. We found that interactive play, involving a small group of children and interactive displays, interested the children the most. Hence, we decided to create an interactive activity which we believe children will continue to enjoy whether adults are nearby or not.

The Explorers (Becca & Olivia)

The Explorers:

What our activity was:
Our activity was to look at the outdoors as a whole, looking specifically at different areas of the outdoors and how these areas can be adapted to different environments. For example bringing the outdoors inside. We were able to therefore look at the flexibility of settings and how these settings are able to adapt their indoor/ outdoor environment appropriately for the individual child.

How we did the activity:

For this activity we were able to create a large activity book to promote different areas of the outdoors and to show the adaptions of the activities within a setting.

We presented this activity book to our peers, as well as presenting two practical activities for everyone to try. This was a way of us promoting bringing the outdoors indoor, through both practical play.

The activity book consisted of 10 activities, done with children in a setting, showing different variations of the outdoors and how the outdoors is an important contributor to children’s learning.

From this activity book we chose two activities to focus on and present practically. These included a bubble snake and musical instruments, which we were able to make and bring in for everyone to try.

The Activity Book:

The activity book was created to show areas of the outdoors being brought inside through different range of resources. For example natural resources such as leaves were used for leaf printing, leaf rubbing, a treasure hunt and were a key element of the musical instruments.

The activity book had instructions of how to do the activity, as well as pictures of the activity being made and the final result. Each activity made was specific t different areas of development and was created from the natural resources of the outdoors, therefore suitable for both the indoor and outdoor environment.

For example the ‘bubble snake’ activity was a good activity to help children with speech and language barriers, as the bubble snake consisted of the children blowing into the top of the bubble snake, therefore getting children to use muscles in their mouth which they may not have done before, therefore promoting children to use new muscles and hopefully helping with the development of their speech and language.

Why did we choose to do outdoor play:

We chose to do outdoor play as a whole so that we could focus on the different areas of the outdoors and promote a whole range of development areas for children, helping them to specifically develop at their own rate accordingly, using the outdoors as a different approach of learning for children.

The outdoors is an ever-changing environment, which is freely structured and therefore supports flexible learning. Children learn many things through the outdoors whether it is through adult led or child led activities and this is why we decided to focus on this area.

 By Becca and Olivia

Imagery

Imagery

Our activity: Creating self-portraits using a variety of materials and equipment to help aid them

Age-range activity appeals to: 3-5 years

Area of provision: Malleable play

How did we conduct the activity?

Our activity was a a mixture of being outdoors and indoors. This was to ensure that it was as creative as possible and to also help to keep students entertained and engaed. The activity began indoors where children were briefed on what they had to do. They were told that they were going to make picture of themselves using different objects and materials therefore were told that they were going to make their way outside to gather some materials. Children were then escorted outside and given five minutes to look for things that they wanted to use. They were given the freedom to explore around the surroundings and get materials such as leaves and soil. When they got inside they were then given a further five minutes to begin creating their images. They had more equipment to use including rolling pins and cutters. The children were also given individual mirrors for them to see themselves as they went along.

The Pilot Trail

We decided to conduct a pilot trail in order to see the pros and cons of our activity. This was done with two five year olds from an after school play group. Although the sample size was small, we felt that it could still help us to give us an idea of things that we could keep and things that could be improved. One improvement we felt was necessary was that we needed a wider range of materials to use. This is why we incorporated the use of the outdoor environment in the final activity. A positive aspect that we found was that the children were interacting and engaging with other efficiently which was one of our key aims of the activity. There are some images of the pilot trial below.

Why did we choose this task?

·         Fun!

·         Interactive

·         East to mediate and carry out

·         Many skills can be developed

·         Safe

·         Creative

We designed a mood board to present our ideas and research on ‘messy play.; 

This was during our final activity 

Imagery- Feedback from peer review, Activity Plan and Pictures

Feedback 

1. The group demonstrates good understanding of the learning outcomes:

Reflected critically on the ways in which children learn through experimental, creative, and/or play-based approaches- Yes

Demonstrated how to plan and implement opportunities for holistic development in an area of provision based on an analysis o children's interests and needs- Yes

Explained the main principles and processes of documenting children's play and/or learning- Yes

2. Information presented was well researched- Yes
3. Ideas were clearly communicated- Yes
4. Resources used supported the project theme- Yes
5. Session was interesting and interactive: Yes

Comments

The best part of the presentation: How they allowed us to go outside and gather our own materials and the mood board

From this presentation I learned: How the use of outdoor materials can change an activity

My question for the presentation is: How would you keep an older child engaged?


In future the presentations should: Think of how they can use other materials such as paint or clay to expand on the activity for example portraits. 

Activity Plan 

Template for presentation of Activity and Lesson Plan

Assessment 7A

1. Title of activity

Area of provision	Which area of provision and why have you chosen this After extensive research into this chosen area we decided to choose malleable play
Materials	List materials needed to complete the activity Playdough- including different colours tailed to appearance for example yellow, orange, brown, black, pink/peach, blue, green, red) Cutting equipment, rolling pins, plastic knifes, cutters in the form of shapes. 6 X Mirrors Items that can be used as stencils such as plastic plates, and recycled items. Items collected from outdoors such as sticks, leaves, pepples.
Objectives	List the learning / skills to be developed or refined through the design of the activity. How are the children learning The main objective- Promoting positive self-image and trying to minimise discrimination of differences amongst peers. Physical (fine motor and gross motor), social, Creativity and imagination and understanding the world.
Vocabulary	What kind of language might you include or introduce to the child? Learning positive vocabulary and pronunciation surrounding self-image including facial features, colours and encouraging adjectives.
Stage	Indicate when this activity might be introduced, i.e. and early or advanced activity, suitable for a younger or older child The age that this activity would be introduced is 40-60 months with variations depending on the learning stage of the child.
Presentation	Carefully describe how you would present the activity. Firstly we would have the children outside, to collect various sticks, leaves or pebbles to use when making their faces. Then the children will sit in a circle on the carpet area, and the children will take turns stating what they like about their peers appearance and character. This promotes peer learning and social interaction between the children which Vygotsky states is essential in a child’s development (Bulkeley, 2009). The children will then state what they like about their own appearance and character. Then the children will be moved to a table with different coloured playdough and tools set out, along with what they have collected from outdoors. There will also be a mirror for each child. The child can then create their face using whatever playdough, outdoor materials and tools they want, only with guidance given where necessary.
Activity	Any notes on how the activity can be used independently by the child The child will have the playdough available to them on the table, and a mirror will also be on the table for them. The child can then carry out the activity on their own. The activity can either be set up on a table for a group of children or only for one child.
Point of interest	Any aspect of the activity that may become the focus of interest for the child or the practitioner The focus of interest for the practitioner will be to see how the child views themselves and others, and whether that is positive or not, from this practitioners can devise activities to ensure each individual child has a sense of self-worth. In addition practitioners will also focus on the children’s ability to recognise and identify the different parts of their face. The practitioner will also be observing the child’s use of tools and outdoor materials to manipulate the playdough into what they want.
Further activities / next steps	What other activities might lead on from this activity? Consider possible lines of development Another activity that could follow on from this could be for the children to use a different material to make their faces again, or their whole bodies instead. There could also be another activity that focuses more on the character and personality of the child now, so too much importance isn’t put on just the child’s physical appearance. For instance taking the nursery world example, the children could add a further caption focusing on their individual qualities, thus encouraging further self-confidence.
Exploration	How the child might spontaneously explore creatively with this activity. The child is able to make their facial features however they want, either using tools or manipulating the playdough by hand. Though they will be copying their picture form a mirror, they won’t have any instructions in terms of how they want to make themselves look, therefore they can create their face to look however they want. They will also not be given instructions on how to use the tools or outdoor materials, so they can use them to mould the playdough in any way they wish, encouraging them to use their imagination and creativity.

Insert pictures of the activity If you would like to show us what it looks like		You may choose an alternative format for presenting your photos, this is just a suggestion

Links to EYFS	Refer to Development Matters e.g This activity links to the EYFS Development Matters (BAECE, 2012) in the area of Mathematics, A Unique Child 30 – 50 months “Shows interest in shapes in the environment.” (BAECE, 2012, p36). This activity links to the EYFS Development Matters (BAECE, 2012) in the area of Creativity, A Unique Child 30 – 50 months “Beginning to be interested in and describe the texture of things.” (BAECE, 2012, p44). This activity links to the EYFS 2013 in the area of personal, social and emotional, 40-60 months as it states the child ‘can describe self in positive terms and talk about abilities’ (DofE, 2013). It also links the EYFS development matters under enabling environments: what adults could provide, 40-60 months ‘provide activities that involve turn-taking and sharing in small groups’ (DofE, 2012).
Differentiation	How might you adapt the activity for a child who may be in need of additional support?  What strategies could you use to modify your planned activity to reflect children’s unique characteristics and abilities? A teacher can sit near a child who needs additional support, and give them extra guidance where required, while also giving attention to other children, so the child with additional needs doesn’t feel singled out.
Reflection on work with children	If one of your group can use the activity at work with a small group of children, this will help you in presenting to us on the day. Write your reflections here, how did the children interact, what did they enjoy most, did work as you had hoped or did it not !!!

References:

Bulkeley, J. 2009. Understanding how babies develop and learn through documenting their learning journeys. In: Fabian, M and Mould, C. eds. 2009. Development and learning for very young children. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Ch.2.

Department of education. 2012. Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). [Online]. Available: http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2012/03/Development-Matters-FINAL-PRINT-AMENDED.pdf [Accessed: 27/10/15]

Department for Education, September 2013. Early years outcomes. [Pdf] London: Department for Education. Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237249/Early_Years_Outcomes.pdf> [Accessed 29^th October 2015]

Pictures from Pilot Trial