Stick Man group Activity and Lesson plan.

Activity and Lesson plan

1.    ‘Stick Man’ activity

Area of provision	Our initial area of provision is communication and language through the medium of sharing a story, however the activity itself is linked to knowledge and understanding of the world.
Materials	‘Stick Man’ by Julia Donaldson. Card Double sided tape. Access to an outdoor environment.
Objectives	We aim to introduce children to the concept of changing seasons through the use of a story and additional activities. Use the outdoor environment as an additional classroom in order to enhance children’s learning and understanding of the world around them. Use the outdoor environment to link curriculum activities. Collect natural items to be taken back to the setting for a sensory basket. Allow children to explore the natural world in a safe and creative way.
Vocabulary	The book itself contains a variety of new vocabulary that can be introduced to children. The change in seasons throughout the story can be used as a starting point in order to find out how much the children already know about the world around them, and see what vocabulary they already possess.
Stage	3-4 years old. It may be harder to have the vocabulary aspect with younger children as they may not fully understand or be able to communicate their prior knowledge as well, however with a group of children they would learn through shared experiences and alongside their peers.
Presentation	The story would be introduced with the practitioner sharing the book with the children. Children could be invited to turn the pages, and join in with the rhyme (which is central to the book) as the book progresses. Once the story is complete, practitioners could introduce the daily activities that the children are invited to participate in - the woodland walk takes place immediately after the story so the information and visual imagery is still fresh in the children’s minds. The collection of objects to take back to the setting which children have been known to enjoy – they can show the objects to visitors to the setting, their peers and parents at a later time if they wish. The ‘build your own stick man” activity is a fun way of rounding up the activity, and allowing the children to express themselves.
Activity	Children may choose to look at the book independently.
Point of interest	Any aspect of the activity that may become the focus of interest for the child or the practitioner
Further activities / next steps	We linked the initial stand alone activity of reading with children to activities that span a child’s holistic development i.e. a woodland walk that allows children to create their own stick man, and collecting a number of items.
Exploration	How the child might spontaneously explore creatively with this activity.

Links to EYFS	This activity links to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning goal in Mathematics, “Counts up to three or four objects by saying one number name for each item...Counts actions or objects which cannot be moved…Counts objects to 10, and beginning to count beyond 10” (DfE, 2014, p.24) This activity links to the EYFS learning goals for Communication and Language, “Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them…Listens to stories with increasing attention and recall… Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories…Focusing attention – still listen or do, but can shift own attention…Is able to follow directions (if not intently focused on own choice of activity).” (DfE, 2014, p.5) This activity links to the EYFS learning goals for Knowledge and Understanding of the World as it will stimulate and encourage the children to, “Comments and asks questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place where they live or the natural world…Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects…Talks about why things happen and how things work…Developing an understanding of growth, decay and changes over time.” (DfE, 2014, p.29) This activity links to the EYFS learning goal for Expressive Arts and Design, “Constructs with a purpose in mind, using a variety of materials.” (DfE, 2014, p.32)
Differentiation	The activities that cover different areas of development can be targeted towards meeting the needs of specific children. If ratios/time constraints allow, practitioners could work one-to-one with each child within the setting to ensure they get the most out of the setting. Alternatively, children could be in small groups of 2-3 which means that they get more interaction and stimulation from the practitioner who is supporting their learning. If a child had a particular interest in the story, the activities could be extended further. Likewise, if practitioners felt that specific children in their care would benefit from one particular aspect of the overall activities, they can be used as stand alone provision.
References	Department for Education, 2013. Early Years Outcomes. [pdf] Department for Education. Available at: < https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237249/Early_Years_Outcomes.pdf> [accessed 23rd October 2015] Donaldson, J. 2009. Stick Man. s.l. : Alison Green Books