I've decided to start up my ‘Weekly Wanderings' series again so I can share regularly some of the fun we get up to each week in my home based child care service and with my own 4 year old twins. There will hopefully be some inspiration and new ideas for parents and also those working with children.
I am a huge believer in play based learning, outdoor exploration and letting kids be kids while they can. I also believe that play and learning does not need to be expensive nor time consuming to set up and pack away. Above all it should be fun for both you and the children.
Let's take a wander through our days last week…..
I added some wicker decorator balls and a tablecloth to the pallet kitchen area and Tara decided we were having ‘meatballs' for breakfast. She spent a lot of time getting everything ready too!
A few ‘new' props added to outdoor play can spark the imagination and prompt communication and role play in a way that is entirely different to indoor play.
Making meatballs in the kitchen for breakfast turned into a whole ‘outdoor cafe' experience as they bustled around setting up chairs and tables, teapots and saucers, baskets of goodies and the keyboard and phone to attend to customers……
Toddlers made and investigated the prints made in the sand by new gumboots……
There was lots of just plain soaking up the sunshine on cold Winter's mornings….free play is just as important to a child's learning journey and if you watch closely and listen carefully you will often notice magical moments occurring….like the flying of an airplane to save your sister in the boat cause she might hit a rock soon…..on a seesaw.
There were impromptu morning teas and lunches on the mats in the sun as the group decided how they wanted to proceed with their shop play…..meal times don't always need structure and routine or even a set time!
We incorporated many activities to support shape recognition, naming, counting and colour this week through the use of puzzles, books, craft and song….but not a stencil or worksheet was in sight…
The older children helped me to cut out the shapes and the toddlers had fun painting them and arranging patterns.
There were activities to extend upon the current interest in tools and fixing things…..
And playdough Birthday cakes to be made with straw candles and then served on special red paper plates …I think the twins upcoming 4th Birthday might have prompted this particular play 😉
There were mats set up in the sun ready for play….a different invitation was offered each morning even though I only used the same materials throughout the week.
There is always something new to explore with old materials when you allow yourself to think outside the box.
Coloured gems and pebbles were a huge hit last week. There was a treasure hunt using the trucks to collect them from around the yard, they were used to decorate cakes in the sandpit, They became money for the shop and they even served as baby food at the outdoor highchairs.
A simple resource that offered hours of fun and learning. The different activities provided opportunities for problem solving, exploration, communication, counting, sequencing and imaginary play.
And best of all it even kept the toddlers busy for a whole morning!
There was an outdoor vet surgery set up to help all the soft animals…..
Bandages were applied….
Sores were washed with cotton balls and medicine was given by syringe….
Beds for the animals to sleep in were made in baskets, boxes and chairs with blankets and cloth nappies…..
There was lots of opportunity to talk about the role of vets in our community, the animals being fixed and the noises they make, the injuries and illnesses, what the animals need to eat to feel better and lots of team work and role play to explore.
Invitations to Ruby and Tara's Fairy Princess Garden Party were finished and handed out to friends….
Our belonging tree had a makeover with activities from the previous week now added to the display through the use of photos…
And a new display wall featuring collages of our favourite activities from the last month proved very popular with the children who proudly showed their ‘work' to interested parents. There's always time to look at photos!
We went on a little hunter gatherer walk around our vegetable garden and fruit trees….amazing the things a child's eye will see that an adult's does not!
We picked and tasted mandarins, lemons and passionfruit….although lots of fun it was also an activity that challenged our senses and offered opportunities to practice fine and gross motor skills as well as opening discussion about the colours of the fruits and how we get inside each one.
It was an adventure in sustainability as we pulled passionfruits off another tree to reveal new apples growing underneath and bananas beginning to turn yellow as they nestled in their bunch. Both would soon be ready to eat…but not yet it was decided after much chatting!
It also tired us out nicely before rest time!
And at the end of the week there were toys to wash and surfaces to clean…but we turned that into a learning activity too as the twins helped me wash in the tub and spread toys out in the sun to dry.
We talked about why we need to wash the toys, remembered how we had played with them and wondered what opportunities for play next week might hold….
love what you do in your practice, loads of inspiring ideas . thank you for sharing