As always, I have seen lots of inspiring ideas on my travels, so I thought I would share a few… First of all, you need to keep a look out for this 'must have' catalogue for Early Years resources. It was Joanne at Chester Blue Coat Primary School that recommended it to me and I have been promoting it ever since. It has got some BRILLIANT stuff in it, the sorts of things that we spend hours trying to source and collect. Better than that the prices are really good! There is no website yet so you need to check your pigeon hole or staffroom table to see if your copy has been delivered. If you can't find it or … Read More
Outdoor Play – Fixed Structures
If we want our outdoor areas to be as versatile as possible then we need to keep big fixed features to a minimum, and those that we do install need to be as ambiguous as possible. On my travels I see lots of wooden trains and pirate ships which often dominate the middles of play spaces. They have often been chosen by adults because the have an initial 'wow' factor – but believe me, the wow factor for lots of children soon wears off! A huge part of our role is to expand children's imaginations and experiences whilst at the same time giving them opportunities to consolidate the things that are happening in their own individual lives. A pirate ship … Read More
Mark Making In Reception and other ideas from Hampshire
Sorry for blog absence but as well as my jaunts around the country I also have had a deadline looming for 2 books for Bloomsbury. I am co authoring them with Kirstine Beeley and they are part of the '50 Fantastic things to do with…' range. So I have just finished (HOORAY!) 50 fantastic things to do with Paint and 50 Fantastic things to Squish, Squash and Squeeze. Both coming to a bookshop near you soon! Anyway, as I said in my previous post I went on a trip to Hampshire to deliver some conferences and work with some settings. These are settings that the LA have already identified as having very good practice and my job is to help … Read More
Outdoor Role Play
'Now, I like themed role play and I like deconstructed role play – but which one of them is best? There is only one way to find out…FIGHT! I had a really fascinating day the other day back at Stanley Primary (the one with the ducks – more of that later). I was there to evaluate the den making project and also to look at why Creativity points 6,7,8,and 9 were still so elusive, especially for the boys. It turned out that the solution to the latter was in the examination of the former – does that make sense? Maybe it will if I show you some pictures! Stanley is a 3-form entry Primary and the Reception share a large outdoor space … Read More