It is often commented upon by visitors that our children are busy and engaged in their play, yet there is a calm atmosphere. This is achieved through various factors, including staff interactions and expectations. It is also the carefully thought-out continuous provision with access to open-ended resources and loose parts that children can assign their own interpretations to during their play. Intriguing enhancements can enable children to develop communication and language skills by discussing them with their peers and staff.
Intriguing objects can appear in any area of the continuous provision indoors and outdoors, but I have found that the children enjoy it when we add an exciting hub to the environment where new objects appear every day, few days, or weekly. From time to time we evaluate the environment and judge whether certain features are used effectively by the children or not. For example, we transformed a built-in cupboard by removing the shelves and doors and made it into a ‘Cave of Wonders’ by creating a papier mâché stone outer wall and painting it black inside. Some popular special enhancements appeared, such as an old suitcase filled with sand and hidden treasures.
CURIOSITY COTTAGE
Our small playhouse outside sometimes contains comfy beanbags and a box of books. Sometimes it is empty for the children's own interpretations, or it has role-play props along the lines of something the children have shown us they are interested in. Last year I decided to adapt the playhouse into the ‘Curiosity Cottage’. The sign on the door was printed using an image of a vintage gold frame to add to the special and intriguing feel. The cottage was decorated with interesting photographs of items and numbers and pictures made from loose parts. A small table ran along one side of the playhouse and carpet squares were on the floor for children who wanted to kneel to explore the objects on the table. Every few days over the course of three weeks there was something new and exciting in the cottage:
- Ancient Treasures Curiosity Cottage – A magical-looking red tablecloth with gold trim and tassels adorned the table. On top of the cloth was an intriguing vintage treasure chest. In and around the chest was a range of authentic brass metal objects and some special large metal keys. The children were told they could take the items out of the cottage. The decided to use the keys to play with vehicles they make with the construction yard tyres, crates and planks. Much discussion took place. ‘I wonder what this big key is for’ … ‘I think it is a magic key, let's use it for our train’. Other uses were to open and lock dens they had made. They brought the brass kettles and ladles into the dens or the mud kitchen, combining them with the continuous provision crockery for extra-special tea parties.
- Fresh Flowers Curiosity Cottage – A range of vases from charity shops were filled with fresh flowers. On the table was a range of media to draw with and some printed empty frames on clip boards to encourage observational drawings. On the wall around were prints of famous art such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers. The children enjoyed making some beautiful drawings and decided to use the flowers that were tied at the stems in the outdoor area to play ‘bridesmaids’ and ‘weddings’.
- A Visit to India Curiosity Cottage – On the table was a cotton cloth with an Indian-style pattern and elephant on it. A globe was on the table with some metallic elephant toys which have matching number and quantities on them. Age-appropriate books about India included Goodnight Taj Mahal and Goodnight India by Nitya Mohan Khemka and Kavita Singh Kale. We had the bilingual book A Malayalam Alphabet Book for Kids by Little Indic Kids Press, which children find interesting to share with each other and the adults. We have Indian children in our nursery who sometimes take trips to India to visit relatives. All the children were intrigued by the objects; some talked about the globe. ‘That is our world where we live. The blue bit is the sea.’
Amy Jackson is EYFS specialist leader of education and teacher at Ormiston Herman Academy, Gorleston