An eclectic collection of ‘shiny stuff’, stored in an old-fashioned fishing basket, is one of my favourite resources. It began life as an assortment of reflective items to entice babies to reach and crawl outdoors, but has become so much more since then. In true scavenger style, the collection is sourced from pound shops, skips, jumble sales, scrap stores and through donations.
Here are a few suggestions:
Pots, pans, colander, sieve, baubles, plastic mirrors, balti dish, old CDs, tea strainer, lengths of chain, curling ribbon, whisks, trays, aluminium foil, cutlery, survival blankets, goblets, foil dishes, measuring cups, mirror letters and numbers, springs, muffin tin, wire cooling rack, cymbal, steel or copper tubing, teapot…
1. BABY GRAB TRAIL
Arrange a series of shiny objects in a large circle or along a twisting crawl route, placing a mobile baby in the centre – for less mobile babies, make the circle much smaller so they can reach successfully.
Choose shiny items of different sizes, weights and shapes to provide a variety of physical challenges – for example, pans with a straight handle, pots with curved handles, heavier objects that require two hands, etc.
Encourage babies to crawl and reach for the reflective items, perhaps providing wooden spoons or metal whisks that will make exciting clanging noises when beaten against the pots and pans.
2. PORTABLE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
A basket, trug or tidy box bursting with shiny stuff provides a great launch pad for experimentation, whether you choose to call it a mobile mud kitchen or a portable lab. Pots, pans, dishes and cooking implements offer opportunities for practical numeracy and science activities:
Observe and talk about the ‘explosive’ reaction you see when vinegar and baking soda are mixed in a dish, or when water is slowly added to a small lump of clay to turn it from solid to soggy to liquid.
Take your portable mud kitchen out to the forest or local park, or simply around your own outdoor space. Mud, dirt or sand and a water supply are all you need to combine with your shiny stuff.
3. SHINY SUPERHEROES
Reflective emergency blankets (from pound stores or sports suppliers) make perfect super-soaraway silvery superhero cloaks. They can be tied, pegged or taped together – they tear very easily so there is no risk of strangulation – and produce a wonderful rustling sound as children run around. Emergency blankets also lend themselves to the creation of space stations, rocket ships, newly discovered dinosaurs, suits of armour…
4. COLLECT AND COUNT
Use the compelling nature of shiny stuff to encourage children to scavenge and investigate with a maths focus. For example:
Explore the number three, asking three children to each choose a shiny vessel and collect three objects in each. Compare the objects, making observations about size, weight and colour.
Ask children to organise the shiny collection into groups of a similar size, or in a line from smallest to largest, or guess how many conkers (or corks, bottle tops, etc.) will fit into a sieve, then count them in.
5. MUSICAL WASHING LINE
Attach a length of washing line, rope or paracord between two strong fixing points – make sure it’s well above children’s eye level. Securely suspend your shiny stuff from the washing line so that it hangs at or just above eye level, and suspend several whisks, wooden or metal spoons or other beaters at intervals between the shiny stuff. Each item will create a different sound when bashed with one of the beaters, or when hit with a hand or stick. If you don’t have the space for a washing line, items could be suspended from trees or fences instead.
BENEFIT-RISK ASSESSMENT
The benefits of playing with shiny objects are set out above; the associated risks are largely related to their size and condition:
Take care to make sure edges are smooth, handles are securely fastened and small objects are kept out of reach of babies and toddlers.
Choose items made from aluminium, stainless steel, chrome or plastic, in order to avoid rust spots. Put everything through a dishwasher every few weeks to keep the collection shiny.
Reduce conflict by ensuring you have an abundance of shiny stuff; children find it so much easier to share and turn-take when there are plenty of exciting resources to go around.
Julie Mountain is director of Play Learning Life, www.playlearninglife.org.uk