Children in the Garden Room at George Dent Nursery School, Darlington, were fascinated with the snails in their garden and this motivated them to create spiral patterns using a range of different media.
PLANNED LEARNING INTENTIONS
To talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns
To handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control
RESOURCES
Snails
magnifying glasses
books about snails
pictures of spiral patterns
spiral shells
candles
wax crayons
salt dough
paint
clipboards
mark-making tools
paper
card
STEP BY STEP
- Let the children observe snails closely either outdoors, for example, under stones and in crevices in walls, or inside a clear plastic tank.
- Provide magnifying glasses, clipboards, and mark-making tools and materials so that they can make observational drawings. Always return the snails to their original environment after children have observed them for a short while.
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