No amount of interactive, high-tech toys can draw attention away from teddy bears, the special cuddly toys in every child's life, and there are so many wonderful books that feature bears.
A project about a teddy bears' picnic can provide an introduction to a wider theme about 'bears' or 'toys'. Or, a picnic theme could be planned as a stand-alone topic. Why not round up the project with a picnic for the children, the teddies and their families, with honey sandwiches and gingerbread bears on the menu?
Project guide
The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (page 11) emphasises the importance of providing children with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. This project:
- identifies adult-led activities, to introduce or develop children's understanding of the topic through stimulating, meaningful experiences which offer challenge
- suggests ways to enhance areas of core provision, to consolidate children's learning about the theme. It is the practitioners' role to make daily observations of children's learning which inform individual child profiles and future planning. Children should be encouraged to use the resources to support their own learning. This means that the possible learning outcomes will be wide-ranging and varied
- advocates that settings be organised and resourced in a 'workshop' approach so children can access resources autonomously and independently.
AREAS OF LEARNING
(1) Personal, social and emotional development
(2) Communication, language and literacy
(3) Mathematical development
(4) Knowledge & understanding of the world
(5) Physical development
(6) Creative development
Adult-led activities
Picnic hamper
Develop children's phonic awareness in an activity preparing for a picnic.
Key learning intentions
(4) To work as part of a group, taking turns
(2) To enjoy rhythmic activities
(2) To tap out beats in familiar words
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 4
Resources
- Saltdough, real or pretend foods (see below)
- three different picnic baskets/hampers
- three teddy bears
Preparation
- This experience helps to develop an awareness of rhythm and beat (leading to syllabic awareness), so ensure the children have good general auditory awareness and experiences of clapping and keeping the beat (see L is for Sheep in Resources).
- Collect three different picnic baskets and teddy bears, clearly labelled '1', '2', '3'.
- Prepare saltdough food or collect real or pretend foods:
1 beat - Roll, cake, cheese, egg, crisps
2 beats - Sandwich, biscuit, sausage, apple, orange, pizza
3 beats - Banana, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, frankfurter
Activity content
- Ensure the children are familiar with the idea of a 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' through use of the rhymes and songs.
- Give the children opportunities to explore the bears, baskets and food. Talk about the names of the bears (with appropriate number of beats), for example, Sam, Bruno and Marmalade.
- Spend some time naming the objects and agreeing a 'shared vocabulary', for example, 'cheese' not 'cheddar'.
- Explain that the bears are having a picnic, and each wants to pack a basket full of goodies with the same number of beats as their name. Encourage the children to name each word and tap out the number of beats.
- Give the children lots of time to muddle up the items and sort them again.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Roll, cake, cheese, egg, crisps, sandwich, biscuit, sausage, apple, orange, pizza, banana, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, frankfurter, picnic hamper, Sam, Bruno, Marmalade, beats
Questions to ask
- Which is your favourite bear? Why?
- Can you think of a way to sort the foods?
- Which picnic hamper do you think the 'banana' should go in? Why?
- Why do you think the biscuit belongs with the crisps and cheese? Could it belong somewhere else?
Extension activities
- Encourage the children to think of other picnic items to fit in each suitcase. Provide a simple writing framework for a list, and model writing where appropriate.
- Provide a picnic hamper, blanket, teddy bears and other resources outdoors to support role play.
- Provide similar opportunities, such as sorting items to go into a suitcase for a holiday - in a hot country, or skiing, or a rucksack for camping/exploring.
- Provide lots of books about picnics for children to explore independently.
Pop-up party invitation
Help the children make some pop-up invitations for the picnic.
Key learning intentions
(2) To use writing as a means of recording and communication
(2) To ascribe meaning to marks
(4) To begin to try out a range of techniques
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
- Lots of teddy bears, photos of bears and pictures of bears from catalogues
- commercially produced invitations and pop-up greetings cards or books
- A4 card
- adhesive tape/glue sticks
- scissors
- assorted markers
- writing framework for a picnic invitation on paper slightly smaller than A5
Preparation
Ensure that practitioners are familiar with making simple pop-up cards:
- Fold two pieces of card in half.
- Take one piece of card and make two vertical cuts, from the fold, about one-third and two-thirds of the way down, halfway to the edge of the card.
- Push the middle third inside out and flatten. Insert this card into the other folded card. When the card opens, the middle section will pop up.
Activity content
- Explore the pop-up cards or books and the invitations with the children.
- Talk to the children about the ways in which they could make a 'pop-up' card. Support them as they cut and make the card.
- Encourage the children to draw a bear, or cut out a bear picture to stick on to the pop up so that it appears as the card is opened.
- Look at the writing frameworks together and support the children as they fill in the details. For some children this will be just 'To' and 'From', for others it could include venues and times.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Cards, greetings, invitation, invite, picnic, reply, pop up, friends, response, address, design
Questions to ask
- Why do you think that picture pops up when the book is opened?
- Can you think of a way to make a pop-up card?
- What do we need to write to ask our friends to the picnic?
- What did you do first? And then what?
- What can you tell us about your invitation?
Extension activity
Provide invitation writing formats, commercial invitations, envelopes and a post box in the role-play area and writing area for children to access.
Child-initiated learning
Role-play picnic
Additional resources and adult support
- Provide a picnic basket or hamper, picnic rug, plastic crockery, real, plastic of salt dough food and assorted teddies with luggage labels around their necks
- Observe, and where appropriate, extend children's imaginative role play.
- Model the use of specific resources and act 'in role', perhaps as someone whose food has been eaten by a bear or the owner of a lost teddy bear.
- Ask open-ended questions which encourage the use of imaginative and descriptive language.
- Encourage the children to add resources or use equipment in creative ways to support their play.
- Plan to extend learning by providing follow-up experiences such as making real honey and jam sandwiches for a picnic.
Play possibilities
- Emptying and filling the basket/hamper
- Telling stories involving picnics or bears
- Talking about past experiences of picnics
- Sharing out picnic food on plates
- 'Feeding' the bears
- Making name labels for the bears
- Expressing and communicating their ideas, thoughts and feelings through role play
Possible learning outcomes
(1) Has a growing awareness of the needs of others
(2) Uses language to recreate roles and experiences
(3) Uses developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems
(4) Remembers and talks about significant things that have happened to them
(6) Uses imagination in role play
Hide and seek
Additional resources and adult support
- Provide lots of small, shiny and sparkly gift bags, sticky labels and markers, sand-timers and a big sign saying 'Missing - can you find the lost teddies?'
- Hide plastic sorting teddies or small soft toy teddies in the outdoor area.
- Encourage the children to hunt for the missing teddies and collect them in one of the sparkly bags.
- Set challenges and encourage the children to set challenges for themselves and each other - 'How many bears can you find before the blue timer runs out?', 'Who can find three red teddies first?', 'How many teddies do you think will fit in that tiny bag?'
- Encourage the children to use the labels to tally and record numerals - 'What could we do to help us remember how many teddies are in that bag?'
Play possibilities
- Collecting the bears
- Filling and emptying the bags
- Hiding the bears
- Using imagination to play 'hide and seek'
- Recalling the story of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
Possible learning outcomes
(1) Persists at an activity of own choice
(2) Uses simple statements and questions
(3) Uses language such as 'more' and 'less'
(4) Shows curiosity about the environment
(5) Uses a range of small equipment
Teddy Bear menus
Additional resources and adult support
- Add menu writing frameworks to the graphics/writing workshop.
- Provide real menus, examples of completed frameworks, salt dough food, real food and pretend food.
- Encourage children to work together collaboratively to explore the resources.
- Introduce and model the use of key vocabulary. Discuss the menus and name the foods.
- Encourage the children to draw, make marks and write to record the foods they would like for the picnic.
Play possibilities
- Exploring the menus and food
- Writing their own name and names of their friends
- Sorting the food
- Talking about favourite foods
- Discussing what they would like to take on a picnic
Possible learning outcomes
(1) Displays high levels of involvement in activities
(2) Extends vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming
(2) Uses phonic knowledge to write simple regular words
(4) Investigates objects using senses as appropriate
(6) Differentiates marks and movements on paper
Small-world play
Additional resources and adult support
- Create a picnic scene in a builder's tray. Create different levels with damp sand, grass (fake or turf), water and gravel. Add branches, pebbles, small dolls, sorting teddies, a gingham 'picnic rug', mini plates, cups and food.
- Encourage the children to explore the imaginative play scenario, add resources as appropriate, retell and make up stories.
Play possibilities
- Recalling personal experiences about picnics
- Retelling known stories about picnics or making up their own stories
- Exploring the natural resources
- Hiding or burying bears and people
Possible learning outcomes
(1) Works as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating
(2) Develops a simple story consistently
(3) Uses everyday words to describe size
(4) Looks closely at similarities and differences
(5) Uses a range of equipment with increasing skill
Judith Stevens is an early years advisor in Lewisham, London
Resources to support the theme
- L is for Sheep - Getting ready for phonics edited by Sally Featherstone (Featherstone Education, www.featherstone.uk.com)
- Maths through Stories by Judith Stevens (BEAM, £29.50, tel: 01242 267945, www.beam.co.uk)
- Teddy Bears' Picnic Set (Tobar, £13.50)
- Teddy Bears' Picnic CD-Rom (Sherston, £19.75)
Both available from www.amazon.co.uk
Story and picture books
- This is the Bear and The Picnic Lunch by Sarah Hayes (Walker Books)
- Teddy Bears' Picnic Cookbook by Abigail Darling (Green Tiger Press)
- We're Going on a Picnic by Pat Hutchins (Red Fox)
- The Bears' Picnic by Stan Berenstain (Picture Lions)
- The Lighthouse Keeper's Picnic by Ronda Armitage (Scholastic)
RHYME TIME
Teddy Bear Picnic
I went for a walk in the woods one day
And met some nice folks on my way.
They were having a picnic that bears adore,
With berries and buns and goodies galore,
Jams and jellies and strawberry pies,
And a chocolate cake that was just the right size.
When I went for a walk in the woods that day,
I asked those folks if I could stay
To taste those things that looked so yummy
And help to fill my empty tummy.
But when I spoke, to my dismay,
I scared those friendly folks away!
And even though I didn't ask it ...
They left behind their picnic basket!
Cherry Carl is an experienced American early years teacher and her website, www.carlscorner.us, contains lots of original poems and rhymes
Teddy Bears' Picnic
If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today,
You'll hardly believe your eyes,
For every bear that ever there was,
Will gather there for certain because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.
(repeat)
At six o'clock the mummies and daddies
Will take them home to bed because they're tired little teddy bears.
From www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/tweenies/songtime/songs/t/teddybearpicnic.shtml.