Similarities and differences is a wonderful topic that builds on children's inexhaustible desire to explore and make sense of the world around them.
The theme gives children opportunities to demonstrate aspects of all six areas of learning, and in particular the exploration and investigation strand of knowledge and understanding of the world.
This is also an opportune time for early years practitioners to be considering the similarities and differences to be found as they become more familiar with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which was launched in March 2007 and is due to come into effect next September.
Some early years practitioners, already familiar with Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, may feel dismayed at the proposed changes. But the EYFS should be welcomed as it draws together the guidance for practitioners working with children aged nought to five years in a logical and consistent way. The EYFS is not something brand new, but rather a refinement that should not require major changes in the way most practitioners work, but should reinforce good early years practice.
It is essential that any project reflects the interests and learning needs of children in the particular group involved. By providing stimulating and challenging experiences that promote children's imagination and curiosity, practitioners can engage all children in this popular theme.
Part One of this two-part project focuses on exploring familiar materials including sand, water, paint and dough.
Opportunities to explore materials
Throughout the theme, provide a designated area where children can explore a wide range of materials on a daily basis.
Present the materials in small, shallow trays (cat litter trays are ideal - well washed or un'sed!), or a large Tuff Spot (builder's) tray. Provide a selection of resources to support the children's explorations, such as sieves, tea strainers, tweezers, tongs, spoons, shells, plastic bottles, unbreakable mirrors, unbreakable plates and bowls, kitchen utensils, scissors, small tins, bags, boxes and packets.
Possible materials to provide are:
* salt and glitter
* dry sand, sequins and jewels'
* dry, damp sand and wet sand
* cornflour and water mix
* dough (see below)
* damp and wet red, grey and self-hardening clay
* sand mousse (dry sand whisked with hypo-allergenic bubble bath mix)
* potting compost/top soil
* bark chips/wood shavings/cocoa shells
* gravel/pebbles/shells
* cooked or uncooked pasta shapes and spaghetti
* lentils, peas, rice or butter beans
* pure soap flakes and water (whisked to a gel)
* hypo-allergenic shaving foam (with or without paint)
* non-fungicidal paste and paint
* moonglow or metallic gravel
* paste made with wholegrain flour and water
Adult-led activity
Play dough
Provide lots of time for children to make and explore play dough.
Key learning intentions
To have a positive approach to activities and events
To question why things happen and give explanations
To look closely at similarities and differences
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 6
Resources
* Measuring cups and spoons * jug of warm water * strong wholemeal bread flour * plain flour * salt * green food colouring and peppermint essence * glitter (optional) * digital camera * aprons and table cover * two large bowls * two mixing bowls * wooden and metal spoons * rolling pins * cutters, butter knives, scissors * cake cases * patty tins * baking trays and empty chocolate box trays
Basic cooked play dough
Ingredients
* 2 cups plain flour * 2 cups water
* 1 cup salt * 2 teaspoons cream of tartar * 2 tablespoons cooking oil * a few drops of food colouring and/or peppermint essence
Instructions
* Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan and mix them together.
* Cook over a moderate heat, stirring continuously. Don't worry if the mixture becomes lumpy.
* When the mixture begins to form a ball, remove from the saucepan and allow to cool.
* Knead the dough until smooth. The dough will keep for several weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Preparation
* Prepare some cooked play dough in two different colours, consider 'sing different sorts of flour to offer contrasts in textures, different food colourings and different smells such as coffee, lemon or lavender.
* Gather the ingredients and tools to make uncooked dough with the children.
Activity content
* Look at the bags of flour with the children and then tip the strong bread flour into one bowl and the plain flour into the other. Encourage the children to explore the flours and discuss the similarities and differences. Support children as they take photographs of each other throughout the process of making dough.
* Support the children as they measure two cups of plain flour into one mixing bowl and two cups of bread flour into the other bowl.
* Measure one cup of salt into each bowl.
* Add about two cups of warm water to one mixing bowl and support children as they take turns mixing. Encourage the children to notice differences and changes as water is added to the flour and salt mix.
* Finally, add green food colouring and peppermint essence to the rest of the water and add two cups to the second mixing bowl.
* Support the children as they knead the two different dough mixtures, talking about colour, texture and smell.
* When the uncooked doughs are ready to 'se, introduce the cooked dough and rolling pins, cutters and so on and encourage the children to continue to explore the materials through their play.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Flour, water, salt, dough, bowl, spoon, wooden, metal, colour, texture, small, feel, touch, look, see, explore, investigate, observe, notice, wet, dry, springy, stretchy, pliable, elastic, flexible, soft, squashy, smooth, lumpy, the same as, different from Questions to ask
* What can we say about this flour?
* Why do you think the plain flour is different from the wholemeal flour?
* What do you think we could do to make them look less different?
* What could do first to mix the dough? Then what?
* Why do you think we need more water?
* What can you notice is the same about the dough? What is different?
* How do you think we could make that dough green as well?
* I wonder what would happen if we mixed the plain dough with the green dough?
Extension activities
* Revisit the images of the children making the dough and record their comments in speech bubbles. Make a photographic book about the process and emphasise the format of a recipe.
* Give the children opportunities to explore different sorts of cooked and uncooked play dough over a period of time (see resources).
* Provide bowls of flour, salt and water with mixing bowls and assorted spoons and encourage the children to explore the materials independently.
* Make cooked salt dough cakes and biscuits with the children.
Child-initiated learning
Small-world play - ice
Additional resources and adult support
* Place assorted jewels', nuggets' and other treasure in small assorted plastic containers, fill with different coloured water and glitter, and freeze them.
* Contact a food outlet with an ice-making machine and collect carrier bags full of ice, or purchase ready-made ice cubes from a freezer shop.
* Provide a Tuff Spot full of ice cubes, treasure in ice blocks, treasure chests, jewellery boxes, treasure maps, plastic people, shells, branches, white netting, pebbles and boulders.
* Model the 'se of vocabulary 'sing descriptive and comparative language.
* Ask open-ended questions and promote discussions about the resources and what the children are doing and why.
* Observe and, where appropriate, extend children's play.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the way that the ice begins to melt
* Noticing similarities and differences between the water, the solid ice and the melting ice
* Imagining why the treasure is trapped in the ice
* Hiding various bits of treasure under ice cubes
* Developing imaginative play scenarios for the small-world people, with the ice and treasure
Possible learning outcomes
Works as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating Is interested, excited and motivated to learn Enjoys 'sing spoken language and turns readily to it during play uses everyday words to describe position Shows curiosity, observes and manipulates objects
Malleable materials - pasta
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide a Tuff Spot full of cooked spaghetti or pasta shapes and saucepans, wooden and metal spoons and mixing bowls.
* On a nearby, separate table, provide shallow trays of dry pasta and spaghetti, assorted spoons and bowls and photos/posters of pasta.
* Encourage the children to 'se their senses to explore the properties of the materials.
* Observe the children's investigations and plan to extend their learning appropriately.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the properties of the cooked and dry pasta
* Adding the dry and cooked pasta
* Comparing the cooked and dried pasta and noticing similarities and differences
* Mixing and cooking
* Dripping cooked spaghetti through fingers
* Making piles of spaghetti and then flattening them
Possible learning outcomes
Shows curiosity
Has a positive approach to new experiences
Experiments with new vocabulary
Explores malleable materials by patting, stroking, poking, squeezing, pinching and twisting them
Building play outdoors
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide several large Tuff Spots, watering cans, shovels and trowels, builders' buckets filled with dry sand, dry top soils, gravel, pebbles, wooden blocks, plastic bricks, assorted buckets and real bricks. You may find it appropriate to put all of these on a tarpaulin outdoors.
* Encourage the children to explore the materials and to notice similarities and differences.
* Support the children as they mix the dry materials with water and build things.
* Introduce and model the 'se of comparative and descriptive vocabulary.
* Observe, and where appropriate, extend children's play.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the way that dry materials differ from wet materials and have different properties
* Noticing similarities and differences between the bricks and blocks
* Acting in role as builders and bricklayers
* Building walls and towers and knocking them down
Possible learning outcomes
Works as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating Is interested, excited and motivated to learn
Enjoys 'sing spoken language and turns readily to it during play uses mathematical language to describe the shape and size and solid shapes Shows curiosity, observes and manipulates objects
Creative workshop - paint
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide ready-mixed paints in trays, block paints in palettes, small quantities of powder paint with teaspoons and water with plastic droppers.
* Add assorted kitchen paper, with assorted br'shes and cotton buds.
* Encourage the children to explore the different paints and compare textures.
* Support the children as they add water to the powder paint and mix paints of different consistencies.
* Ask open-ended questions promoting exploration and encourage children to reflect on what they are doing and why.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the way the paints change as water is added
* Noticing similarities and differences between the paints
* Investigating different ways of making marks with different brushes and paints
* Making patterns
* Painting with br'shes or fingers
* Mixing paint and water together
Possible learning outcomes
Displays high levels of involvement uses language for an increasing range of purposes Talks about patterns Shows curiosity and interest in why things happen Manipulates materials to achieve planned effect Differentiates marks and movements on paper Begins to be interested in and describes the texture of things Judith Stevens is an early years adviser in Lewisham, London
Exploration and Investigation
Exploration and investigation is about how children investigate objects and materials and their properties, learn about change and patterns, similarities and differences, and question how and why things work. To give all children the best opportunities for development and learning in Knowledge and Understanding of the World:
* create stimulating environments that offer a range of activities which will encourage children's interest and curiosity, indoors and outdoors
* plan activities based on first-hand experiences that encourage exploration, experimentation, observation, problem solving, prediction, critical thinking, decision making and discussion
* pose carefully framed open-ended questions such as How can we...? or what would happen if...?.
Early Years Foundation Stage , Principles into Practice cards - Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional development Communication, language and literacy Mathematical development Knowledge & understanding of the world Physical development Creative development
Resources to support the theme
* Recipes for different sorts of cooked and uncooked dough can be found at www.naturalnursery.co.uk/articles.php
* Sand and Water, Investigations and Messy Play by Sally Featherstone (Little Book series, Featherstone Education, 7.99 each, tel: 01858 881212, www. featherstone.uk.com)
* Mixed moonglow gravel (3kg, 4.66)
* Bark chippings (11 litres, 9.99)
* Faceted gemstones (250, 8.99)
* Cornflour (3.5kg, 5.99)
* Soap flakes (pack of 3, 4.50)
* Instant snow powder (500g, 5.69)
* Tuff Spot builder's tray (12.80) All the above are available from TS Early Steps (tel: 0800 318 686, www.tts-shopping.com)