The humble box can be the stimulus for a wide variety of interesting activities that provide learning opportunities across the early years curriculum.
Adult-led activities
Tell us a story
Stimulate children's imaginations with a 'magical' story box during a storytelling session.
Key learning intentions
*To be familiar with the main elements of stories *To use their imagination in stories and play Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
*A story box (this should look exciting - use a jewellery box or a decorated cardboard box, perhaps lined with velvet) *three or four items relating to your made-up story (for example, a ring belonging to a king, the key to a castle, a piece of silver fabric to represent a river) Activity content
* Gather the children together in a comfortable area free from distractions - a carpeted book area would be suitable.
* Show the children your story box. Spend time looking closely at how it is decorated and gently shake the box to arouse children's curiosity about the contents.
* Explain to the children that there are some special things inside the box that will help you to tell them a story.
* Tell your story to the group using facial expression, gesture and voice to engage their interest and introduce the props from the box at the appropriate point. Encourage the children to handle and talk about each object and express any imaginative ideas.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Story, beginning, end, next Questions to ask
What do you think is inside the box? Does the sound when it is shaken give you a clue? Would you like to feel inside the box and take something out? Who do you think owns this hat? What do you think happens next? How would you feel if that happened to you?
Follow-up activities
* Leave the items from the story box in the book area and encourage children to explore the story ideas and characters through their play.
* Use the story box (containing different items) on a regular basis, sometimes encouraging children to decide how the story ends or using the children's ideas to shape the story you tell.
Inside out
Let children discover how boxes are made by dismantling and re-making them.
Key learning intentions
*To explore solid and flat shape *To find out about the design and structure of a box Adult:child ratio 1: 4
Resources:
*A selection of cardboard boxes in a range of sizes and shapes (such as cereal packets, gift packaging) *masking tape *thin card *large sheet of paper *pencils *felt pens
Activity content
* Encourage children to handle the boxes and to talk about their observations about size and shape. Look closely at the 'seams' and flaps.
* Dismantle one of the boxes as the children watch, being careful not to tear the card. Flatten out the net on the table or floor and look at the shape it creates. Draw around the edge of the card on the large sheet of paper. Mark along the folds in the card with a felt pen, drawing attention to the individual shapes that make up the whole. With the children's help, reconstruct the box securing it in its original form with masking tape.
* Ask each child to choose a box. Support them in repeating the above process with their box.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Square, rectangle, cube, cuboid, corner, straight Questions to ask
Is your box bigger or smaller than mine? What do you think was in your box? Would a television fit in that box? Can you find a square? Where is your box joined? How can we make up the box again?
Follow-up activities
* Compare the nets of different boxes, keeping a record of each by drawing around the flattened box.
* Make gift boxes (using the same principle) during birthday or festival celebrations.
* Provide a range of cardboard boxes in the technology workshop to encourage further exploration.
Beetle along
Billy's Beetle, an enchanting story by Mick Inkpen, can provide a perfect starting point for an exploration of the outdoor area using collecting boxes.
Key learning intentions
*To listen and respond to a story *To look closely at, and talk about, features of insects and natural objects Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
*Billy's Beetle by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 5.99) *Perspex bug boxes *small cardboard or plastic boxes with lids *magnifying glasses *information books (about, for example, insects, trees and plants, the seasons) Activity content
* Share the story with the children, as Billy's beetle escapes from its matchbox home and a polar bear, brass band and elephant join in the hunt to find it.
* At the end the story session, encourage children to think about where Billy might have first found his beetle and how it could have escaped from its box.
* Encourage children to look for beetles and other minibeasts in the outdoor area and to collect specimens in bug boxes. Talk about the rights and wrongs of keeping insects in boxes and explain that the bug boxes enable us to observe the insects closely but that they must then be returned to their natural habitat.
* Provide each child with their own cardboard or plastic box and encourage them to collect other natural objects that interest them, such as leaves and pebbles.
* Support children in finding out about the insects and other items they collect by sharing your own knowledge and looking at information books with them.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
'Minibeast' names, for example, beetle, woodlouse, worm, spider, slug and snail.
Names of natural objects such as leaf, petal and stone.
Questions to ask
How many legs has the beetle? Where are you going to look for worms? What colour is the woodlouse? Do you think the ladybird can fly? Where are its wings? What do you think the caterpillar likes to eat? Can you find a picture in the book that looks like your leaf? Which tree do you think your leaf came from? Why did you choose that pebble to put in your box?
Follow-up activities
* Encourage children to share the contents of their collecting boxes and their knowledge about them with other children and adults.
* Provide collecting boxes for children to take home. Encourage families to take them on holiday or walks in the park and to bring back the filled boxes to nursery.
* Compare collections made in the spring, summer, autumn and winter.
* Have children make observational drawings of the things they find, and make up an information book.
Child-initiated learning
Add topic resources to your basic provision so children can develop their own ideas and interests.
Outdoor area
Additional resources
*Large cardboard boxes (such as those used to package electrical equipment, furniture or supermarket products) *masking tape *scissors Possible learning experiences
* Lifting and re-arranging boxes.
* Stacking and lining up boxes.
* Climbing inside boxes.
* Using a box to represent something else, for example a rocket, boat or cave.
* Talking about sizes, shapes and spaces.
* Constructing with a purpose in mind, for example, 'We're going to make a castle'.
* Selecting boxes for a specific building purpose.
* Finding ways of fixing boxes together.
* Modifying designs.
The practitioner role
* Provide plenty of boxes and replace any that break or tear.
* Support children in the acquisition of skills such as using masking tape to join boxes.
* Where appropriate, engage in role play and imaginative play with children.
* Encourage children to talk about their own ideas.
Home corner
Additional resources
*Recycled food boxes and packets Possible learning experiences
* Stacking boxes in cupboards, experimenting with shapes and sizes to fit as many as possible on each shelf.
* Matching boxes, for example, by size or label.
* Ordering boxes.
* Talking about pictures, symbols and words on labels and relating these to their own experiences and likes/dislikes. For example, 'This is the same as I have for breakfast!' and 'I don't like those beans'.
* Imaginative and role play such as shopping and food preparation.
The practitioner role
* Ask questions such as 'Do you think this box will fit on top of that one?' 'Can you find a box that will fit in this space?' 'How many do you think we can fit on this shelf?' 'What do you think will happen if we put this (wide) box on top of this (narrow) one?'
* Look closely at labels with children, expressing your own food likes and dislikes.
* Take photographs of stacked shelves in a supermarket and share these with the children.
Maths area
Additional resources
*'Nests' of boxes numbered 1 to 9 with lids (if possible, provide a set of round and a set of square/rectangular boxes bought from gift or stationery shops or plastic food storage boxes available in supermarkets) *large number line Possible learning experiences
* Comparing sizes and shapes of boxes.
* Using shape and size vocabulary, for example, round, circle, big, bigger.
* Placing boxes in size order.
* Replacing boxes inside each other.
* Counting boxes.
* Recognising/matching numbers.
* Ordering numbers 1 to 9.
* Matching lids to boxes.
The practitioner role
* Introduce the nests of boxes to children, arousing their curiosity by asking questions such as 'What do you think is inside this big box?' 'Can you hear anything when you shake it?'
* Model use of appropriate mathematical language.
* Ask questions to challenge children's thinking such as 'Can you find a box that will fit inside this one?' 'This lid doesn't fit this box. Do we need a bigger one or a smaller one?'
Sand area
Additional resources
*A range of boxes - ice-cream and margarine tubs *biscuit tins *strong cardboard boxes such as shoe boxes, small plastic ring or bracelet boxes *spades *scoops *spoons Possible learning experiences
* Filling boxes with sand and emptying them.
* Using language such as 'full', 'empty', 'heavy', 'light', 'more', 'less'
and making comparisons.
* Counting scoopfuls of sand into boxes.
* Estimate how many spoonfuls of sand it will take to fill a particular box.
* Using boxes as moulds.
* Building a 'small world' environment using the boxes as mountains, houses, farm buildings, garages or whatever.
The practitioner role
* Play alongside children modelling key vocabulary and asking questions such as 'When we fill both these boxes with sand, which do you think will be heavier?' 'Do you think it will take more than five scoopfuls of sand to fill your box?' 'If you tip the sand from this box into that one, do you think it will fill it?'
* Place templates of some of the boxes on open shelves and encourage the children to return each box to its correct position by matching it by size and shape to its template.
* Add appropriate small-world equipment (for example, people, animals, vehicles) to support children's imaginative play.