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Foam shapes

Staff at Dunchurch Nursery near Rugby, Warwickshire, developed a shaving foam activity to extend children's awareness of shape Playing with shaving foam is a long-standing favourite with our nursery children. Their enjoyment is apparent by the expressions on their faces as they cover their hands with foam and create satisfying swirling patterns across the surface of the table.
Staff at Dunchurch Nursery near Rugby, Warwickshire, developed a shaving foam activity to extend children's awareness of shape

Playing with shaving foam is a long-standing favourite with our nursery children. Their enjoyment is apparent by the expressions on their faces as they cover their hands with foam and create satisfying swirling patterns across the surface of the table.

After observing the children's enthusiasm we realised that we could extend the learning potential of this activity to promote several early learning goals. Our current topic was 'shapes', so we discussed how we might extend children's awareness of two-dimensional shapes using shaving foam.

We put some flat plastic shapes into a small basket in the centre of a table, and a member of staff sprayed a different shape in each of the four places using shaving foam.

The children were invited to explore the resources freely. Their reactions were fascinating. Some matched the foam shape to a shape in the basket, others rubbed out the shape and began to draw shapes of their own, and others simply played with the foam.

We then introduced laminated cards with various numbers of the same shape and in varying sizes - for example, two circles or four triangles.

Some children immediately chose a card and began to draw shapes in the foam to match. A staff member encouraged the children to name the shapes and use language associated with shape and size. Lots of counting and comparisons happened spontaneously.

As they played, the children moved through many of the stepping stones towards the early learning goal for using language to describe the shape and size of flat shapes. They matched shapes, used the appropriate mathematical names and recognised similarities. In addition, they used language to express their ideas and feelings as they responded to the activity through the senses of sight, smell and touch.

The activity was a great success and led to further adaptations to develop literacy and numeracy skills. Our children always approach shaving foam with enthusiasm, and its potential as a learning tool has proved to be enormous. If asked, children will surely tell you it is exciting, funny and great fun.

Nursery manager Julie Payne spoke to Jean Evans