Experiences involving light and dark enable children to appreciate the awe and wonder of the world around them and provide a rich learning environment in which they can develop their natural curiosity. Playing with light and shadow introduces them to our need for light in order to see things and provides a platform for children to express their fears and appreciate those of others.
Early years settings can create special dark places by building dens or covering windows so that children can explore light with resources like torches, glow sticks, fibre optic lights or light boxes.
CORE COLLECTION
Light resources are essential for early years settings as they create the right learning environment for exploration and investigation. They develop children's creativity and critical thinking and support active learning.
Ten years ago, Linda Thornton, education adviser at Reflections on Learning, www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk, helped develop a range of light boxes to support early education. Since then the boxes have become a feature of many early years settings. She says that the interest in using light as a medium for discovery and learning came from the 'growing understanding' of the work of the infant-toddler centres and pre-schools of Reggio Emilia where 'light' plays such an important role in early years practice.
She explains, 'Playing with light creates magical experiences for children and practitioners. Light and darkness are fascinating and intriguing with an element of risk and challenge. The open-ended possibilities of exploring light provide the opportunity for children to investigate, raise questions and seek answers and to engage in shared conversations and thinking. As they explore light resources, they will make connections in their thinking and understanding across all areas of learning.'
Here are some ideas for resources to include in your core light and dark collection:
- Provide a range of torches in different shapes and sizes - some battery-charged and some wind-up. If using battery-run torches, ensure that you have plenty of rechargeable batteries at hand or try the Easi-Torch, £44.95, from www.tts-group.co.uk, a set of six LED torches with a docking station that recharges them in up to four hours. The Wind Up Torch, £9.60, from www.mindstretchers.co.uk, gives a bright light for 20 minutes after one minute of winding a small handle. Also available is the set of four Wind Up Torches, £19.99, from www.earlyyesrsresources.co.uk and the batteryless Penguin Eco Torch, £4.50, from www.thechildmindingshop.co.uk. Handy Torches, £14, from www.earlyyesrsresources.co.uk, is a set of 12 hand-held torches for small hands.
- Ensure that children have opportunities inside and out to explore the wonder of light in darkened spaces. Use an empty cupboard or help the children create their own dark dens using fabrics like the Display Fabric - Dark Blue Velour, £9.99 for 150 x 94cm, from www.earlyyearsresources.co.uk, and a set of eight Spring Pegs, £3.50, from Cosy Direct on 01332 370152. Alternatively, turn your Tuff Spot into a den with the Tuff Spot Den Cover, £29.99, from Cosy Direct. For easy den building, use the elastic lines included in the Den Building Kit, £72, from www.mindstretchers.co.uk. Or, try the Dark Den, £57.95, from www.tts-group.co.uk, which includes a thick den cover to keep out the light for sensory play. The Sensory Black Out Tent, £64.95, from www.hope-education.co.uk, is a pop-up tent with double-layered black fabric that is ideal for use with UV lights and resources. Or, for adults and children, try the Mega Dark Den, £99.99, from www.spacekraft.co.uk.
- Provide resources that will stimulate children's curiosity in light in darkened spaces. Decorate dark areas with fairy lights or provide Travelling Lights, £79.99, from www.spacekraft.co.uk, a length of clear tubing encasing coloured LEDs that appear to move when activated. The Dark Den Accessories Kit, £57.99, which includes torches, charging LED ducks, flashing glitter balls, light balls, glow spaghetti and a fibre optic torch, from www.earlyyears.co.uk, is good for dark dens.
Encourage children to explore shadows indoors and out. Attach a white mat or a Shadow Sheet, £24, from www.mindstretchers.co.uk, to a tree and watch children create shadow pictures with their bodies or look at the patterns created by the trees or buildings. This creates opportunities to talk about the weather and seasons - sunny, cloudy, dark, light, night, stars moon and sun. Indoors, use an overhead projector and allow children to create shadows with their hands and bodies. Try the Quantum Overhead Projector 2511, £108.05, from www.earlyyears.co.uk, or the Space Projector, £57.94, from www.hope-education.co.uk, which projects a rotating image of up to 1.5m in diameter onto a wall or ceiling.
- Provide opportunities for children to explore colour through light, mirrors and reflections with Jumbo Mirror £61.20 from www.mindstretchers.co.uk. Allow them to experiment with colour paddles, coloured acetate sheets, a colour changeable torch, convex/concave mirror pack and other accessories contained in the Light & Colour 'Grab & Go' Kit, £84.95, from www.tts-group.co.uk. Or, try the Let's Explore: Light & Shadow Kit, £29.99, from www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk, which includes a set of 15 Colour Paddles, ten plane mirrors, ten convex/concave plastic mirrors, a torch, kaleidoscope set and a guide on activities for children in the EYFS and Key Stage One. Or, try the Porthole Den Cover, £26.95 from www.tts-group.co.uk, which has PVC portholes in
different colours. Also, let them experiment with a light box (see below).
IN THE DARK
Not all of the children feel comfortable in the dark. Playing with light and dark provides opportunities to support the children who are apprehensive. Such feelings can be explored through books, discussions and by involving children in using different types of resources to build a den together, for example, with bamboo sticks, pegs and rope.
Jo Vickers, manager at Weavers Fields Community Nursery in Tower Hamlets, London, says that children usually begin to feel comfortable with the dark when they realise things remain the same in the dark or the light. She advises buying cheap material from market stalls to use for making the dens so that they can be layered on top of a structure, creating a range of levels of darkness inside the den, depending on how comfortable the children are with the dark.
She says, 'We have several dens: one permanent one in the nursery garden, which is very dark when the doors are shut. There are big waterproof cushions inside and the children take into it wind-up lanterns and torches. Inside we have a cave frame which has dark material covered in stars and rope lights. This is particularly good for the younger children, as they don't feel so threatened by being too enclosed.'
BOOK CORNER
Provide good quality fiction and non-fiction books such as:
Making the Most of Light and Mirrors by Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton, Featherstone Education/A & C Black (updated version in line with the revised EYFS)
Little Book of Light and Shadow by Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton, www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk
Peace at Last by Jill Murphy (Macmillan Children's Books)
Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot (Macmillan Children's Books)
Molly and the Night Monster by Christopher Wormell (Jonathan Cape)
In the Dark, Dark Wood by Jessica Souhami (Frances Lincoln)
In the Foggy, Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt (Walker Books)
LIGHT BOXES
Light boxes and resources can be used across all areas of learning. Early years consultant Linda Thornton says, 'Light boxes change the ambience of an area. They have a calming influence which invites sensory exploration and engages children's sustained attention. Children who may not be easily fully engaged in their learning become motivated by the attraction and beauty of the resources.'
PD Using light resources will help children's manipulation and fine motor skills.
PSED Use a light panel as a creative learning environment where children can portray their thoughts and feelings by placing and arranging natural materials or carefully chosen glass pebbles.
CL and L As children explore the resources on a light panel, they will develop their communication and language for thinking skills. Translucent letters and letter combinations are an innovative way to introduce letter and sounds recognition.
M Use a variety of mathematical resources designed specifically for use with a light panel including counters, numbers, 2-D and 3-D shapes. Try counting the holes in buttons placed on a light panel.
UW Explore the nature of transparent, translucent and opaque materials. Natural materials can be brought into sharp focus - try cones, leaves and skeleton leaves, twigs, shells and pebbles.
EAD Using a light panel is the perfect way to explore colours and colour mixing.
It is important to display light box materials in ways that invite exploration and investigation. Try using divided trays or attractive boxes placed next to the light box.
The A3 Light Panel & Resource Station, which includes four table-top trays, £150, can be wheeled around and provides an area for observation and discovery at a height to suit small children. This, and the accompanying Light Box Resources Set, £59.99, is available from www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk.
