A child’s enthusiasm after sailing on a boat with his family led to staff at Pitter Patter Day Nursery in New Brighton, Wallasey organising a fun day out, including riding on a ferry across the Mersey.
‘The child returned to pre-school after the weekend and was telling their friends about their boat trip and we realised that not a lot of the children had actually been on a boat or a ferry,’ says nursery manager Katie Boston. ‘This child had really good knowledge of what it was like to be on a boat, while others had only seen boats when they had been on the beach. So we decided to put a plan in place to increase the pre-school children’s cultural capital.’
their ethos
‘We focus a lot on learning through play and outdoor learning,’ says Katie. ‘We’re fortunate to have a Forest School on site and we are also close to the coast so we have beach school too.
‘We want the children to feel that they belong in our local community and participate in what our area has to offer. Children learn best through doing and we want to start from the child and build on their experiences, which is why we took the children for a ride on the ferry.’
Katie adds that they place importance on getting to know the children in their care, considering the skills and experiences that they bring with them and then planning additional opportunities for them to explore, try new things and experience awe and wonder in the world around them.
what they did
Staff spoke to the pre-school children about what a ferry is – a boat that regularly conveys passengers and cargo across the water – and asked them if they would like to experience travelling on one. They were excited at the prospect and set about planning a trip for the next day.
They discussed how to get to the ferry terminal where they would be able to board a ferry across the river to Liverpool, and the children decided that they would walk there. They also talked about the need to buy tickets for the journey and to check the timetable.
So, on the day of the adventure, the children walked to the coast and stopped at the beach to have a play and a snack before catching the ferry. After the break, they continued their walk to the ferry terminal and looked at the different boats that they passed – including yachts with sails and boats powered by engines – before boarding the ferry to Liverpool.
‘I think some of the children were in shock at first to actually be on a boat, while others were very excited,’ recalls Katie. ‘The captain even came over to talk to us, which added to the experience. The children enjoyed looking back at the land and pointing out things they recognised, one girl saw her house.’
They were fascinated to hear a range of environmental sounds, from the splashing of the waves against the boat to car horns and beeps from the ferry and The Beatles playing.
Children had shown interest in a museum that they walked past at the ferry terminal, which inspired staff to take them to a museum when they disembarked in Liverpool. ‘It was another new experience for many of the children,’ says Katie. ‘There were various historical sections and an aquarium, but it was the dinosaurs that fascinated the children the most.’
They had their dinner at the museum and discussed what transport they could use to return to pre-school. ‘Some suggested getting a taxi, while others said a bus. It was decided to buy train tickets,’ says Katie. ‘We even went in a lift, which was an experience that some of the children hadn’t previously had.’
extension activities
Children were keen to tell their parents about their ferry adventure when they were collected from nursery. ‘Many parents commented about what a great experience it was for them and that they hadn’t thought to take their children on a boat,’ adds Katie. ‘A few said how they wanted to do it with their children, so their experience will now be extended further.’- The children returned to the beach and took some buckets and spades of their own to leave in the community box for other visitors to enjoy. ‘It was our way of giving back to the community,’ says Katie.
- Inspired by the different boats that they had seen on their adventure, the children looked at pictures of boats and made their own with junk-modelling materials including boxes, plastic bottles and sticks.
- Staff extended this by discussing floating and sinking with them. They decided to take their boats to the local boating lake and seeif they would float like the ferry. ‘Some of them did float, but others just became soggy and sank,’ says Katie. ‘We used this experience to talk about the properties of different materials and why they reacted in that way when they came into contact with water.’
- From the boating lake, the children could see the ferry, which led them to talk about and reflect on their day trip.
- To build on the children’s interest in the dinosaurs at the museum, staff set up a dinosaur small-world play area for the children to investigate.
- While walking to the beach, they went past the RNLI lifeboat station. Staff introduced concepts around water safety, including the importance of being sensible around water and not going in without an adult’s permission. Younger children at the nursery have since been for an organised tour of the lifeboat station and seen the lifeboats.
what they gain
‘The pre-school children had so many new experiences, it was just amazing,’ reflects Katie. ‘We are really lucky that we are in an area where there are lotsof places where we can take the children and widen their learning.
‘We want to extend on children’s home experiences, to teach them everything we possibly can and also open up other things that they may not have chance to do at home. They will then go to school with a rich variety of knowledge and interests that they can continue to build on.’
book corner
Ferry by Benedict Blathwayt
Find out what happens when Captain Kit welcomes his passengers aboard his ferry in this enticing board book.
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
One day a penguin arrives on a boy’s doorstep. So the boy decides to take the penguin home to the South Pole.
Rosa’s Big Boat Experiment by Jessica Spanyol
Rosa and her friends want to build boats, but how will they keep them from sinking?
The Boy Who Sailed the World by Julia Green and Alex Latimer
The boy has always loved the sea. So he builds a boat and sails away on a voyage of adventure.
Busy Boats by Louise Forshaw
Set sail, pulling and turning the tabs with this interactive boat book. Enjoy hoisting a sail, catching some fish and even working a lighthouse.
Jack and the Flumflum Treeby Julia Donaldson and David Roberts
Jack’s Granny is sick with a bad case of the moozles. The only cure is the fruit of the flumflum tree which grows on the faraway Isle of Blowyernose. It’s a perilous journey, but Jack bravely sets sail.
Bucket by Kes Gray and Garry Parsons
Billy wants a bucket for his birthday. Inside it, he can see all kinds of magnificent sea creatures. Mum and Dad are sceptical and, when Dad uses the bucket to clean his car, he’s in for a big surprise.
