Many children will have visited a funfair or circus and will be keen to re-enact and build on their experiences in the classroom.
You could start a project by sharing pictures of funfairs and circuses to encourage the children to talk about their visits, and be prepared to take your project in the direction that best suits their interests and experiences.
It is good early years practice to take account of children's previous knowledge and experience in long-, medium- and short-term planning, and it is important, therefore, to be flexible when planning a topic.
The following ideas are merely starting points and may evolve in almost any direction. One of the many joys of working with young children is that you never know where their interests will lead both them and you.
If the project does capture their imagination, then round off your project with a Family Fun Day, where the children can play funfair games and show off their circus skills (see the back of the Nursery World poster).
Adult-led activities
Target practice
Begin by setting up some traditional fair games such as hoopla and skittles for the children to enjoy.
Key learning intentions
*To use increasing control over an object by rolling or throwing it *To engage in activities requiring hand-eye co-ordination Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
*Plastic bottles filled with a little sand to keep them steady *quoits *plastic skittles *balls *pens *pencils *paper *clipboards *number labels Activity content
* Ensure that there is plenty of space for children to set up and play these games without disturbing or being disturbed by other activities.
Playing outdoors is ideal.
* Explain the games to the children and model the activities.
* Encourage the children to take turns while playing the games and to count the number of quoits that land on the bottles and the number of skittles that are knocked over.
* Let the children explore different ways of using the materials provided, such as rolling the balls or throwing the quoits from different distances.
* Provide writing materials so children can explore ways of recording the results.
Key vocabulary
Hoops, bottles, skittles, throw, roll, score, how many, count, more, less, numbers one to ten
Extension ideas
* Children might enjoy devising their own versions of the games or creating their own games using different materials.
* Make other simple fairground games, such as throwing bean bags on to a number grid, on to a line or into a bucket.
* Mark out a goal on a wall and encourage the children to kick balls of different sizes and to count how many goals they score.
Swinging times
Design fairground rides for small-world people or animals.
Key learning intentions
*To construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources *To build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources, and adapting their work where necessary Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
*Junk materials *card *Sellotape *glue *paints *felt tip pens *crayons *string *scissors *paper plates *straws *small squares of material *tissue paper *natural materials such as stones and shells *shiny coloured paper *cardboard cylinders *small toy cars and boats
Activity content
* Model different types of fairground rides that the children can create.
For example, to make simple rocking horses, decorate a paper plate and fold it in half. Cut out a horse or other animal shape, colour it in and glue it to the top of the plate. The children can then rock the model gently backwards and forwards.
* Make a roundabout or carousel by using a decorated paper plate at the top and the bottom with a cardboard cylinder glued between them. Make seats from sections of egg boxes or small yoghurt pots for 'small world' people to ride in. Alternatively, make swings by attaching two lengths of string to an egg box section and threading these through the top plate.
* Explore ways to make swings and swingboats using thick card to create a frame and attaching seats with string.
* Use junk materials to design and test see-saws.
* Make slides using lengths of card propped up at an angle on a box or container and decorate using paints or felt-tip pens. Explore the speed that the 'small world' people come down the slide by positioning the slides at different angles. Use small pieces of junk material to make 'mats' for them to sit on.
* Attach numbers and straws with flags to toy cars to create bumper cars.
Provide a limited space for the cars to move in, such as a large tray, and encourage the children to move the cars round without bumping into each other.
* Decorate and join small boxes together to make simple train rides. Use a large sheet of cardboard to create a track for the train and junk materials to create tunnels and hills. Glue on natural items such as rocks and make paper trees and flowers to add interest.
* In a similar way, make a river ride. Use shiny blue paper to create the route of the river and add features as above. Children can either use small plastic toy boats, or design and make their own boats using junk material.
Extension ideas
* Ensure children have enough materials, space and time to try out and explore their own ideas by creating different types of fairground rides.
* Provide construction materials such as coloured wooden bricks, Lego, Duplo and Sticklebricks to design fairground rides.
Clown around
Have fun dressing up as clown.
Key learning intentions
*Use language to imagine and create roles and experiences *Initiate new combinations of movement and gesture in order to express and respond to feelings, ideas and experiences Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
*Face paints *paper *paints *scissors *glue *Sellotape *shiny coloured paper *tissue paper *felt tip pens *paper *card *Nursery World poster.
Activity content
* Look at the Nursery World poster together and talk about the clowns.
Which ones do the children like? Why? Do all the clowns look happy?
* Make simple clown hats by folding a large semi-circle of paper or card into a cone shape, fitting it to a child's head size and securing with Sellotape or glue. Let the children decorate the front of their hats as they wish, perhaps with large bright shiny circles of paper or circles of paint.
* Use face paints to make clown faces, with big smiley mouths and red noses.
* Encourage the children to 'clown around' together or organise performances by singing silly songs, making funny faces or doing pretend tumbling or juggling to make the others laugh.
* Where necessary, provide soft flooring and mark off a specific area for children to perform to ensure everyone's safety.
* Children may choose to make invitations for others to come to see their circus performances at a given time and in a given area of the setting.
Key vocabulary Circus, clown, happy, sad, jokes, songs, tumble, juggle.
At the circus Encourage the children to develop their circus skills through balancing activities.
Key learning intention
*To balance on various parts of the body *To persevere in repeating some actions or attempts when developing a new skill
Adult:child ratio 1:8 Resources
*Balls *beanbags *hoops *bucket stilts *beams *bricks *blocks Activity content
* Encourage the children to find out how well they can balance. Explore balancing in different ways, such as on one leg, on tiptoe or on one hand and one foot.
* Encourage the children to develop their balancing skills by trying to walk along: a line marked on the floor using their arms to help them balance; a beam; a row of bricks or blocks.
* Inspire the children to develop their skills by increasing the difficulty of the balancing act. For example, add another layer of bricks or make a line of narrower blocks.
* Provide bucket stilts to continue developing balancing skills.
* Encourage the children to balance bean bags on different parts of their bodies, such as on their heads and the backs of their hands. Challenge them to walk around or stand up and sit down without dropping the bean bag.
* Encourage them to balance other items such as a book, cushion or a ball and to balance the items on different parts of their bodies, such as their knees or the soles of their feet.
* Explore balancing small items, such as a plastic plate or a pencil, on one finger.
Key vocabulary
Balance, level, fall, drop, on, off, head, shoulders, arm, knee, hands, fingers, feet.
Extension ideas
* Develop hand-eye co-ordination by building towers from bricks, playing cards or yoghurt pots.
* Engage in weighing activities to develop understanding of the concept of balance using toy scales, or make larger scales by attaching buckets to each end of a length of wood or a coat hanger. Create a table-top balance by placing a plastic tray on a rolling pin and placing items on each end of the tray.
* Share the song about clowns on the back of the Nursery World poster.
Child-initiated learning Outdoor area
Additional resources
*Tents *large lengths of material *stapler *string *balls *bean bags *quoits *writing materials *plain and shiny paper *card *trikes and other wheeled toys
Possible learning experiences
* Exploring tents and enclosures using small tents or making dens, or creating larger enclosed areas to represent circus tents or arenas by using lengths of material.
* Making labels and signs showing directions and where the entrances are to the tents.
* Decorating the outdoor area with bunting using triangular pieces of shiny paper and string. (Display the bunting well above head height, for safety reasons).
* Practising juggling skills individually or in pairs by throwing and catching balls, bean bags or quoits.
* Designing and creating simple obstacle courses and practising balancing skills.
* Creating dodgem cars from wheeled vehicles such as cars, scooters, bikes and trikes. (Add a number to each vehicle and encourage children to drive carefully round a small given area, with the added challenge of not bumping into each other.) The practitioner role
* Make sure that resources and equipment allow children to make independent choices.
* Make sure that materials and equipment are used safely.
* Be prepared to provide other resources to extend children's interest in the topic.
* Provide technical help and assistance when appropriate.
