1 Furry friend
ADULT-LED
Introduce a baby animal to the children.
Key learning intentions
Respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings when appropriate
To have a developing awareness of their own needs and be sensitive to the needs of others
Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
Assorted paper, pens, pencils and crayons, clipboards, digital camera, young animal, photograph of the fully-grown animal.
Preparation
* Some time before the activity, make a team decision about using animals in the setting, including any health and safety implications and policies.
Staff may choose to introduce a resident pet, or it may be more appropriate to negotiate with a parent/carer or staff member to bring a growing pet into the setting on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The most appropriate resident pets are guinea pigs, but rabbits, puppies or kittens would also be suitable as visitors. If the animal is very young, but used to handling, it may be appropriate to bring the mother into the setting too.
* Ensure that everything the animal needs is in place before it arrives.
Activity content
* Discuss with the children what is going to happen before the animal arrives. Explain that it is a baby animal and will be easily scared, so they have to be quiet and gentle.
* Ensure that the children wash their hands before and after touching the animal.
* Discuss whether the children have any pets at home and if they can remember when their pets were smaller.
* Give the children lots of time to observe the animal, and stroke it gently. Encourage them to talk about what they can see and how the animal feels.
* Take photographs of the children and the animal.
Things to say
* Model key vocabulary: dog, puppy, cat, kitten, guinea pig, rabbit, baby, young, gentle, quiet, fur, soft, smooth, silky, paws, whiskers, claws.
* What do you think the baby/puppy/kitten likes to eat and drink? Where do you think it sleeps?
* What do you like about the baby? What can you notice if you look very carefully? Do you think the baby has claws?
* What is different about the baby and the adult?
Stepping stones
* Children with little experience may be very excited at the new arrival and will express their feelings in various ways, which may often be physical. Their own needs will be paramount and they may need lots of support to consider the needs of others.
* Children with some experience will show care and concern for themselves, have a sense of belonging and may begin to recognise the needs of others.
They will begin to express their needs and feelings.
* Children with more experience will be aware of their own needs, feelings and desires but will also be sensitive to the needs of others, including pets. They will respond to the significance of the experience in appropriate ways.
Extension ideas
* Look at photographs of the young animal with the children and encourage them to respond to the event through paintings, drawings or media such as clay or plasticine.
* Plan a movement session in which the children explore moving like animals.
* Introduce other creatures that have different life cycles, such frogs, butterflies, ducks and chickens.
2 Animal farm
CHILD-INITIATED
Provide a small-world farm.
Resources
Builder's tray in which the children have grown grass in a thin layer of compost, adult and baby small-world animals, wooden building blocks, small foil trays, twigs, leaves, fir cones, boulders, stones, potted plants, straw and gravel.
Play possibilities
* Exploring the grass and other natural resources.
* Sorting the animals according to size or type.
* Matching the baby animals with the adult animals.
* Constructing buildings and homes for the animals.
* Feeding the animals and developing imaginative play.
Things to do and say
* Set up the imaginative small-world play in a stimulating way, using the natural resources to create areas for different animals.
* Why do you think this cow is smaller than the others? So who could be the mother? Do you know what a baby cow is called?
* Where do you think the horses would like to live? Can you make shelter for them? What do you think they would like to eat and drink?
Possible learning outcomes
* Notices similarities and differences.
* Sorts objects using own criteria.
* Counts accurately to ten.
* Orders by size.
* Uses imagination in small-world play.
* Comments and asks questions about the natural world.
3 Whose baby?
CHILD-INITIATED
Provide pictures for the children to play a matching game.
Resources
'Whose baby?' matching game (see Resources, page 14) or a home-made version with laminated pictures of baby and adult animals.
Play possibilities
* Describing the pictures.
* Sorting the animals using own criteria.
* Counting the animals.
* Matching the adult pictures to those of the babies.
* Fixing the pieces together.
* Talking about the differences between the adult and baby animals.
* Naming the animals and their young.
Things to do and say
* Model the key vocabulary: cow, calf, sheep, lamb, horse, foal, pig, piglet, goat, kid, dog, puppy, cat, kitten, duck, duckling, hen, chick.
* Which animals do you think could live on a farm? Would the lion be happy on the farm? Where could it live?
* Do you know what this animal is called? What do we call a baby cat?
Possible learning outcomes
* Notices similarities and differences.
* Sorts objects using own criteria.
* Takes turns and shares.
* Works as part of a group without an adult.
* Uses increasingly wide vocabulary, including grouping and naming.
* Uses comparative language.
4 Hard facts
CHILD-INITIATED
Provide information texts about animals and their young for the children to explore.
Resources
Assorted Information texts about animals and their babies, for example: Safari Animals, Polar Animals and Farmyard Animals by Paul Hess (Zero to Ten, Pounds 4.99 each) and Lift the Flap Baby Animals, My First Animal Board Book, Touch and Feel Baby Animals (Dorling Kindersley, 4.99 each).
Play possibilities
* Looking at the pictures and the text.
* 'Reading' the words to each other.
* Sharing the books.
* Talking about the differences between the adult and baby animals.
* Making links between the pictures in the books and their own experiences.
Things to do and say
* Model the key vocabulary: cow, calf, sheep, lamb, horse, foal, pig, piglet, dog, puppy, cat, kitten, duck, duckling, hen, chick.
* Which animals do you think could live on a farm? Would the lion be happy on the farm? Where could it live?
* Do you know what this animal is called? What do we call a baby cat?
Possible learning outcomes
* Knows how information can be found in non-fiction texts.
* Enjoys an increasing range of books.
* Knows that print carries meaning.
* Begins to recognise some familiar words.
* Handles books carefully.
* Shows interest in illustrations and print.
