Introducing programmable and electronic toys is one of the best ways to introduce ICT in the early years. In my opinion, the following are some of the best.
LEGO Mybots. As with LEGO, children can manipulate the various pieces to construct a car, a plane or a robot. Unlike LEGO, children can also select from a variety of 'intelligent' bricks. Putting the time sensor brick on to a plane, for example, will ensure that the child has approximately 20 seconds of play before the fuel runs out. The child then has to refuel the plane with the petrol pump before they can resume their game. The children I watched using LEGO Mybots had no fear that they were doing the wrong thing or that they might break the equipment, which adults tend to do.
Electronic keyboard. The nursery at Sir Robert Hitcham's School in Suffolk uses a keyboard from the Early Learning Centre. On the day I visited, the keyboard was put on a table, along with a section of more traditional musical instruments for the children to experiment with. Probably more through luck than judgement, one child managed to record the tune he had just created. Delighted with his success, he then went on to show a friend how to do it!
Electronic cash register. Using the old-fashioned cash register may be fun, but it is hardly showing children that technology is part of their world.
The pupils at Sir Robert's use a cash register with a bar code swipe, a digital number display and an on/off switch. More able children who have already grasped number symbols are introduced to digital numbers and all the children are instilled with a sense of the importance of turning off equipment after use.
LEGO Duplo Train. Consisting of a simple train and track, children have the option of switching the controls to make the train go forward or back, which can help them with directional and positional language.
LEGO Action Wheelers. For more advanced children, the equipment can be constructed in a variety of ways, while the remote control piece has two buttons, one to control right turns and one to control left. Both of these buttons can be pressed to go forward or back. Wheelers can be set at different frequencies and children can play with two sets thereby developing an understanding of faster, slower, first and second.
The Pixie. There are only seven buttons on the Pixie (four directions, wait a second, clear memory and run) and unlike other programmable robots, children need no understanding of number before they can program it. One activity is to ask a child to roll dice, another then presses the forward button the same number of times that is shown on the die and the Pixie moves along a large homemade number line.
More information on all of the above resources, including details of costs and suppliers, can be found at the Sir Robert Hitcham's webpages for the Foundation Stage at www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/foundation/foundation_ict_reviews.htm
Julie Wilson is the Foundation Stage advisor at BECTa (British Educational Communications and Technology agency), the Government's body for ICT in education.
