Adult-led activities
Ship shape
Boats and ships are a great topic to work on as summer approaches. Use children's interest in them to explore materials, find out about how things work and learn about natural forces.
Key learning intentions
To identify and name features of boats and ships To use a range of materials to design and make boats and ships Adult:child ratio 1:up to 6
Resources
*Books *posters *postcards and other pictures of boats and ships *water tray *aprons *toy boats and ships *materials including plastic and foil trays *paper and card *Blu-tac *straws or dowel *wood *glue *string *Sellotape or masking tape *writing and drawing materials Preparation
* Have materials available for children to access easily.
* Have the water tray and aprons nearby for children to test their designs.
Activity content
* Look at the books, pictures and models of boats and ships with the children to stimulate ideas. Encourage them to explore and discuss the different types of craft, naming them and talking about their purpose. Ensure that children have opportunities to contribute their own ideas and experiences.
* Give the children adequate time to explore and play with the toy boats.
* Encourage them to investigate the materials available to make their own boats and ships. Help them to make their designs, including techniques for joining and attaching. Younger children may just wish to play with the toy boats or float different materials on the water. Older children may be able to draw designs of the boats that they want to make and may modify their designs over an extended period.
* Let the children test their boats in the water tray and allow them time to explore and experiment. Encourage them to question and discuss what happens.
Key vocabulary
Ship, liner, cruiser, ferry, barge, container ship, canoe, dinghy, houseboat, submarine, fishing boat, narrow boat, punt, lifeboat and so on.
Follow-up activities
* Begin an interactive display. Use pictures, posters and toy boats and ships, and ask the children to contribute drawings and paintings, and, if they wish, to bring in toy boats and ships, photographs or postcards from home. Value their experiences of boats and ships.
* Add to the display photographs of the children playing at the water tray or designing their boats.
* When they have finished using the boats that they have designed, add these (or photographs of them) to the display.
* Encourage the children to talk through the processes involved in making their boat - an adult could write these down if appropriate.
* Encourage them to find different ways of making their boats move, for example, by blowing, using balloon pumps or whisks.
* Arrange a visit to a local river or canal to look at boats or even have a boat trip.
* Share and enjoy songs, rhymes and games about boats and ships (see box).
* If you have a water tray with a shallow end, add sand, stones and shells to make a seashore.
Floating and sinking
Children begin to explore floating and sinking through playing with different materials in the water tray. Enable them to deepen their understanding of these principles and learn about forces.
Key learning intentions
To investigate the processes of floating and sinking To extend learning by asking why things happen and how things work Adult:child ratio 1:up to 6
Resources
*Who sank the boat? by Pamela Allen (Puffin Books, 4.99) 3toy boats *small-world plastic or wooden animals and people *small bricks or cubes *water tray or bowls of water *aprons Preparation
* Share the story with the children.
* Introduce the materials available and explain to the children that they are going to investigate what happens when things are put in boats.
Activity content
* Ask the children to float their boats and add small-world materials.
* Encourage them to describe what happens and explain why; to count the number of items they put on to a boat before it is full or sinks; to try different combinations of boats and materials and discuss the results; and to explore and compare sizes, shapes and numbers.
* Allow the children plenty of time to experiment and test materials. They may remain at this activity for a long time or return to it another day.
Key vocabulary
Float, sink, up, down, above, below, under, over, tip, balance, more less, heavy, light, big, little, numbers.
Follow-up activities
* Act out Who sank the boat? with the children.
* Read and act out together Mr Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham (see box) using hats, puppets or masks for the characters.
* Provide containers of various shapes such as bowls, yoghurt pots and plastic lids with small-world items so the children can test these and extend their thinking and understanding of floating and sinking.
* Provide other materials such as sponges, wood, metal or plastic to encourage testing and problem solving.
* Some children may engage in deep thinking with these activities, trying out all sorts of ideas. Allow them enough time and space to continue their learning, providing separate bowls of water away from the water tray to continue their exploration and learning if necessary.
* Read or tell the story of Noah's Ark. and discuss the story with the children. Sort small-world animals in the setting into pairs and encourage the children to count in twos.
* Allow the children opportunities to play with the animals and the boats. Ask children to draw pictures of animals, and photocopy these so they have pairs of their animal. Play pairs games with animal snap cards.
Child-initiated play
Encourage children to develop their own interests and ideas across the curriculum by adding topic resources to the basic provision.
Home corner and imaginative play area
Use a large strip of corrugated card to make one wall of the home corner area into a submarine, boat, ship or Noah's Ark. Cut out portholes and provide materials for the children to paint or decorate it in any way they wish.
Additional resources
*Magazines *brochures *books *posters *postcards *scissors *paper *glue *telephone *computer keyboard *scribing materials to make tickets *passports *money *globe *maps *large suitcase *swimsuits *towels *sunglasses *sun cream *snorkel *camera *corrugated card *materials to paint, colour and scribe *clothes and props including pirate hats *masks *striped tee-shirts *telescopes *treasure chests *jewellery and pretend or real coins for treasure *animals *music such as sea shanties and 'Yellow Submarine'
Possible learning experiences
* Discussing and labelling areas such as the galley, cabin and deck.
* Exploring clothes and props (indoors and outdoors).
* Enjoying information about boats and ships derived from magazines and travel brochures.
* Setting up a travel agency for cruises.
* Packing suitcases for their holidays.
* Cutting out pictures from magazines and travel brochures.
* Listening to sea and boating songs (see box).
The practitioner role
* Join in the children's play, taking on roles as appropriate to stimulate exploration of roles, inspire ideas and encourage collaborative play.
* Encourage the children to talk about their real or imaginary holiday plans. Where are they going? What do they need to take with them? What do they think the weather will be like?
* Value children's ideas and be ready to provide additional materials they need to extend their play.
* Take photographs of activities for display or to be included in a book on boats and ships.
Outdoors
Water play outdoors will help children to develop and consolidate their learning about boats, water, floating and sinking through different equipment and materials.
Use a large length of open tubing to create a canal system. The tubing can be level or angled to inspire comparisons.
Additional resources
*Water trays and boats *materials to float and sink *lengths of open tubing *large cardboard boxes *paint with big brushes *wooden blocks *cloth *hats *masks *stripy tee-shirts *telescopes *treasure *maps *treasure chests *sails *oars *anchors *ropes *fishing rods *nets and fish *large chalks *small inflatable paddling pool Possible learning experiences
* Observing how wind and rain can move boats in the water.
* Inflating a small paddling pool, filling it with water and using it to sail boats (an opportunity to discuss water safety).
* Using boxes and other props as boats to develop imaginative play and storytelling.
* Using material to make sails, oars, anchors, fishing rods and nets, pretend fish and enjoying fishing.
* Painting the boats.
* Using large wooden blocks and big pieces of cloth to design boats.
* Enjoying circle games and songs (see box).
* Joining in games such as 'Captain's Coming', in which children follow instructions to move to the port, starboard, bow or stern and mime activities such as 'scrub the decks' and 'climb the rigging'. On the command 'Captain's coming', they have to stand still and salute. After introducing the principles of the game, the children can develop their own ideas and codes of behaviour for the game. See also 'A boat trip' (page 17).
* Drawing boat shapes on the ground using large chalks and counting how many people can fit into them.
The practitioner role
* Join in play, taking on roles to stimulate ideas and imaginative thinking.
* Support children's exploration of boats in the water and encourage problem solving and exploration.
* Introduce and model songs and games and encourage children to take ownership of these.
* Take photos of games and activities to add to the display or put in a book on the theme of boats and ships. Scribe the children's thoughts on these activities and urge them to consolidate their ideas through painting and drawing activities.
Denise Bailey is a nursery teacher at Annesley Primary School, Nottingham
