'Slice', 'putt' and 'birdie' are all terms that are known to the children here since they have been encouraged to take up golf. The achievement they feel when they hit that hoop is fantastic, and we now leave the equipment out throughout the day so that they can have a go whenever they feel like it.
This project is an outcome of our 'listening to children' culture and our project-based approach to learning. From observation and assessment we realised that children were naturally involved in throwing, moving and mapping activities. As I had recently started playing golf myself, I thought the game would have great potential to extend children's learning and experience in all areas of the Foundation Stage.
All the children have been enthusiastic to participate and very receptive to instructions about how to play. Golf is not just something they engage with physically; it has also become a great talking point. Staff, too, have enthusiastically supported the activity, deriving personal satisfaction from it themselves.
Training was a priority. Earlier in the year eight members of our team were sent on a training day to Chiswick Bridge, Dukes Meadow Golf Club and Range, with a coach from the Professional Golfers' Association. This involved demonstrations and practice using the Tri-Golf kit equipment and enabled the team to experience the pleasure of the game first-hand.
Back at the centre, they were then able to work with children and use all the appropriate vocabulary with them. We now have our own Tri-Golf kit. One parent, a keen golfer, has also brought in his own golf equipment and trolley, and has spent time working with the children. We now have two golf sets on site which are available for the children to use.
The beauty of golf is that it is accessible to all children, whatever their physical ability. They can set the pace themselves and derive enormous satisfaction from handling the clubs and angling the shots. Parents feature strongly in the activity by working closely with staff, and they supported their children on a golf open day.
As a sociable activity, golf is helping the children to relate more closely to each other and their practitioners.
Community background
Greenfield Children's Centre, located in the London borough of Ealing, recently became a designated children's centre. It serves a densely populated and diverse community where 95 per cent of the children speak English as an additional language. Many have Indian and Pakistani heritage and there are increasing numbers of Somali and East European children. The centre also works closely with the local Traveller community.
There are substantial numbers of transient and refugee children. Many live in overcrowded housing and levels of unemployment in the area are high compared to the national average.
The centre occupies what was formerly a military barracks, put up in the 1940s as a temporary building. However, it does have a reasonable play area and access to the surrounding park. It is hoped that eventually a golf course may be added to the park when an ambitious new centre is constructed next year.
Meanwhile, excellent practice continues, with golf now playing an integral part in the children's day. The staff are committed to a child-centred philosophy allowing the children to dictate the curriculum.
The learning and outcomes from golf have so far been wide-ranging. Children experience great enjoyment when they play and develop their social skills and broaden their vocabulary. They further their understanding of sharing and turn-taking. It also gives them a sense of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Equipping staff with a golfing vocabulary means that the children share a special dialogue and learn to follow instructions. Assimilating the rules of the game involves them in recognising print in the environment, writing their names and using clipboards. Golf is proving a springboard for looking at books and generating talk about sport and healthy lifestyles.
The digital camera has become an intrinsic part of our practice and is playing an important role in developing the game. Children are pro-active in using the camera to capture the images of their choice and in downloading and printing them. Children are very keen to record their experiences, talking throughout the process.
Golf has proved an effective way to build teamwork. The children showed that they were able to follow and map out a mini golf course, which had a bunker, beams, a bucket in the sand and hoops. They were encouraged to plan their own course by working in pairs and using clipboards. Access to an interactive white board is meanwhile providing a lot of information about golf courses around the world.
Overall, our golf project fits in with our philosophy for the children, which questions the experiences of everyday life and joins children and adults in learning together. A rich and exciting curriculum is created when children are given the utmost respect and where both child and adult become learners together, enhancing the Foundation Stage.
I enjoyed demonstrating my own equipment and felt it was particularly good for the girls, because golf is often portrayed as a male sport. In keeping with this, it is proving an inclusive activity and one which challenges stereotypes.
As someone who has recently come to enjoy golf myself, I find it very rewarding to see how a newly discovered pastime is enriching the children's learning process.
June McHugh talked to Karen Faux
Further information
* Greenfields Children's Centre is part of Southall Early Years Education Centre www.seyec.com
* Headteacher j.mchugh@seyec.com
* www.golf-foundation.org
* www.bbc.co.uk
Learning experiences
* Develop social skills
* Develop control and co-ordination
* Experience enjoyment
* Develop greater confidence and independence
* Share and take turns
* Understand a healthy lifestyle
* Recognise colours
* Develop spatial awareness
* Engage in problem solving
* Explore environmental print
