Nursery Topics - Spring covers all six areas of learning in the English early years curriculum, but it can be easily adapted to suit the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish curricula. The areas of learning are indicated as follows: Personal, social and emotional development Communication, language and literacy Mathematical development Knowledge and understanding of the world Physical development Creative development THEMES AND ACTIVITIES
The QCA Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage is very clear that good practice involves a balance between adult-led and child-initiated play and activities, stating that 'children should notmake a distinction between "play"and "work" and neither should practitioners'. Each of the four themes within Spring likewise includes a balance between adult-led activities, with a planned learning outcome,and suggestions for child-initiatedplay that will reinforce learning and allow wider exploration of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that the topic hopes to foster. The four parts are: Part 1 Back to nature
Investigate signs of spring Focus on seeds Create a living farm Part 2 New life
Focus on the life cycles of common animals Investigate the life cycle of a frog Focus on nest building Part 3 Come rain or shine
Experience the excitement of a windy day Investigate sound through wind chimes Focus on shadows Enjoy a spring downpour Part 4 Shades of green
Develop children's awareness of colour and shades Gather up all things green Organise a collaborative weaving activity STEPPING STONES
'Stepping stones', giving informationon how children may proceed toward a given goal, follow each adult-led activity and aim to develop practitioners' understanding of how children learn. They are set out according to a child's experience, but being 'inexperienced' should not be seen as a deficit. The information is intended only as a guide. The Foundation Stage guidance reminds us that children in our settings have varying levels of experience regardless of their chronological age, that they will work towards a goal in different ways and that their learning is not always linear.
POSSIBLE LEARNING OUTCOMES
The child-initiated suggestions include a list of possible learning outcomes to encourage practitioners to reflect on the holistic nature of children'slearning. Observing possible, rather than merely planned, learning outcomes provides a much wider understanding of a child's learning.
TOPIC WEB
The topic web overleaf gives relevant key principles from the Foundation Stage guidance as these have a greater bearing on the aims and planning of the topic than individual early learning goals. Only the most relevant goals and stepping stones from the QCA Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage are then listed, though the majority of them may apply given the holistic nature of children's learning. Page references to the Foundation Stage guidance are also given.
