Nursery Topics - Our bodies coversall six areas of learning, with an emphasis on personal, social and emotional development.
Areas of learning
The six areas of learning are indicated by the following symbols:
Personal, social andemotional development
Communication, languageand literacy
Mathematical development
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
Themes and activities
The Foundation Stage guidance is very clear that good practice involves a balance between adult-led ( A-L ) and child initiated ( C-I ) play and activities, stating that 'children should not make a distinction between "play" and "work" and neither should practitioners'.
Each of the four themes withinOur bodies likewise includes a balance between adult-led activities, with a planned learning outcome,and suggestions for child-initiatedplay that will reinforce learning and allow a wider exploration of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that the topic hopes to foster. The four parts are:
Part 1 Appearances
Look closely at yourselves and each other
Draw self-portraits
Part 2 Fingers and hands
Make groups totalling five Decorate templates of hands
Part 3 Inside our bodies
Monitor your heartbeat during exercise Enjoy some dancing
Develop understanding of internal organs
Find out about the skeleton and participate in hospital or baby clinic role play
Part 4 Hygiene and healthy eating
Explore hygiene
Bath the dolls and wash their clothes
Make a healthy food display
Encourage list writing through role play
Stepping stones
'Stepping stones', giving information on how children may proceed towards a given goal, follow each adult-led activity and aim to develop practitioners' understanding of how children learn. The information is intended only as a guide, however. 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's learning. 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 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.
