Nursery Topics - The Books of John Burningham covers all six areas of learning in the Foundation Stage curriculum in England and can be adapted easily 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 makes very clear that good practice involves a balance between adult-led and child-initiated play and activities, stating that 'children do not make a distinction between "play" and "work" and neither should practitioners' (page 11). This issue of Nursery Topics likewise includes both adult-led activities, with planned learning outcomes, and suggestions for child-initiated play 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 Off to bed
Use The Magic Bed to inspire role play both indoors and out
Choose and recommend favourite stories
Use small-world play to prompt more magic bed adventures
Part 2 Floating off
Create a poem based on Time to Get Out of the Bath, Shirley
Explore the process of washing
Organise water play outdoors
Part 4 Train times
Play a counting game based on Oi! Get Off Our Train
Observe and talk about John Burningham's illustrations
Explore the story through small-world play
Part 4 All aboard
Retell the story of Mr Gumpy's Outing to a familiar tune
Revisit the story in small-world play outdoors
Revisit the characters from the story in a listening game
STEPPING STONES
'Stepping stones', giving information on 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 early years 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, outcomes provides a wider understanding of a child's learning.
TOPIC WEB
The topic web 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. the most relevant goals and stepping stones from the QCA Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage are listed, though the majority may apply given the holistic nature of children's learning. Page references to the guidance are given.
