This three-part project on wood starts by focusing on trees, moves on to investigate objects made from wood, and ends with the children making their own objects from wood. The poster will stimulate lots of discussion for all three parts of the project, while the back of the poster provides tips for setting up a woodwork area, and a list of safety rules to display there.
Activity 1
A-L Branch out
Go for a walk to the park to look at the trees.
Planned learning intention
To find about, and identify, some of the features of living things, objects and events they observe
Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
Plastic buckets, wooden toy or other wooden object, magnifying glasses, reference books about trees.
Step by step
* Show the children the wooden toy and ask if they know where wood comes from.
* Suggest going for a walk to look at trees and to bring some of the different parts back to examine.
* On the walk, take time to look at different trees from a distance and compare their shapes and heights.
* Feel the bark of the tree. How wide is the trunk? Can the children stretch their arms right round it?
* Find out where the trunk disappears into the earth. Is it possible to see any of the roots?
* Stand under the tree, shout out different parts of the tree and ask the children to point to them.
* Collect fallen parts of the tree, such as leaves, twigs, conkers, small branches and pieces of bark. Stress that they should not remove anything from the tree.
* Back at the nursery, display and examine the collection of items and find pictures of them in reference books.
Stepping stones
* Show curiosity, observe and manipulate objects.
* Describe simple features of objects and events.
* Examine objects and living things to find out more about them.
(Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, page 86.) Extension activity
* Sort the collections of items into groups according to type, such as twigs, fruits and bark.
C-I Closer look
Provide resources that will encourage the children to further explore parts of a tree.
Resources
The collection of leaves, twigs, etc, magnifying glasses, reference books, a selection of paper, paint, brushes and mark-making tools, aprons, name stickers.
Play suggestions
* Give the children time to examine the collection of items freely with the magnifying glasses and to find pictures of them in the reference books.
* Organise a nearby table with painting equipment, paper and aprons, and show the children the resources available.
* Suggest to the children that they might like to draw or paint the things they found.
* Make sure there is somewhere to display finished work and to leave it to dry.
* Write the younger children's names on some stickers so that they can label their finished work, and encourage older children to write their own.
Possible learning outcomes
* Continues to be interested, excited and motivated to learn.
* Works as part of a group, taking turns and sharing fairly.
* Selects and uses activities and resources independently.
* Uses talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking and ideas.
* Uses language to describe the shape and size of solid and flat shapes.
* Investigates objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate.
* Finds out about, and identifies some features of, living things.
* Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
* Finds out about their environment, and talks about those features they like and dislike.
* Explores colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions.
* Responds in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel.
Activity 2
A-L Pattern makers
Examine sawn wood.
1 & 2 Planned learning intention
To talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
Small branches - some sawn horizontally and some vertically, magnifying glasses, dough, clay, wet sand, salt, thick mud, small tea trays, paint, paper.
Step by step
* Look closely at the branches and discuss the patterns in the wood. How are they different?
* Talk about how the rings in the horizontal branches have been formed.
* See if the children can identify other patterns on them.
* On a nearby table, set out trays containing wet sand, salt, thick paint and mud, a flattened lump of clay and a large lump of dough, and place a pile of paper and branches in the centre.
* Suggest that the children choose a branch and try to copy the patterns. Can they make an imprint by pressing the wood into the materials?
* Compare the patterns made on the different materials. Which one has the most detail, and which the least?
* Take turns to dip a branch into the paint tray and make some prints on paper. Can the children see any patterns?
* Display the patterns around a tree outline on the wall.
Stepping stones
* Shows curiosity and observation by talking about shapes, how they are the same and why some are different.
* Shows an awareness of symmetry.
(Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, page 80.)
Extension activities
* Create rubbings of different parts of a tree, including leaves, bark and cross sections of branches, using a thick crayon. Discuss the patterns in them.
* Print patterns using the branches and items collected during the walk in Activity 1.
* Create patterns by rolling logs across malleable materials such as clay and dough.
C-I In print
Encourage further exploration of patterns.
Resources
The collection of leaves, twigs, etc collected for Activities 1 and 2 and the range of resources used to create patterns in Activity 2
Play suggestions
* Set out three tables, one for printing with paint, another for making rubbings with thick crayons and a third for printing impressions in malleable materials.
* Put a selection of the leaves, twigs, etc in the centre of each table.
* Divide the children into three pairs and let them explore the resources on one of the tables.
* Explain that they can swap with a child on another table whenever they wish to.
* Have an area set aside for children to leave their patterns to dry.
* After the children have freely explored the materials, talk to them about their activity. Which materials did they most enjoy working with? Which did they think created the most interesting patterns?
Possible learning outcomes
* Is confident to try new activities, initiates ideas and speaks in a familiar group.
* Maintains attention, concentrates, and sits quietly when appropriate.
* Interacts with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in the conversation.
* Talks about, recognises and recreates simple patterns.
* Investigates objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate.
* Looks closely for similarities, differences, patterns and change.
* Handles tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control.
* Explores colour, texture, shape, form and space in two and three dimensions.
