Among our key objectives at Stepping Stones Childcare Centre is the aim to provide children with a wide range of opportunities and resources to allow them to experience, explore and experiment in all areas of learning.
Staff believe that babies should not be restricted in their access to sand, water and paint. These materials are presented appropriately, with due regard for health and safety issues.
Planning for continuity
Staff from the baby room (0-two years) and toddler room (two to three years) hold regular meetings to discuss their practice, identifying successful aspects and those requiring modification. We aim for continuity in our approach, so we ensure that babies become familiar with sand in various forms before progressing to more challenging sand play in the toddler room.
We also discuss individual needs, and how to plan next steps, by referring to observations and assessments. Exciting and unusual variations are introduced, often to stimulate children and keep staff motivated.
Working within the EYFS
As we discuss individual development, we refer to the EYFS documents to support our planning. For example:
- Sand is an ideal medium to enhance children's strong exploratory impulses and satisfy their desire to explore the environment around them. We try to present it in different ways so that we encourage exploration.
- We provide everyday items for babies to handle and toddlers to begin to use as tools.
- Many objects are natural, with interesting textures, brightly coloured or shiny, to encourage babies to reach out and grasp them. Toddlers can experiment with different ways of using them.
- Resources vary in complexity to enable children to practise using their developing fine motor skills.
- We note schemas and foster them by, for example, providing resources to hide under sand or containers to put sand and objects in and out of.
Sand play for babies
Many of our babies are crawling and rolling but not yet ready to sit or stand at a sand tray. We have a designated corner with a pebble-pattern table covering spread over the floor (obtained from a local hardware shop). Along one side is a low play divider, which has open access for resources (www.communityplaythings.co.uk). With the two walls, this creates a three-sided enclosure that babies can crawl into easily from the main room area when they choose to do so. Dry sand is sprinkled over the pebbles on the floor and small resources, such as kitchen utensils, are stored on the shelves.
The area is made inviting with a display on one wall entitled 'Beside the sea'. Long crepepaper seaweed fronds with sponge fishes attached hang above a fishing net with plastic sea creatures and shells. On the other wall, children's related artwork is displayed along with photographs of them engrossed in their creations. In this instance, sand pictures developed after a child was observed making patterns in the sand. Staff add comments about the children's actions, for example, 'Megan liked dipping the brush in and out of the pot'.
Care is taken to mount all work and photographs attractively to reflect a sense of value for the children's achievements. At floor level are mirrors so that babies can see themselves, and the objects they are using, from different angles.
More mobile babies enjoy sitting or standing at a sand tray where they can explore handling various wet sand textures, from sloppy to stiff. Sometimes the children are presented with the sand without additional resources, and at other times familiar objects such as yoghurt pots and plastic spoons are added. A staff member always joins the group to observe, develop conversation, introduce new words and support actions.
Sand play for toddlers
When planning sand play for our toddlers we endeavour to make their experiences novel and exciting. Within the toddler room was an unneeded storage cupboard, so we emptied it, took the shelves out and removed the door. That left us with a tiny 'room', ideal for two or three toddlers to play comfortably with an occasional adult. The room was dark and so we had a triangular window inserted at a low level, providing additional light and also a 'peep hole' for children and staff to observe what is going on inside.
We put down a washable surface and covered this with enough sand for children to dig and build with. We vary the texture by adding water. One wall is covered with labelled pictures of sea creatures, and our aim is to change this sea/sand theme regularly to maintain interest. We have also draped shiny fabric from the ceiling and over the door. This can be pinned back when children are inside.
Curriculum information is displayed on the wall under the heading 'Developing possible opportunities/key experiences for sand'. We have added a resource list and information about sensory opportunities and the role of the adult. Links to the EYFS are displayed as larger signs.
We store resources to enhance access and encourage children to categorise them using a series of baskets made of natural materials and filled with natural items, such as shells, cones and wood offcuts. Kitchen utensils are stored in a kitchen tidy and pans and sand moulds in a large plastic tub. Larger items, such as frying pans, are stored around the edges of the walls.
Children limit the numbers accessing the area to three without staff involvement by putting one of three hair 'scrunchies' on a wrist when they enter and taking it off when they leave.
Stepping Stones Childcare Centre is situated in the Randolph Community Centre in Evenwood, County Durham. Jill Tomlinson spoke to Jean Evans
ADULT ROLE
In the sand play areas, staff involve themselves in the learning and development of each child in the following ways.
Facilitating
- Looking at children's developmental progress to determine the next steps in their learning
- Providing appropriate resources and experiences for individuals
Modelling
- Modelling actions, such as tapping the sand and running it through their fingers
- Putting actions into words and sounds, for example, 'Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle' or 'Tickle, tickle on my hand goes the sand'
- Demonstrating new ways of exploration, for example, by slowing adding water into the centre of some dry sand and dabbing a finger into it
Commenting
- Talking babies and toddlers through their actions with a running commentary, for example, 'You are rolling your hands over and over in the sand, Tom. Look, your hands are all sandy. Roly-poly, roly-poly'
Observing
- Observing children and watching their reactions in order to record their learning afterwards
- Taking photographs of children and displaying them with an appropriate explanation so that parents develop an understanding of the learning that has taken place
HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Sieve the sand daily and change it regularly, at least once a week.
- Ensure that children are closely supervised at all times.
- Introduce simple rules sensitively and at appropriate times, such as not throwing sand or taking resources off another child.
- Wash babies' hands after they have been playing in sand, and encourage toddlers to do this themselves.
- Sweep up and discard sand that strays out of the area on to nearby floors and surfaces.
- Wash the resources regularly.
Do not allow children who have infections, particularly skin infections, to play in the sand.
