Nature's way

This project offers ideas and activities designed to build on children's natural interests and curiosity about the natural world.

Trees form an integral part of our natural environment; they offer us food, materials for building and also a safe home for many animals, as well as stimulating all our senses.

They change with the passing seasons, offering a focus for investigation at any time of year. Many early years settings celebrate the glory of autumn, with its burst of reds and oranges, but trees in winter have their own particular beauty.

With their leaves shed, trees unveil their wonderful structure of thick trunk, strong branches and fragile twigs - features that become all the more glorious on a frosty winter's morning.

The lack of cover also brings other aspects of nature more clearly into view. Look out for birds perched high in the trees, nests wedged between branches, and lichen, moss and fungi on bark.

There are still opportunities for children to explore colour, with the browns and greys of the deciduous trees and the deep greens of the evergreens.

The adult-initiated activities in this project have been designed to tap into children's interests, curiosity and desires and build on them, rather than being instances of direct instruction. Suggestions have been made for ways to enhance continuous provision that are linked to the theme, but are as open ended as possible, allowing children to use the resources for their own ends.

Adult observation of such activities can lead to devising possible lines of development and learning opportunities.

Adult-led activities

Collection times

Head outdoors to explore the wonders of trees.

Key learning intentions

To investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate

To look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and changes

To find out about their environment, and talk about those features they like and dislike

Adult:child ratio 1:2

Resources

Trays, bags and baskets for the children to collect their 'finds'

(Offering one container between two will mean that the children will need to collaborate and talk to each other during the activity) ,magnifying glasses Activity content

* Explain to the children that they are going on a winter walk. You might wish to show them some examples of things that they might find, such as twigs, leaf skeletons and bark.

* Allow time for the children to talk about and handle the objects.

* As you set off on the walk, encourage the children to talk about what they see and what they choose to collect. Don't limit their collections unnecessarily - value their interests. Recognise that some children will just enjoy the whole process of collecting, while others may wish to be more selective.

* When 'collecting time' is completed, make sure that there is a suitable space for the children to examine and sort their finds closely. (A builder's tray or 'Tuff Spot' would make a suitable container.) You might want to do this either inside or out, whichever seems most appropriate.

* Give the children ample opportunity to play with and explore their finds.

Some might like to sort; others might like to examine closely the objects with the magnifying glasses.

* Listen carefully to what the children find interesting about the collections, and build your conversations accordingly.

* Make sure that there is a place where the collection can be kept for a while.

* Encourage the children to take a special leaf, or other item, home, so that they can talk to their families about what they have been doing.

Extension ideas

* Use the shared experience of collecting and gathering to write a book.

Use the structure of 'We're going on a bear hunt'. (For this activity to be successful, your group of children must be familiar with this story.) Change the words, depending on the discoveries that the children have made.

Here are two examples of how it might begin: We're going on a cone hunt; we're going to find a knobbly one... or maybe: We're going to be explorers, we're going to look for treasure.

Complete the whole story over a period of about a week, writing a new verse each day, using the children's experiences as a focus.

* Use the found materials to create temporary pieces of art. Encourage the children to experiment with different combinations of objects. Create frames for their art using twigs or rows of leaves.

* Use the objects for sorting. Encourage a variety of criteria for sorting.

Let the children make collections of objects, then see if you can guess the criteria that they have used.

* Create sets with an 'odd one out'. Let the children guess which object is out of place. They can then create similar sets of their own, for you and each other to guess!

Mirror, mirror

Use mirrors to look at trees from a different angle.

Key learning intentions

To use talk to clarify and sequence ideas, thinking, feelings and events

To extend vocabulary

To show an interest in why things happen and how things work

Adult:child ratio 1:6

Resources

Large mirrors (IKEA sells a range of novelty mirror tiles suitable for this.)

Activity content

* Take the children outside, to a place where they can stand under the tree, holding the mirror.

* With the children, look in the mirrors and watch the branches and twigs on the tree.

* Look up at the trees without using the mirrors, too. Encourage the children to talk about the two experiences and compare them.

* Discuss what they can see in the mirrors - what do the branches look like? What else are the children reminded of?

Extension ideas

* Repeat the activity in a variety of weather conditions. What differences do the children notice?

* Make the mirrors available for independent explorations.

* Offer a selection of art materials and papers so that the children can draw in response to their outdoor experiences. Display their pictures, carefully mounted, with information about what inspired the patterns.

Photographs of the children using the mirrors would make a useful addition to the display.

* Use the display to help the children revisit their experiences outside - what did they find interesting, what did they enjoy, what did they learn?

* Using light-sensitive paper, help the children take some prints of fallen branches. Compare these patterns to shadows made by the branches on a sunny day.

In the red

Create a winter number line.

Key learning intentions

To count reliably up to ten

To listen with enjoyment and respond to songs

Adult:child ratio 1: large group initially; activities can then be revisited in small groups

Resources

Ten or more pine cones (provided by you or ones that the children have found) ,digital camera

Activity content

* Talk to the children about the pine cones. Give them the opportunity to handle them, smell them and investigate them. If the pine cones are open, show the children where the pine seeds nestle. Explain how the pine cones act as food for animals during the winter.

* Use the pine cones as props to sing a song to the tune of 'Ten Green Bottles'.

Ten brown pine cones lying on the ground, ten brown pine cones lying on the ground, A squirrel scampered up, so pleased with what he'd found.

So...

There were nine brown pine cones, lying on the ground.

* Use the pine cones in conjunction with a puppet squirrel, either indoors or out, singing and acting out the song.

* When the children are confident with the words, gradually let them take control of the singing.

Extension ideas

* Make a set of laminated number cards, using photographs of the pine cones but adding numerals and words if desired, so that children can order them while they are singing the song.

* Once the children have become accustomed to seeing the cards on the washing line, play about with the order, so that when the children arrive in the morning they can notice what has changed. You might:

* swap two numbers around

* turn one card upside down

* order them from 10 to 1, rather than from 1 to 10

* take one card away

* use the pattern given above to compose other songs

* take photographs of the children acting out this song, type up the text and publish the two together as a very personal counting book for your setting.

In the mix

Explore the look of trees in winter.

Key learning intentions

To explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions

To respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel

Adult:child ratio 1:up to 6, depending on space available

Resources

Large sheets of sugar paper ,powder paint mixed thinly, in a variety of wintry colours ,a large collection of drinking straws ,paint brushes - thick rather than thin, or a dropper ,images of deciduous and evergreen trees in winter - these may be photographs taken locally, postcards, pages from calendars and posters Activity content

* Talk to the children about the experiences that they have had outdoors, what they have seen and what they have collected.

* Spend some time talking about the images, the colours that can be seen and the patterns that exist in the twigs and the branches of the trees.

* Mix the paint with the children. Discuss appropriate colours with them.

* Show the children how to put a large blob of paint on to the paper and then to blow through the straw to create a twiggy effect. Let them add lots of different colours to create a rich variety of patterns across their paper.

* Display the finished paintings, carefully mounted along with a variety of other winter images and photographs of children taking part in their winter walk.

* If possible, scan some of the children's paintings into the computer and project them on to a Smartboard, or print them on to an acetate and project them on to the wall of your setting. How do the patterns make the children feel? Do they remind them of their wintry walk?

Child initiated learning

Construction equipment

Additional resources and adult support

* Provide a range of natural building materials both indoors and outdoors for children to create season small-worlds. This might include found materials such as pine cones, twigs, log slices and nuts and seeds.

* Outside, remember to offer equipment on a larger scale than is possible indoors, to encourage a variety of mathematical language and problem solving.

* You might also provide commercially produced wooden blocks such as Treeblocks (see Resources). These create a fascinating range of building challenges, encouraging children to think imaginatively, beyond the kinds of models that can be made with plastic construction blocks designed to join efficiently.

* Using such building materials will also help to extend children's vocabulary, as describing the blocks by simple attributes such as 'colour'

will not be possible!

* Add a range of small-world woodland animals, minibeasts and people.

Play possibilities

* Experimenting with a range of building materials

* Building homes for the animals and people

* Using imagination to create stories

* Working collaboratively on large- and small-scale projects with others Possible learning outcomes

Begins to use talk in imaginary situations

Uses the language of mathematics for problem solving

Talks about the textures and patterns on the blocks and other building equipment

Takes turns and sharing fairly

Malleable materials

Additional resources

and adult support

* Provide play dough and a range of natural materials, including small twigs, seed husks and pine cones.

* Demonstrate rolling a large piece of dough out to a reasonable thickness.

Encourage the children to use the natural materials to make prints into the playdough with the twigs and other natural materials.

* Encourage the children to roll the dough out again to make new patterns and imprints.

Play possibilities

* Developing fine motor skills through rolling the dough and pressing the patterns

* Experiment with mark-making on the playdough

* Talking about and comparing the texture of the imprinted playdough to the smooth rolled out surface

* Thinking about print making and patterns

Possible learning outcomes

Uses a widening range of words to express or elaborate ideas

Shows curiosity, observes and manipulates objects

Identifies patterns

Areas of learning

Personal, social and emotional development

Communication, language and literacy

Mathematical development

Knowledge & understanding of the world

Physical development

Creative development

Resources to support the theme

* Treeblocks are available from www. treeblocks.co.uk

* Plant an Idea: 50 ways to use plants, trees and flowers throughout the year by Helen Bromley and Sally Player (www.educationalpublications.com, tel: 0121 344 3004)