Monday 27 February 2017

Saturday 25 February 2017

Monday 20 February 2017

Saturday 18 February 2017

Cotton Wool Snow Fun

If you are still waiting for some real white stuff - have a go at this fun pretend activity whilst you wait!


Friday 17 February 2017

A Raft for the Billy Goats - STEM

Can you choose suitable materials to build a raft for the Three Billy Goats Gruff to get across the water on?
Maybe this way they can avoid the Troll! 

Building a raft for the Billy Goats using loose parts

Cats Birthday Party - for a cat!

The children have talked all year about throwing a birthday party for our cat. We thought at the grand age of 17 she deserved something! 

Cat Party Ideas

Thursday 16 February 2017

Saturday 11 February 2017

A Reggio Emilia Approach

'Child led investigations, open free spaces to play, a deep connection with nature and an emphasis on exploring and creating.' 

What is the Reggio approach?


'Children are ...detectives, gifted with the capacity to utilise clues, to hypothesise "missing" explanations and to reconstruct facts. From the very beginning, their curiosity in learning refuses simple and isolated things. Instead, children love to find the dimensions and relations of complex situations ...create analogies, metaphors, anthropomorphic meanings, and logical meanings.' (Bringing Reggio Emilia Home 1997)



What is Reggio Emilia? 

Reggio Emilia is a town in Italy. Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages around Reggio Emilia developed an educational philosophy following the need for a new way of learning. They believed that children form their own personality during early years of development and that they are given 'a hundred languages' meaning they have many ways of expressing themselves. The Reggio approach sees children as strong and capable. In a Reggio appraoch the educator is seen as three things. The teacher, the child and the environment. 

Here is a link to a lovely little video which explains it really simply! 

https://youtu.be/cvwpLarbUD8



Friday 10 February 2017

Wednesday 8 February 2017

STEM Bridge Building for the Gingerbread Boy

Can you build a bridge for the Gingerbread Boy to get across the river with, using sticks and marshmallows (without eating them before it is built?!)

Bridge Building Invitation

Sunday 5 February 2017

Exploring 3D Shapes with Kinetic Sand

A selection of beautiful coloured transparent geometric 3D shapes placed on a mirror tile with kinetic sand ready to be explored.

Creating shapes from Kinetic Sand

Floating Buttons - A STEM activity

How many buttons can you float on your boat?
The Girl was showing curiosity about things which float so I set up this provocation.

How many buttons can you float on your boat? STEM