It's a Pancake post!

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake day; a chance for lots of yummy fun and learning to take place. Here's a few ideas that I've come up with, as well as how they can link into the Curriculum for Excellence:

Health and Wellbeing

Choosing and preparing healthy fruit toppings for a delicious pancake snack


Cooking pancakes - Identifying personal likes and dislikes
                              - Understanding risks and safety
                                  - Taking turns and sharing
                                         - Maybe take your cooking outdoors/ to the forest and 
                                           cook pancakes over a camp-fire!

Flap the pancake game: cut a large circle out of paper and place on the floor. The child holds a concertina paper fan (perhaps that they have made themselves) and then the race is on! Just "flap your pancake" from one place to another! So simple and so much fun!

Language and Literacy

Reading and writing pancake recipes. There might be some new vocabulary here to go up on our word wall! 

clipart

Learning about different types of books - Story books and Information books

There's a lovely story called 'Mr Wolf's Pancakes' which you can use to link into all areas of the curriculum - Find it YouTube HERE

Numeracy

Following recipes; weighing and measuring ingredients

Learn about money in a role play cafe (selling pancakes of course!)

Expressive Arts

Artwork based on foods and ingredients that have been used. Paint them, draw them, use foods for stamping, cut pictures of foods out of magazines and collage with them, explore the colours of the foods that you have prepared... tonnes of possibilities!

Create a role play cafe along with play menus, price lisits and pretend pancakes for children to flip

Social Studies

Research and learn together about the traditions of pancake day and how it has been celebrated over the years. HERE is a website which is too advanced for the little ones - but has some wonderful old photographs that could provoke some investigation and discussion!

Take your children on a trip to the shops to buy the ingredients that you will use for making pancakes, or take it even further and visit a farm where the eggs and milk come from!

Science

Encourage children to be involved in selecting the materials and resources needed for cooking

Allow them to use their senses to explore throughout the activity! Maybe add some of the ingredients (such as flour) that you used into your messy tray for further exploration and fun.

Technology

Encourage children to work with you to investigate websites and find lots of information

clipart

Using digital cameras, allow the children to document their own learning

RME

What is Shrove Tuesday about? Research the origins of pancake day the Christian teachings about lent. (HERE is a useful website with lots of information)

You can also find out about different celebrations and traditions surrounding pancake day - from all over the world by clicking HERE




Have a wonderful week everyone!

@EarlyYearsIdeas

National Storytelling Week

I haven't had much time for blogging lately! My life seems to be a whirlwind of revision, assessments and essay writing! Not that I'm complaining as it'll all be worth it if I get accepted into my first choice university for Primary Teaching (my interview is on the 11th February - wish me luck!)


However! This week is 
National Storytelling week (31st Jan - 7th Feb) 
and I felt inspired to post a few ideas...

An inviting area for reading and story telling

Have the children help you to set up a snugly, cosy reading area using soft rugs and cushions. Drape soft voil around the area and include fairy lights to make the area even more magical.

Remember to create spaces for reading outside in your garden as well as indoors!

I adore this reading area from 'sew inspired'  

And this lovely cosy area uploaded by Rebecca Warren: (https://www.pinterest.com/rebswarren/)

Story of the week

Do your children have a favourite story? Choose a book together to read throughout the week and use this story in particular to inspire artwork, song time and role play.

A story table is a lovely resource for small world story play. Provide small world characters, props and anything you need to make up the landscape of the story.

Variations on the traditional 'Story time'

• Telling a story without a book
• Using puppets and props
• Acting out the story
• Using musical instruments as each character
• Whiteboard stories

For more on these see http://piratesandprincesses.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/are-you-sitting-comfortably-then-ill.html

Image from amazon.co.uk 

Get active!

Why not go out for a walk and re-enact the story of 'We're going on a Bear hunt'? Find some long 'swishy swashy' grass, a puddle to splash through, some squelchy mud and bring the story to life!

Another way to get moving is to tell a story through music and movement. One of my favourite stories for this is 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. Now, this requires some pre-planning because you'll need to find some pieces of music which you feel suit each part of the story (such as loud, rhythmic music for the giant or gentle harp music for when Jack finds the magic instrument). Think up some actions and movements – and let the children come up with some of their own!

Links with home

Story sacks are wonderful for allowing children to share and continue learning at home with their families.

Why not also have the children to begin writing/ drawing/ telling their own stories (or diaries) where they can discuss events that have occurred both at home and at nursery.

Sharing is caring

For your more able children who can either read, or are confident to tell a story from memory or using pictures – allow them to visit siblings/ children within the younger nursery rooms and share a good book!

Group times/ together times

Allow the children to bring in their favourite books from home and share them together for group time.

Or how about a circle time game when each person tells a little part of the story, for example:

Person 1: Once upon a time there was a frog...

Person 2: … who went for a walk...

Person 3:... and found a magic wand...

(This one may need a bit more support and guidance but can be ever so much fun and can result in plenty of giggles and silliness!)

Fun!

Lastly, why not have a special story day or party where the children dress up as their favourite characters from a book or story? Don't forget to take photos of them and display them in your reading area!

Have a lovely week everyone!