The last two weeks in the Creche the children have been LOVING animals. We have a huge collection of realistic animal figurines which the kids love to name. Since they have been so interested I made up some animal cards as a matching game. The children helped me to search the photos on the iPad, and we saved photos of the animals that showed their full body and in their natural environment. After I printed and laminated the cards I spread them out on the table in the morning before the children came in and put all the animals on a smaller table.
When the children came in they were excited and immediately gravitated to the animal table. I let the children find the animal and then they would tell me the name of it and match it to the card. I also used this as provocation to ask other questions about the animals such as:
"Where does it live? and "Does this animal have feathers/fur/scales?" and other exploratory questions.
Extending on from this activity, next week I will sort the animals + cards into smaller groups. We will start with a tray of Australian animals and involve some playdough and small world play. Some other trays could be:
African Animals
Ocean Animals
Reptiles
Dinosaurs
The children also love to watch videos on the iPad of the animals which we have done in the past, this may be incorporated into the learning trays as a way to teach technology and researching.
Early Years Learning Framework Outcomes:
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.
Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, enthusiasm, persistence and imagination.
Children develop a range of skills and processes such as inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating.
Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.
Linking to Montessori:
- Geography ✓
- Sensorial ✓
- Language ✓
- Science ✓
- Mathematics
- Practical Life
- Art, Music & Movement
- Cosmic Studies
- History
