12 replies to this topic

[Sue J]

At pre-school we have a 2 year plan for topics but we have decided to try a new one - Light and Dark.
I have a few ideas such as comparing daytime and night time, starry nights and shadows. Also in that half term there is Divali and Bonfire night so that is helpful! Resources such as torches and reflective or fluorescent materials also come to mind. Owl Babies, Can't you Sleep Little Bear and Room on the Broom are books that I thought of.
I would like to set up a sensory area, I was thinking of oil lamps, fibre optic lamps etc (definitely with adult supervision).
As this is a new topic it could take a bit longer in the planning! So hopefully I might get some ideas from you all.

Sue J

[Susan]

Colour mixing---light and dark shades of the same colour?
Probably not what you had in mind but an idea!

We've made simple divas (for Divali) from clay and salt dough.

Fairy lights are lovely strung aroud and can be very effective in a dark corner but I'm sure you know that already!

[Rea]

Nursery World had an article ages ago on this, it included things about jobs that are done at night time, postal workers, bakers, nurses, factory workers. I'll see if I've still got the magazine and check back tomorrow. :D

[Beau]

Yes Rea,
The book they featured was called 'In the middle of the night'. I've got it at playgroup - can't remember just now who the author was though. I did this topic last year so will post when I find the time. :D

[Beau]

Sorry Sue,

Forgot to get back to you! :D Think you've probably thought of everything I did already. We made shadow puppets, talked about nocturnal animals, made night and day pictures using black and white paper and sticking pictures from catalogues of clothing, did splatter paintings with fluorescent paints on black paper. You could also get glow in the dark shapes and look at light going through bubbles and talk about how light contains all colours and you can see them all in the bubbles. There's also a really corny activity where you get the children to make a large star and write a wish on it to go with the rhyme

'Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may,
I wish I might,
Get the wish I wish tonight'

If I remeber anything else I'll be back again. :)

[Sue J]

Thanks Beau. as we couldn't open Pre-school on Friday either, we did a bit of planning then. We came up with some of your ideas but there were a few there we didn't - so thanks a lot.

Sue J

[Emmamur01]

We do this topic, and for role play, we make a cave for the children. It sounds really hard, but it isnt. We use dark material, and stretch the material between the shelves in our role play corner, then cover any gaps with black paper, (its really important that no light can get through into the cave).
We then decorate the cave with shiny objects and materials, (tinsel and Christmas decorations are ideal!)

We make the entrance using a piece of black material that just hangs down, which means that the children have easy access to the cave, and we let them use torches inside which the children love, (a lot of our budget goes on batteries mind, but it is worth it!)

This then lends itself really easily to our next topic, 'Weather' as we change the cave into a snow cave.

The children really love both caves, and the caves really lend themselves to the children's imaginative play.

[Sue J]

Thanks Emmamur
I have just been finishing the Light and Dark topic and decided to have a break. I look in and saw your posting. I will definitely make a dark cave - I've got lots of different torches - the children will love it -THANKS :D


Sue J

[Gezabel]

Last time we did this topic the favourite activity was a box! the large sort with lid from supermarket

The outisde was covered in bright, light paper and the inside was lined in black paper. A hole on the top and a hole at the side and put a few objects of your choice in the box. The children looked through either (or both holes) to see what they could see ( not a lot!) then by shining a torch through one hole whilst looking through the other the difference fascinated them! Not only could they see and identify the objects in the box but they had great fun watching the patterns from the torch light as they move it about! You can take it as far as you like really. diffrent coloured bulbs in the torches, covering one hole with coloured celophane or tissue paper etc etc

[Gezabel]

Oh and for role play we did a cinema! Set up with dark material similar to the cave already mentioned, used one of those toy projectors with strips of slides and it just went on and on! We had chairs for 'customers' usherettes with torches to show them to their seats. Till at the entrance for children to 'pay'and one day combined it with snack time and cooked popcorn!

[Nichola]

Geraldine, on Oct 29 2004, 08:11 AM, said:

Oh and for role play we did a cinema! Set up with dark material similar to the cave already mentioned, used one of those toy projectors with strips of slides and it just went on and on! We had chairs for 'customers' usherettes with torches to show them to their seats. Till at the entrance for children to 'pay'and one day combined it with snack time and cooked popcorn!

What a great idea! I may have to set that one up, as my topic after half term is 'Colour and Light'.

[Sue J]

Geraldine the box is a really good idea - thanks. The cinema is as well but haven't got a toy projector. I'll have to ask around to see if someone has one I could borrow because I really do like that idea.


Sue J

[jacqui]

We started our light topic before half term - made a cave. We read the story a dark, dark tale using our scariest voices, then the chdn went into the cave to tell each other the story with the book and torches - they loved it!