Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hi, I am new to this forum so please bear with me as this is my 1st post but here goes... I am an NQT in a foundation stage setting (nursery and reception together) and need some guidance with what I can teach for the topic of Spring - seasonal changes and signs of spring. I need to cover these stepping stones: Show an awareness of change Understand about the seasons of the year and their regularity Find out about, and identify some features of living things I am so stuck! Everything I have thought of just isnt exciting enough. Has anyone covered this area particulary well in the past? I need to plan just a 20 minute focus group for around 8 children at a time (need to repeat activity for all 120 children). Thanks in anticipation! Anneka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Congratulations on making your first post, and welcome to the forum. At the top right there's a lozenge-shaped thing which says 'search forum posts' have a look in there and see what you can find. There's also the resources section, on the menu drop bar, there's bound to be something in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Ooh just thought - could you bring some twigs in and watch the leaves come. Frogspawn? Cress seeds? they germinate nice and quickly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hi acarder Seed planting? Even something v. simple and fast growing like cress - we made a great 'timeline' once with cress - planted a line every day for a week (on a small tray) children really enjoyed this. Sunnyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I have sent you a message and some 'stuff' you may find useable. It will pop up on screen and you can open it to look by clicking where it says 'new messages' on the toolbar at the top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone, this is great. Think I might do the cress... What is plan to play? Where has the document come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone, this is great. Think I might do the cress...now I need to get some...any ideas? What is plan to play? Where has the document come from? Do you mean ...... where can you buy cress seeds ... if so ... most Supermarkets and/or Garden Centres Sunnyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Was something I downloaded a few years ago, I'm afraid I can't remember where from. Just thought there might be something you could use in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Welcome to the Forum, acarder. Congtratulations on making your first posts - as you can see, there is always plenty of support and advice on offer! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hi and welcome from me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone, this is great. Think I might do the cress... What is plan to play? Where has the document come from? hi if ur planning on doing crest u could get the children to shape the first letter of their name which will incorperate cll .It went down well in our setting , also if you look up on the forum at growing they is lots rhymes you could use . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 hi if ur planning on doing cress u could get the children to shape the first letter of their name which will incorperate cll .It went down well in our setting , also if you look up on the forum at growing they is lots rhymes you could use . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorna Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Welcome to the forum from me to.. How about a Spring walk around the local area... what can you see growing? Looking at a range of seeds and bulbs- plenty around in the shops. Using the story Jasper's Beanstalk as a starting point for growing seeds plants- what does a plant need? L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thankyou all for your lovely ideas, I feel very welcome! I have decided on a spring walk with magnifying glasses, followed by discussions of seeds and bulbs before having a go with the cress! Should be good, thank you all xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingertips Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hi, I am new to this forum so please bear with me as this is my 1st post but here goes...I am an NQT in a foundation stage setting (nursery and reception together) and need some guidance with what I can teach for the topic of Spring - seasonal changes and signs of spring. I need to cover these stepping stones: Show an awareness of change Understand about the seasons of the year and their regularity Find out about, and identify some features of living things I am so stuck! Everything I have thought of just isnt exciting enough. Has anyone covered this area particulary well in the past? I need to plan just a 20 minute focus group for around 8 children at a time (need to repeat activity for all 120 children). Thanks in anticipation! Anneka Hi there! I think a good way to begin developing awareness of seasonal change is through hands-on discovery about the weather and then beginning to form ideas about emerging patterns. Each day two children go outside with a practitioner to 'find out' about the weather. With encouragement they are building up a weather vocabulary (calm, windy, sunny, overcast, bright, dull etc.) and are beginning to relate patterns to seasons of the year. I have made up some symbols about the five senses (an eye with "Look with your eyes", an ear with "listen with your ears", a hand with "touch with your fingers" etc.) as cues for 'how can we find out?' (developing investigative skills). We encourage children to look around (what can they see), listen (rustling trees? Raindrops?), to feel/touch Wet grass? We have a weather station outside with accumulated resources to help with investigations too - such as bubbles & a balloon on string to discover/see evidence of breezes and the wind, wind chimes to discover/hear evidence of the wind, we have a measuring jug to discover whether or not it has been raining, there are dry paper towels to put on the grass - are they wet now? umbrellas for us to hear the pitter patter of the raindrops. The children also take outside the digital camera to record some of their findings and beneath their individual snapshots we scribe what the children do/say while they are investigating. This way we build up a picture of their curiosity, their understanding of the weather and seasons and their use of vocabulary. We also look each day at a tree nearby our door (a constant focus on a living thing!) - photograph it and talk about it. Does it look different? Over time we have seen its green leaves change to glorious Autumn colours which then fell to the ground, then over winter it has been bare, soon we will see and record its tiny buds and then, over time it will flourish again. When the children come inside they talk to others in the group about their findings, discuss what clothes we may need when we go outside and place a weather symbol on an ongoing chart (data handling for clear evidence of the seasonal patterns). The photographs and recorded dialogue contributes towards the children's individual learning journeys and provides evidence of their emerging investigative skills, ability to talk about what they see, and concepts/understanding of seasonal change. It also part of a regular routine so it doesn't really take very long! The 'weather watch' children come inside and discuss their findings - here we talk about emerging patterns, the clothes we may need to wear today and features of the seasons as things begin to change over time. Fingertips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 This is wonderful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliamch Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I agree, really fabulous, might be borrowing a few ideas from you, if you don't mind. Karrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sienna Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Welcome from me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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