Investigation Area Kuw

[Guest]

Hi everyone.

I am wondering if anyone has an wonderful ideas to help develop my investigation area. In September I noticed the children weren't going in this area much. I re-vamped backing it with Dora the explorer paper and putting colour paddles magnets and discovery bottles in there. The area then became popular but has now died down again. Does anyone have an ideas of anything else I can put in here. I also have a discover tray where I put coloured ice ice balloons shaving foam alphabet spaghetti (an area for messy play) which the children do love. Our KUW points are low and it is a foundation stage issue to bring them up and get the children interested. Any ideas would be really appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

[Guest]

Our KUW points are low and it is a foundation stage issue to bring them up and get the children interested. Any ideas would be really appreciated.

 

 

Provide opportunities that encourage the chn to ask questions- this is one of KNW points. We started this by asking chn what Qs they could ask about an object- we then made a display/book to show these. After doing that a few times we noticed the chn began asking qs independently about other situations etc. Now they are asking Qs much more readily in their play.

[Guest]

We have put in shells and pebbles and then modeled talking about what they felt look like etc. We also got the children using their imaginations by asking them what else they can see or hear, Like this pebble looks like a face their is it nose eyes etc.

[Guest]

I always think that KUW really belongs mainly outside. Do you have an outdoor space where you could promote it?

 

I recently got a huge inflatable globe which my kids love, that might be fun to include.

 

If their knowledge of this area is weak, it could be that you have to continually revamp and update it to keep introducing them to new ideas.

[Guest LornaW]

I like the idea also of a provocation and there was an excellent article in EYE magazine recently where the teacher hung a huge cocoon from her ceiling without refering to it and then listened to children's comments and questions. she slowly cut out a whole and I think eventually there was an alien inside!

 

Brilliant for everything including KUW.

 

Also have you see the new Mindstretcher Catalogue some great resources in there?

 

Lorna

[jennim]

it is all of the above PLUS where adults go to! children follow the adults they like and this impacts on what children do

 

Jenni

[Guest]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses. I have many ideas to start back in January. Thanks for your help! and that mindstretchers website is brilliant. I've never heard of that before.

xxx

[Guest]

Another idea for you ...

 

I have just created a game for next week called 'What's in the Box'. Take a large cardboard box and cut three arm sized holes, line these with masking tape so they are not rough.

 

Put some interesting items into the box.

 

The children then put their hands through the holes and have to say 'what's in the box' without looking. They could talk about what it is, what shape it is, what it's made of, and so on.

[Guest]

Sorry just to say that the 3 arm holes aren't for our 3 armed children but because that is the number that would fit on my box.