Tag Archives: loose parts

Numeracy and Mathematics

Nature In Our Play

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by Mrs Silvester

Collecting Natural Resources.

The children at Glenwood have been visiting Eastwood Park to explore our environment and notice signs of Autumn. We collected sticks, conkers, leaves and fir cones which we used in our play.

Filling, Sorting and Counting.

Our autumn nature collection was placed in a tuff tray and masking tape was used to section it off.  Bowls and tongs were provided to explore nature’s treasure, developing the children’s hand eye coordination and their pincer grip . The children enjoyed counting the contents to see who had the most.

Using Tools 

The children used the workbench and hand held drill to make a hole in the conker then threaded them together to make a conker number line. Risky play with real tools develops children’s skills including communication, coordination and fine and gross motor development.

 

 

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Remote Learning: Sorting and Matching

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Sorting and matching objects is an important mathematical skill for young children to develop. It helps children to develop their thinking and awareness of number and quantity.  Children organise, match and sort items in different ways, by colour, shape, design, size, and sometimes using their own criteria. They may sort by using simple  categories such as colour, size or shape, or by using categories such as, type of transport (cars, trains, boats) or types of animals (farm, zoo, sea). Matching encourages children to look for similarities and differences. 

Here are just a few ideas… 

Sorting toys You could start by asking your child to gather some of their favourite  toys  (maybe suggest small toys like Lego or animals) then ask them to sort them using different criteria, shape, colour or size. 

Loose parts are things like bottle tops, buttons, beads or natural objects – there are many wonderful possibilities.

You might choose stones or shells of different colours, shapes, sizes and textures.

Loose parts can provide good opportunities to challenge children’s thinking because of variations – Will all the different shades of blue go in one set? How will you decide if an item is ‘big’ or ‘small’? Encourage your child to explain why they have chosen to put an object in a particular set.

Household sorting jobs 

  • Putting away the shopping – sorting the fruit, vegetables, tins, frozen food into the correct places.
  • You could talk to your child about what you are doing as you sort and separate clothes for washing (whites, colours, and darks) or get them to help you sort and match socks.
  • At lunchtime or dinner time encourage children to set the table by matching knives and forks or plates with cups, you could talk about the different sizes of spoons you might use. How many will you need?
  • Involve them in  recycling waste (paper, plastic, cans and food waste).
  • Will you read a story (fiction) book together or will you choose non-fiction? Are they all muddled up on the book shelf?
  • Putting toys away into the right place!

Putting in order of size

Challenge your child to put a selection of items into size order – coins, sticks, shoes or lego bricks perhaps. This encourages measuring skills as well.

Play Odd One Out

Show your child 3 objects, start simple perhaps 2 red and 1 blue – can they spot the odd one out? As they get the idea, increase the challenge – perhaps a red car, a blue car and a green train.

Let your child have a turn at choosing the items for you to say which is the odd one out.

Mrs Russell wonders who can spot the odd one out in the picture below… remember to say why!

Show us what you have been sorting and matching on Google Classroom or Twitter @Glenwood FC  #Glenwoodlearningathome

 

Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and English, Numeracy and Mathematics, Technologies

Loose Parts

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Did you know, Loose Parts have no specific function or goal?

They can be moved, arranged, designed, taken apart and more!

Using loose parts the children explored patterns, building, and teamwork. By using the blocks, small cuts of wood, guttering and some cardboard boxes, they were able to build a house with a chimney and talk to each other about the placement of the resources!

There are a variety of resources lying around within your home that can be utilised as loose parts such as:

  • Pots and pans
  • Spoons, sieves and mashers
  • Tin foil
  • Sheets
  • Sticks, leaves
  • Plastic bottles, bottle tops

Check out the poster for more ideas!

When children interact with loose parts, they enter a world of “what if” that promotes the type of thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical reasoning. Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions… the use of loose parts is open ended and limitless!

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Remote Learning – Rocks Rock!

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Do you have stones or rocks in your garden?

Can you go on your daily walk and find some?

If the answer is yes, then here are some ideas from Miss McArthur you can try out!

Rock Painting

Choose your favourite colours and paint away… this will help:

  • Develop creativity – it doesn’t matter if the picture doesn’t look like anything to you, to your child it’s a masterpiece.
  • Express their feelings and thoughts without words – sometimes paintings tell a story.
  • Develop problem solving and motor skills – as they figure out how to manipulate the rock and painting tools.

Rock paintings will help brighten up your garden or make an indoor play area. Why not try:

  • Painting small world animals or fairies.
  • Creating a fairy or elf door,
  • Painting minibeasts.
  • Create your own number or letter hunt around the house or in your garden.

Use rocks and stones as loose parts

What shapes can you turn them into?

How many have you collected?

Can you make a stepped number line from them? Can you build a tower out of them?

Miss McArthur can build a tower of 5.

Is your tower bigger or smaller?

 

Remember to Tweet to let us see what you used your rocks for! @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

 

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Remote Learning – Independent Play

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While we always recognise the importance of parent-child interactions and playing together there are also many benefits to independent play.  This can provide opportunity for children to problem-solve, experiment, use their initiative and develop their perseverance and independence. As parents right now you may be juggling working from home, helping other children with school work and other challenging situations. This blog has some suggestions of experiences where once set up, children will have the opportunity to play independently or with siblings.

Provocations are “invitations to play”.  Setting up children’s toys a little differently might invite new found enthusiasm for old toys and encourage children to use them in new and inventive ways.

Playdough

Playdough takes around 10 minutes to make and can keep for weeks in an air-tight container.  Playing with dough or clay develops children’s fine motor skills, sensory awareness, language skills, numeracy skills and imagination.

Quick Uncooked Playdough Recipe:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/playdough-recipe

Cooked Playdough Recipe (this is a slightly more complicated but keeps for longer):

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe/

There are many different things you could put out to use with playdough – rollers, cutters, safety knives, safety scissors, potato mashers, cake tins, bowls, jars, cupcake cases, candles, straws, stampers, pipe cleaners, matchsticks, lollipop sticks, leaves, flowers, sticks, stones…

Den Building

Den building helps to develop children problem-solving skills, motor skills, imagination and communication skills. It is a wonderful learning experience and so much fun to play in once constructed! To build a den you could use sheets, blankets, tables, chairs, sofas, pillows, clothes pegs, cardboard boxes. Once the den is built children could take in soft toys, dolls, books, puzzles, drawing materials, torches, a picnic…

Small World Play

Small world play develops imagination, creativity, language skills and problem-solving skills. Combine a selection of resources to create an exciting new world to explore. You could use cars, trains, toy people, animals, dinosaurs, fabric, scarves, cardboard boxes, masking tape, cardboard tubes…


 

 

 

 

 

Dressing Up Box

Role-play helps children to make sense of real-life situations, express their ideas and imagination and develop their language skills. The imagination of children can turn anything into a wonderful new costume.  To create a dressing up box you could use hats, scarves, bangles, bags, shoes, mirrors…

Creation Station 

This will develop children’s creativity, fine motor skills and literacy skills. You could use different colours and sizes of paper, old wallpaper, dry erase board, chalk board, old magazines to cut out, notebooks, post-it notes, felt tip pens, colouring pencils, crayons, junk modelling materials, glue, masking tape….

Mrs Ross created all of these provocations from things she found at home, each took no longer than 5 minutes to set up. Of course, this will take a bit more time if you are able to do together with your child but this will allow them to share their ideas with you and follow their interests. Remember they may have a different vision from you so follow their lead! We hope these give you some ideas for fun you can have both together and for your child to explore independently. Please share your ideas with your child’s friends by Tweeting @GlenwoodFC  #Glenwoodlearningathome

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Remote Learning – Transient Art

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Mrs Wilson has been busy finding loose parts at home to create some transient art.   Transient art is a term used to describe art that is non-permanent and continually evolving, where a variety of materials are used to create pictures, patterns or models.

The non-permanent nature of this art means that children can move, change and experiment with the materials used until they are happy with what they have achieved.  As well as developing their fine motor skills children also grow in confidence at making decisions as they design and redesign their ideas.

Working on transient art projects is a fun way to develop creativity and encourages children to explore materials and develop an understanding of their senses.

The loose parts used provide an ideal opportunity to talk about texture, colour and size.  Using loose parts also develops skills in numeracy and mathematics such as sorting, matching, counting, pattern making, exploring shapes and learning about symmetry.

 

 

Ideas for loose parts to use at home (although the list is endless).

Beads    Buttons   Sequins   Bottle lids   Corks   Lollipop sticks   Coins   Feathers   Spoons   Colouring pens   Cotton reels   Clothes pegs   Paper clips   Curtain rings

Natural materials are ideal to use if creating an outdoors transient art project.

Stones    Sticks   Twigs   Pine cones   Shells   Leaves   Flower petals

Transient art projects to try at home

  • Draw a straight, zigzag, or spiral line for your child to make a pattern on.
  • Use a picture frame to design a picture in.
  • Create a picture on or in front of a mirror.
  • Fill a shallow tray with water and use that to make a design in.
  • Challenge your child to create a symmetrical picture.
  • Use the loose parts to ‘write’ your name.

Before you tidy away your loose parts you could take a picture of your transient art and send a tweet to @Glenwood FC  #Glenwoodlearningathome

 

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Remote Learning – Block Play

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When playing with blocks children are using a number of different skills. These include measuring, counting, teamwork, talking to each other, problem solving and many more.

In Glenwood we have recently started using the 7 stages of block play. We use the stages to determine what stage of development the children are at when using blocks. Our blocks are different shapes and sizes.

The Seven Stages of Block Play

Stage 1: The blocks are carried around but not used for building.

 

Stage 2: Blocks are placed on the floor horizontally or vertically (stacking).

 

 

Stage 3: Blocks are used to bridge the space between other blocks.

 

 

 

Stage 4: Blocks are used to enclose a space.

Stage 5: Complex structure: blocks are placed in patterns or symmetrically when building. Block accessories may be incorporated. Buildings are not generally named.

 

Stage 6: Block buildings are given names that relate to the function of the building.

Stage 7: Block buildings often reproduce actual structures known by the children. There is a strong impulse for dramatic play around the structure.

Blockplay is unique!

Blockplay is sustainable!

Blockplay is accessible!

Blockplay doesn’t require spoken language!

Do you have any blocks at home?

Remember you can share your building with us on Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningathome

Numeracy and Mathematics

Loose parts

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As we explore loose parts we are developing curiosity, fine motor skills and mathematical skills.

I sorted all the beads into their colours.
I had a treasure box with 6 things in it. I knew one was missing because there was only 5.
I filled the picture frame with beads.
We are matching the keys and the padlocks. We know we have matched them properly when the lock opens.
- Pupils, Expressive Arts, Numeracy and Mathematics, Sciences, Social Studies, Technologies

Roads, runways, routes and ramps

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In the construction area we have been working together to develop the area. We used small construction resources to build vehicles and used the large blocks to create roads and ramps.  We added a runway for aeroplanes and have created more roads using tape.  As we play, we are exploring forces using ramps and gutters to create slopes and we are learning about direction using arrows.