Tag Archives: Discovery room

Technologies

What is STEM?

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At the start of the new term we revamped our STEM area and have since been learning about the different areas of STEM and how they can connect together. First we started by asking ‘What is STEM?’ and the children had some great ideas;
”It’s magnets.”

”It’s doing the shapes.”

”It’s floating and sinking.”

”It’s science.”

I explained that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths so they were absolutely right, it is all of those things. We have been having great fun exploring all the different areas…

Science and the magic of magnets…


We have been learning about forces and how magnets can hold and move metal objects. We mixed science and maths by counting how many magnetic toys we could hang from the large magnet before they fell off. We even used science to paint by putting a paper clip in the paint and using the magnets to drag it around from under the paper plate!

Science and engineering in the water tray…

We have explored the different properties of water, finding out how it can change from a solid to a liquid through ice play and have learned why some objects float on water and some will sink. We then used this knowledge to create our own boats. We started by using the foil, but soon found the water came on top and sunk our boats.  Using our problem solving skills, we became engineers and worked together to find a solution. One of us realised that boats have sides to stop the waves crashing inside the boat.  This inspired us to wrap the foil round our hands and voila, our boats could not only float but also carry cargo!

Maths in action…

Numbers, numbers everywhere!

Some of us were able to order the number cards from 0-20 and had a great time hopping along it, shouting the numbers as they went. We have also been reading number stories and practising recognising numbers from 0-10.

Next week we will start exploring technology through coding.  As it is Maths Week Scotland, we will learn about using positional language as well.

Creativity

Being Festive with Loose Parts

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In the discovery room the children have been provided with resources to explore some Christmas themed loose parts play.

Using loose parts such as blocks, fabric, or natural materials encourages open-ended exploration and creativity. This unstructured play fosters problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, and enhances fine motor skills. It promotes imaginative thinking, as children can manipulate these parts in countless ways.

Some children showcased their creativity by crafting unique Christmas tree designs using triangles and an assortment of loose parts.

Using large blocks, some children explored concepts of size, sparking discussions as they navigated the process of filling the Christmas tree design on the floor. This hands-on activity prompted them to problem-solve, choosing which bricks to use and determining what would fit seamlessly into their creation.

 

 

Block building, Creativity, Expressive Arts, Literacy, Social Studies

“Let’s make the biggest train track in the world”

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We have been reading lots of stories this week and this has sparked some great ideas for the block area.

“I want to make a big office like that, I will need lots of blocks. My  mum goes to the office”

The children decided to choose their favourite book first and then make something from the book. We made a chart where each child ticked the side of their favourite book.

Fergus’s Scary night was the favourite! They decided on making a dogs bed for ‘Fergus’ to hide when he is scared.

“It’s triangle and square beds, Fergus not scared in here”. The children worked well together to build the dogs beds.


“We are building the biggest train track like Thomas, and a bridge look we can go under too”

Finally, the children built some of the buildings and structures from the story ‘All through the night’. “I’m building  the digger with a snow shovel that can lift snow and rocks, it has a train track under it”.

“This ones mummy’s office”

The children have loved creating things from their favour stories this week, using their imagination and problem solving to fit the pieces together.

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Refreshing the rules

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Today in the discovery room the children were keen to open up the tinker table and use the tools, but before we could do that we had to do something very important.

The children gathered round and noticed the safety goggles under the bench. They tried them on and even collected hard hats from the block area . We discussed the rules of the tinker table and the purpose of our PPE for our new children and remind our returning children.

“ We need to wear safety goggles to stop things going in our eyes”

“ The helmet stops our head getting hurt”


Next we explored the tools. I asked if the children knew what their names were and if they knew what their job was.

“I have a hammer, i can use the hammer to make something with the wood”

We had a look at the different shapes and sizes of all the tools.

“That one is pointy and that one is small”

“what’s this called?” “ I know that one is pliers”

The children had a great discussion on all the tools and told each other the names and what they do. We had a look at the plan book that other children had made, they drew what they planned to make and then selected the correct materials to make it.

This inspired the children to think of their own ideas of things they would like  to make.

Our memories are now refreshed of the rules and are ready to start being creative. When we are finished at the tinker table we put our closed sign ( that the children made) up so that they know that the area is closed.

Expressive Arts, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Social Studies, Technologies

New and improved wormery

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Following on from our last up-cycling project, we can now say we have finished fixing our broken wormery.

The children have worked so hard over the past couple of weeks using the tools and their problem solving skills to put it back together. They worked as a team to decide what they would use and what tools would work best.

“This small bit is too small”

“ We could use this long piece of wood on the side”

“we need a little nail and a hammer to put it on we don’t want to break the wood in half”

“What does this do? it has a bubble in it”

We learned that the spirit level indicates whether a surface is ‘Level’ or ‘plumb’.

“What does plumb mean?” We researched it and found out that ”Plumb means that the surface is sitting straight, it is vertical” This meant that we could check the sides were running straight up and down. We also used the spirit level to check the wormery was level across the top and bottom. We found out this is horizontal!

Every tinker table experience is different, even if it seems the same. We learn new vocabulary every day and learn skills that we can transfer into our everyday life, especially as we get older.

Using a wormery for compost is an easy and environmentally-friendly way of turning food waste in to nutritious compost to feed your garden.

Now we just need find some worms to come and live in it and make up its bedding! 🐛

Expressive Arts, Technologies

Upcycling project

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This week the children have been working very hard to start their up cycling project at the tinker table.

They began by  looking for something around the playroom that they could ‘Up cycle’. They found an old storage drawer that had missing handles on the boxes. They collected loose materials such as buttons, pipe cleaners, beads, bottle lids,  small wood chips and twigs to use as new handles for the boxes.


They used skills they had previously learned at the tinker table to join the new handles to the box.

“I can use the hammer and nails to put this wood on”

 

Once all the new handles were on the children noticed one of the drawers were missing. Using their problem solving skills one of the older children suggested making a sign to let everyone know that the new up cycled storage drawers belong to the tinker table.

The next job on the list is to up cycle our broken wormery, we are looking for longer pieces of wood if anyone has any lying about that they no longer need.

Expressive Arts

Let’s explore loose parts.

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Today in the Discovery Room, we were exploring the loose parts. We set up the loose part area with some natural materials and some familiar objects that might spark some interest in our children’s creativity.

We had objects such as shells, wooden disks, bottle lids, wooden pegs and wooden rings.
Our older children decided to have a loose parts tea party.

They used the loose parts and pretended they were foods such as burgers, pizza  and cups of tea. The older children were able to use their imaginative skills to add the loose parts into their role play, making connection with objects, relating them to real life scenarios.
Some of our older children used the loose parts to turn into different objects and shapes.

We recreated shapes such as love hearts and faces.

Our younger children were using the loose parts to stack, line up and  using containers to fill and empty with them.

The children were making long bridges with all the different types of loose parts adding each one to make the bridge longer.


The 2-3 year old children were enjoying exploring each of the loose parts seeing what can be done with them. We could balance the wooden disk on the large screw.

We could stack them on top of each other.
We enjoyed looking at the different shape, size and texture of each of the loose part materials.

Our children are all at different stages in their play with  loose parts and it is wonderful to see how the creative minds of each of our children works. Each child has their on unique way of using the loose parts.

Article 31 – every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Literacy

What can you SEE👀?

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It’s STEM  week! (Science, Technology,Engineering, Mathematics)

Following on from learning about the sense of hearing in the science area we have been talking about how many senses there are and what they all are. We found out there are 5 senses. Today we discussed which of our senses we would like to focus on, we chose sight.

The children looked through the microscope to SEE the different specimens on the micro slides.

“I can see it, it looks like a little bit of grass from the garden”

“It’s tiny stones”  “Now it is BIG”

Next we did an experiment to SEE if the items we chose would Sink or Float. We discussed each item before it went in the water. We predicted whether each individual item  would float or sink, developing our critical thinking skills.

“The golf ball will sink”

“Why do you think it will sink?”

“Because it’s heavy”

“The pom pom will float”

“i know, it’s not heavy, it’s light”

”I can see it sinking all the way to the bottom”

We used our mark making skills to record our findings. The children made tally marks for each item and recorded them on a table.

“3 floated and 2 sinked”

For our final experiment, the children used pipettes (developing their fine motor skills and hand- eye co-ordination) to add different coloured food colouring to individual glases and then filled them up with water.

In each glass they added a paper towel so that half was in one glass and half in the one beside.

We watched as the coloured water transferred from one glass to another causing some of the colours to mix creating different colours in the empty glass.

“Look i can SEE it moving, the blue and yellow have turned green”

“They mix together”

The children have had lots of fun exploring their sight while being mini scientists.

Expressive Arts

Really wild in the block area.

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This week in the discovery room we have been exploring the seven stages of block play. A lot of our children are at different stages of block play. This becomes evident during their spontaneous play when using the blocks.
Stage 1 is carrying. This this is the initial stage where children show interest in carrying the blocks or using them to hit together or make sound.

Stage 2 is Stacking. This is where the children begin to stack the blocks in a variety of ways. This is when the building begins.

This week the children have been showing a lot of interest in jungle animals. We decided to incorporate the animals into our block play.
This takes us to Stage 4, enclosures.
The children have been using the blocks to make homes, zoos and animal enclosures. The children have been working hard to create wonderfully exciting enclosures for their animals.

We have made small enclosures that animals can fit inside or on top.

We have made large 3D enclosures that fit different animals in different sections.

We worked on our own and together to create our builds.

We are very proud of the enclosure builds we created

Not only have we enclosed the animals, we enclosed ourselves. We built massive enclosures for us to play with the animals inside.


It’s been lots of fun this week. We put on some relaxing music to listen to on the iPad which had images of animals. Our children got very excited at seeing the animals they were playing with on the big screen.


We had lots of spontaneous learning opportunities through our week. We will continue to record our learning in our block area floorbook where we will be showcasing each of our stages of block play.

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Halloween sensory play

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Today we were exploring our senses and developing our motor skills in our Autumn/Halloween sensory tray. We are getting in the Halloween spirit. 👻🎃

This is a great experience for our youngest children to get in and explore different sensations on their hands and develop their hand muscles . For our older children it’s a great way to develop their fine motor skills and writing skills as they can use their fingers or a tool such as a pencil, paint brush, or other item to draw, write letters, or form numbers in the sensory tray.


“I’m drawing a pumpkin in the orange rice”

We added some cornflakes, pasta, leaves, conkers and some spooky halloween characters. We then added paintbrushes and tweezers to see what we could do with them.

”see I can pick the conker up”

“I can get the skeleton”


“it feels hard and crunchy”

”It sounds like rain at night time”

The children then used the buckets as cauldrons and made their own  witches brew while telling spooky halloween jokes.