Nursery World - Our bright idea

Staff observe and record children's individual discoveries with magnetic attraction, as Jean Evans hears.

The Exploration and Investigation area at Rainbow Nursery is always buzzing with activity. Children have access to a wide range of baskets of natural and man-made materials to sort, match and investigate. How they approach these investigations is left to them, but staff are always on hand to support, extend and document their learning. New baskets are introduced regularly to arouse curiosity and maintain children's interest.

Currently, children are fascinated with a basket of magnets of different shapes and sizes. Hayley Coatsworth and Kirsty Maine, nursery nurses, have been observing their investigations and documenting their learning.

'When we introduced a basket of magnets, many children were familiar with the fact that they would attract metal,' says Hayley. 'They decided for themselves that shiny things were made of metal and toured the nursery looking for things they thought would be attracted to the magnets. Their collection included silver foil, paper clips, brushes, spoons and keys.'

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