Pets provide the basis for a wonderful topic which builds on children's natural interest in animals and all living things. As always, it is essential to ensure that any project reflects the learning needs and interests of children in the setting. A project such as 'pets' may have developed in response to the interests of a group of children, or because of a significant event, such as the introduction of a new resident pet in the classroom. By providing stimulating and challenging experiences that promote children's imagination and curiosity, practitioners can engage all children in this ever-popular theme.
Project guide
The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (page 11) emphasises the importance of providing children with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. This project:
* Identifies adult-led activities, to introduce or develop children's understanding of the topic through stimulating, meaningful experiences which offer challenge.
* Suggests ways to enhance areas of core provision, to consolidate children's learning about the theme. It is the practitioner's role to make daily observations of children's learning which inform individual child profiles and future planning. Children should be encouraged to use the resources to support their own learning. This means that the possible learning outcomes will be wide-ranging and varied.
* Advocates that settings should be organised and resourced using a 'workshop' approach so that children can access resources autonomously and independently.
It is important to recognise that:
* Children need lots of first-hand experiences, time and space to develop knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes through play.
* The practitioner has a key role in supporting and extending children's learning.
* It is essential to provide an exciting learning environment indoors and outdoors that stimulates children's interest and curiosity.
* Creativity is fundamental to successful learning and children's own ideas should be valued
* The process of learning is central and should not be undermined by an inappropriate emphasis on products or predetermined outcomes.
Animals in settings
When planning a topic about pets into the curriculum, it is important to think about ways of encouraging children to think about animals' needs and develop a sense of care and responsibility towards them. Of course, there can be few more exciting experiences for young children than to see a baby guinea pig struggling to stand up for the first time, but baby animals are very demanding in terms of time, care and attention. Practitioners who are considering introducing a resident pet into the setting should investigate the matter fully and ensure that arrangements are made for weekends and holidays. Careful planning is necessary and the cost of keeping the animal (including veterinary bills) needs to be calculated, including a decision on how the costs will be met.
The advantages of a long-term resident pet in an early years setting are manifold. Research has found that pets promote a general feeling of well-being and it is well known that happy children tend to be healthier children. Animals fascinate children and this interest can facilitate learning.
Adult-led
The Great Pet Sale
Make a story sack for imaginative play based on a children's book.
Key learning intentions
To show an understanding of the sequence of events in stories
To listen with enjoyment and respond to a story
To recognise numerals
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 10
Resources
* The Great Pet Sale by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 6.99)
A sack containing props - soft toys or puppets and a rubber rat with one whisker ,magnetic props of the main characters, magnetic price labels and a magnetic board/wedge
Activity content
* Introduce the book to the children and read it through, ensuring that all children can see the illustrations.
* Show the children the sack full of props and ask them to guess what is in it. Ask one child to feel inside the sack and describe what they can feel, then take the item out of the sack and show the other children. Ask the child to hold the pet until the end of the session. Discuss what the pet is and ask one child to find the picture in the book.
* Continue in the same way until the children have found all the pets.
* Make a line of the children holding the pets, so that they are in the same order as the pets in the book.
* Retell the story again, with the children joining in the key text.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Terrapin, dragon, rat, pet, cat, dog, koala bear, parrot, tortoise, puffin, anteater, penguin, penny, coin, sale
Questions to ask
* Why do you think the pet shop is having a sale?
* Which pet would you buy? Why?
* Why do you think the one-whiskered rat kept appearing on every page? What else could he do to make sure he was bought?
Extension activities
* Plan opportunities for children to retell the story independently, using the story props from the group story time. Provide price labels, markers and coins to support imaginative play.
* Provide a magnetic wedge or board for children to retell the story using magnetic card story props.
* Make a version of the book with the children's own words and pictures.
* Watch a short video clip about a 'pet shop'. The Early Vision video has footage of two children and their mother choosing a pet in a shop (see resources).
* Introduce other books about pets and give children opportunities to explore them. Consider making your own version of Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo, with flaps.
Animal visit
Meet a real pet face to face as you prepare a visit in your setting.
Key learning intentions
Respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings when appropriate
To have a developing awareness of their own needs and be sensitive to the needs of others
Respond to significant experiences in a range of ways
Adult:child ratio 1:6
Resources
Assorted paper and graphical media on clipboards ,digital camera ,a pet from home (or the new resident pet)
Preparation
* Staff may bring in a pet from home or negotiate with a parent/carer to bring a pet to visit the setting. Guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs or cats would be suitable visitors. If the animal is young, but used to handling, it may be appropriate to bring the mother too.
* Ensure that everything the animal needs, including fresh water, is in place before it arrives.
Activity content
* Discuss with the children what is going to happen before the pet arrives.
Explain that the animal may be easily scared, so they have to be very quiet and very gentle.
* Ensure that all the children wash their hands before and after they touch the animal.
* Discuss whether the children have any pets at home. Give the children lots of time to observe the animal, and gently stroke it. Encourage them to talk about what they can see and how they feel.
* Take photographs of the children and the animal.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Dog, puppy, cat, kitten, guinea pig, rabbit, baby, young, gentle, quiet, fur, soft, smooth, silky, paws, whiskers, claws
Questions to ask
* What do you think the pet likes to eat and drink? Where do you think it sleeps?
* What do you like about the pet? What can you notice if you look very carefully? Do you think the pet has claws?
Extension activities
* Look at photographs of the pet with the children and encourage them to respond to the event through paintings, drawings, or media such as clay or Plasticene.
* Make a book with the photographs and the children's comments in speech bubbles.
* Plan a movement session in which the children explore moving in different ways like pets.
* Wherever possible, plan visits for adults with two or four children to a local pet shop. Take lots of photographs
* Watch a short video clip about 'pets'. The Early Vision video has footage of a dog with her eight puppies (see resources).
Child-initiated learning
Role play pet shop
Additional resources and adult support
* Develop a pet shop role-play area alongside the home corner.
* Provide props - till and money, price tags, soft toy animals or puppets, plastic fish and mice, pet carriers, baskets, bean bag beds, bowls, squeaky toys, collars, leads, information texts, empty pet food packets, plastic fish bowl, hamster cages.
* Model the use of resources and act 'in role' as a salesperson or customer.
* Ask open-ended questions that encourage the use of imaginative and descriptive language.
* Encourage children to add additional resources or use equipment in creative ways to support their play.
Play possibilities
* Retelling stories and making up their own stories.
* Sorting food packets, toys and supplies.
* Putting the 'pets' to bed or in carriers.
* Feeding, stroking, brushing or walking the 'pets'.
* Exploring moving in different ways, like a cat or dog.
Possible learning outcomes
Has a growing awareness of the needs of others
Uses language to recreate roles and experiences
Shows an understanding of character in stories
Moves in a range of ways
Uses imagination in role play
Water area
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide a baby bath, or put hypoallergenic bubble bath in the water tray.
Add soft toy animals, towels, jugs, sponges and brushes.
* Model the use of vocabulary such as dirty, clean, dry, wet, bath, wash, careful, gentle, towel, brush, comb.
* Ask open-ended questions about what the children are doing and why.
* Support children's conversations, encouraging them to make connections with earlier or home experiences.
Play possibilities
* Cuddling and stroking the animals.
* Acting in role as a pet owner or person in a grooming parlour.
* Brushing the 'fur'.
* Splashing the water.
* Filling and squeezing out the sponges.
* Drying the pets with towels.
* Working as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating.
Possible learning outcomes
Displays high levels of involvement in activities
Uses language to recreate roles and experiences
Uses the language of size
Shows an awareness of change
Handles objects with increasing skill
Construction area - boxes and cats
Additional resources and adult support
* Make children familiar with the book My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton (see resources).
* Provide lots of empty cardboard boxes of different sizes and soft toy cats and puppets.
* Introduce and reinforce the language of size.
* Support children's conversations, encouraging them to communicate what they are doing and why.
Play possibilities
* Stacking the boxes or knocking them down.
* Fitting the boxes inside each other.
* Designing and constructing homes for the cats using boxes.
* Climbing inside boxes.
* Using the boxes to be a 'Jack in a box'.
* Putting the cats in the boxes.
* Exploring the ways in which large construction materials can be used.
Possible learning outcomes
Works as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating
Interacts with others, negotiating plans and taking turns in conversation
Uses the mathematical language of size and position
Begins to talk about the shape of 3D objects
Designs and constructs for a purpose
Shows an awareness of space
Whose home?
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide Whose Home? game, which includes ten look-and-match photo puzzles of pets (see resources), or devise a similar 'home-made' game.
* Introduce and reinforce the use of specific vocabulary - rabbit, hutch, goldfish, tank, kitten, basket.
Play possibilities
* Making connections with previous experiences, such as pets at home.
* Sorting the puzzle pieces into 'pets' and 'homes'.
* Fixing the puzzle pieces together.
* Turning the pieces over and guessing which animal is on the other side.
Possible learning outcomes
Persists at an activity of own choosing
Sorts objects by one function
Comments and asks questions about the natural world
Demonstrates increasing skill and control when manipulating equipment
Areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, language and literacy
Mathematical development
Knowledge & understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
Resources to support the theme
* My Cat likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton (Puffin Books, 4.99)
* The Great Pet Sale by Mick Inkpen (Hodder, 6.99)
* Woof! A guide to understanding your dog and Meow! A guide to understanding your cat, both by Caroline Heens (Kingfisher, 6.99)
* The Patchwork Cat by Nicola Bayley (Red Fox, 4.99)
* Pets video/DVD Theme Pack (45, Early Vision, www.
earlyvision.co.uk) From TTS Early Steps, 0800 318 686, www.tts-shopping.com
* The Great Pet Sale book and 17 laminated characters with price tags (Pounds 27.50)
* Whose Home? game (5.99)
* Assorted coins and notes (16.95)
* Scanner till (19.99)
