The children in the Treetops Room at George Dent Nursery School in Darlington, Teesside, have brightened up their snack area with a colourful display of spring flowers.
Planned learning intentions To maintain attention, concentrate and sit quietly when appropriate To find out about, and identify, some features of living things, objects and events they observe To explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions
Resources
* Brightly coloured backing paper * contrasting border roll * a selection of spring flowers * vases * pots of bulbs grown by the children with original labels retained * pictures of spring flowers from bulb catalogues * paper * felt pens * magnifying glasses * white and coloured paper * fabric Step by step
* Arrange vases of spring flowers, such as daffodils and tulips, on a table along with potted flowering plants and flowers emerging from bulbs planted earlier by the children.
* Supply the children with magnifying glasses and a selection of felt pens and paper to create observational drawings of the flowers. Show them pictures from bulb catalogues, draw their attention to pictures on labels and point out detail such as patterns of petals and colour variation.
Encourage them to handle and smell the flowers.
* Back the display board with the chosen paper and create a contrasting border. Arrange children's drawings and catalogue pictures mounted in a contrasting colour on top. Create a caption for the display, for example, 'Some children have drawn tulips, hyacinths and daffodils', and print this in black with appropriate colours for the names of the flowers.
* Drape a table or storage unit with fabric and stand it underneath the wall display with the pots and vases of flowers arranged on top.
Activities
* Encourage children to add their own items to the display, such as greetings cards depicting spring flowers.
* Invite children to keep the display area tidy and water the pot plants regularly.
* Join children at snack time to draw attention to changes in the flowers, such as opening out and withering off.
Linda Blakeburn is a nursery nurse in the Treetops Room at George Dent Nursery School, Darlington. She spoke to Jean Evans.
