Planned learning intentions
To have a sense of belonging
To enjoy listening to favourite nursery rhymes, stories or songs
To draw and paint, sometimes giving meanings to marks
To use their imagination in art and design
Resources
* Coloured backing paper * contrasting border roll * white paper * felt pens * collage materials, such as fabric scraps and sequins * recycled boxes and cartons * sticky tape * length of fabric to match the backing paper * pictures of nursery rhymes with words included * card * laminator
Step by step
* Mount the nursery rhyme pictures on card and laminate them for protection. Leave the cards in the book corner so that children can look at them. Read the rhymes on request to individuals and small groups of children.
* Ensure that there are mark-making materials at hand and encourage children to draw pictures of their favourite rhymes. Invite them to describe their drawings and print out their words as accompanying captions.
* Mount the pictures and captions on coloured paper and back display boards with brightly coloured paper and contrasting border roll.
* Display the nursery rhyme cards, the children's illustrations and the captions on the two boards, with a main caption describing the display.
Activities
* Stand a table in front of the display, tape two or three boxes to it and then drape fabric over them. Talk to children working in the collage area about their favourite nursery rhymes, and the display that they have created, to stimulate related model making. Invite them to carry their models to the prepared surface in front of the display.
* Challenge older children to create a similar display about a favourite rhyming book, for example, Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan).
Linda Blakeburn is the nursery nurse in the Treetops Room at George Dent Nursery School. She spoke to Jean Evans.
