Author: Lorna Norton

It's time to excavate!

It's time to excavate!

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It’s time to excavate

This weeks #steammsunday has got to be the dinosaur excavation.

It was a real divider, some children weren’t on board with the activity and some definitely were! That’s the beauty of The Fern Club; giving children the opportunity to make their own opinions and explore at their own pace.

This activity was a great STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) experience. Drawing from the science element the reactions between the bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice the children were able to see the fizzing and bubbling in action.

 

If you’re happy to experience and experiment at home, take a look below at how I approached this and what you and your little one can learn from it.

 

DINO EXCAVATION

 

Ingredients

Used coffee grinds – Starbucks/Waitrose give these away for free if you don’t have access to them at home… or come ask me. With a 10 month old nap-avoiding, teething monster, early walker we get through a truck load of coffee!

  • Coffee beans – to add some more texture. Could use any kind of dried bean.
  • Bicarbonate of soda
  • Lemon juice – I believe vinegar would create more of a reaction. I couldn’t quite face the vinegar/coffee bean aroma in the halls this week.
  • Flour
  • A large box
  • A wipe clean mat
  • Little dishes for the lemon juice
  • Pipettes or small spoons – you want something which will only transfer a little at a time to begin with, build the excitement and create a sense of wonder. You can dump the lemon juice onto the mixture later in the exploration so start small to draw out the investigation a little longer.
  • Small plastic dinosaur toys

 

Method

I started by creating little balls of the coffee grind, flour, bicarb mixture. Stick a little together with a little water and roll up. The larger the ball, the less fizz and longer it took to react. (A massive thank you to the wonderful Monday class who were incredibly patient when trying this for the first time, it did take a very long time with the larger balls) I did put a small dinosaur toy into the middle of the ball but on reflection it wasn’t necessary. The children were happy to play with the dinosaurs whilst watching and making the fizz.

 

Once I’d created 4-5 of the balls I laid them onto a bed of coffee beans, coffee grinds a little flour and a LOT of bicarb. The bicarb is the key to this so the trick is to use as much as you can. Mix it all together so it makes the appearance of “mud”.

 

Place the little dish into the middle of the mud and fill with lemon juice. Then play! Drop small amounts of the lemon juice onto the mud and let the little ones lead the way. A great way to extend this is to tell a story, or make observations about what you see.

 

STEAM

 

If your little one is at an age where they’re beginning to understand more scientific explanations this is what’s happening…

 

When you mix the bicarbonate of soda, (an alkaline base) with the lemon juice, (an acid) the chemical reaction (the fizz) creates a new substance.

Carbon dioxide, water and salt!

 

This activity can really be explored in so many different ways! The possibilities are really endless so when you’re happy to delve in further, take to google and see what else you’re able to concoct.



When I was little my scientist Grandad and Dad used to show us so many different experiments, the one which was always a crowd pleaser was so simple. If you want to try it at home, please please let me know, I’d love to see the pictures and hear all about it….

 

1 x old camera film case

Vinegar

Bicarbonate of soda

 

Head outside, put a spoon of bicarb into the case, add a spoon of vinegar, QUICKLY put on the lid, leave on the floor and step back…. The little explosion is perfect for children.

 

Have a great week exploring and playing. Be sure to tag me in any of your Sunday activities #steammsunday

 

Have fun!  



Jump, Jump, Jump
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Jump, Jump, Jump

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There are so many precursors to being able to jump. When a child is able to jump for the first time; it tends to happen between 2 and 2.5 years old, there have been some big developmental boxes ticked behind the scenes. Being able to coordinate both sides of your body is essential for two…

Repetitive Movements

Repetitive Movements

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Over the last term it’s been amazing to see each child get something different from the classes. The age range is very wide (and did you notice I’ve scrapped the different aged classes?) It’s been important to incorporate enough for each child and their stage of development. 

So how do you spot phases of learning and how do you allow your little one to get the most from their play? 

If you watch your little one at play do you notice they repeat movements over and over? 
These repetitions are learning schemas. Ways for children to master skills and concepts; the building blocks for life. 

Below are a few key schemas which are easy to spot, perhaps you can recognise a few from your own little one. There are many more schemas (between 9-12 depending on the source), with lots of overlapping. 

Connecting/disconnecting: Stacking and dismantling structures, joining trains and taking toys apart. 

Transporting: Collecting and putting things into boxes, bags or the like. Having full pockets or filling and emptying. 

Boundaries: Poking holes in things, or putting fingers in holes. Exploring gates and doors.

Positioning: Lining up toys, sorting and building patterns. Arranging books on a shelf or even straightening chairs in a row.

Dynamic Horizontal: Moving cars and building roads, running laps, full body left to right/right to left movements, clapping or racing games.

Jean Piaget (1896–1980), a renowned developmental psychologist, noted that as a child gets older the learning schemas get more elaborate and often cross paths with more than one simultaneously. It might not be obvious what phase of learning they’re in. 

Next time you’re watching your little one, take note of what and how they’re playing. Real engagement is what you’re looking out for. You’ll notice they have intent and purpose to their play.  Do you see the same pattern of play happening with different toys? Engage with them, ask them questions about what specifically they’re enjoying. 

In order to access higher level thinking when they’re older; including STEAM subjects, children must pass through these learning schema. Negotiating the world is tricky, so let them explore their way, mastering their own learning. 

Above all, give them time and patience. These stages of learning are vital and can’t be rushed. Embrace the phase and give them opportunity to explore more along their current path. 

NOTE: Our little Fern is fully into holes and putting blocks together. He’s not mastered building but loves to hold blocks together in his hands. And putting fingers in holes… belly buttons, plug sockets, squeezy yogurt tube holes, holes in toys, holes in chairs…. the list is huge!

 
#STEAMMSUNDAY And breathe...

#STEAMMSUNDAY And breathe...

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Slightly off topic from the colours theme last week. On this journey of child led learning it’s been incredible to see how children respond to activities and this one didn’t disappoint. 

Let’s set the scene… a little child’s table, colourful bowls around the edge and building blocks stacked in the middle of the table. The aim is to create a pathway with the blocks to take a ping pong ball to the right coloured bowl. The way to move the ball is by using your breath. The activity is quite a simple one, behind the scenes though there’s so much more. 

I love a good list so here goes;

– The child must use their planning and visualise the pathway they want to create. Does the path have two sides, will the ball fit through the middle and where is it going to start and finish. 
– Getting the correct colour (remember, first comes matching, then identifying then naming) 
*An understanding of how to control their breath* I’ll come back to this one
– Getting their body in the right place to begin
– And finally seeing the final result; a success or something to learn by? 

*Let’s get back to the breath control and delve a little deeper. Think about how much breath controls our adult bodies; when we’re angry, nervous, excited, calm and at rest. For children still learning to control their emotions it takes a while for their breathing to fall in line. 
Occupational therapists use breath exercises to help regulate the proprioceptive system (one of the 7 senses) when a child feels overwhelmed or unable to calm themselves. 

If you have a rainy Sunday and the energy in the house is getting a little much, try activities like these to (try) and help restore a sense of calm (for a little while at least!)

– Blowing bubbles into dishwashing liquid through a straw
– Blowing toy cars to make them roll down a ramp
– Blowing bubbles! 
– In a bathtub blowing swimming flips
– Blow a ping pong ball around a play dough maze
– Playing with a snorkel! 
– Blowing away feathers
– Blowing paper windmills
– Blowing paint with a straw

If you have any other similar ideas, I’d love to know! How great to have a bag of tricks like this for when we need them most. 

Keep in touch, I love to chat!

Have a great #steammsunday

 
 
The Secrets of Construction Play

The Secrets of Construction Play

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This has been a big part of the Wood themed classes this week. It’s really been fascinating to see how each child approached the blocks; both the perfect cubes and irregular pieces of wood.

There’s a lot (a LOT) to be learnt from construction play and it might not always be the most obvious. It’s a tool which teaches so much and provides skills to last a lifetime.

Let’s list out the main benefits before delving in;

– Problem solving

– Fine Motor Development

– Understanding of shape and stability

– Language development

– The basics of structural engineering

– Early scientific thinking; trying out ideas, making adjustments and continuing the cycle to allow children will begin to formulate ideas and build on them.

When children have the opportunity to explore construction it allows them the time to handle materials in different ways. Using their imagination and creativity is the start point for problem solving and a higher level of critical thinking later in life.

It was lovely to see all the different ways the wooden blocks were used throughout the week; a fairy kingdom, a birthday cake and simply a giant tower! The best part is that there really was no right or wrong answer (apart from when the adults guessed incorrectly as to what the structures were of course!) The dialogue used throughout the construction activity was rich and full variance and this really helps to open the world of language to a child.

 

 

The Process

When children are able to see a block, test its structural stability and adjust accordingly they’re beginning to think on a higher level.

Let’s break it down, first they must assess the shape, visualising where they want the piece to go. Then they must place the shape (which also requires some fine motor control) and then they see the outcome. Whether that block stayed up or fell down would then dictate the next actions. What a huge process for a child!

 

This all happens with very little conscious thought; holding the block, feeling its weight, looking at the angles of the base, adjusting to find a balance and waiting for that all important connection! WOW! These children are learning through pure movement. There’s no book or worksheet to tell them or ask them what to expect and how to proceed. The complex brain mechanisms whilst at play are incredible.

 

 

How to encourage construction play at home

Firstly, you’ll already be doing this I’m certain. Every parent is a child development expert, you might just not know it. You’ll have seen when your little one was very young (under 2) the wonderful schemas of learning at play (more on schemas in a later blog) connecting and disconnecting structures.

My son is in that latter phase, destruction! The most fun we have right now is when I build anything (literally, stack anything on top of anything) and see him whizz across the room to knock it down. I’m sure you’ll remember that same phase.

Children won’t be able to associate connecting blocks together unless they’ve first seen how it is disconnected and put back together.

 

So, play! Use your language to build, quite literally. Make observations about the blocks, questions around the process of building or even about the story. When you engage and use that rich language you’ll see the construction play will last much longer

 

“I see that block over there hasn’t been used”

“Look at these two blocks supporting the roof”

“I wonder how the walls are supported?”

“Have you thought about an extension?”

“Can we see any holes anywhere?”

“I wonder who lives here”

“Could this be a machine to make pancakes?”

“That looks like a great podium for the dog olympics!”

 

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“What if my little one isn’t into construction play?”

Don’t worry, you’ll see they probably “construct” in different ways or perhaps just aren’t in that phase of learning at the moment.

Maybe they’re particularly into making roads for their cars or love tying string around things. Connecting things together can cover a whole range of different topics, not just construction with blocks.

 

Have fun this week and show me any structures you’ve created with your little one. Don’t forget to use the #steammsunday

 

Thanks again,

 

Lorna