ACTIVITIES
Though I did activities with the children on a daily basis, this is a small selection of activities which I feel best reflect my overall experience. Many of these activities focus on the idea of recycling, or caring for the planet, which was the topic that the children were working on for the duration of my placement.
ACTIVITY: Land art
Description:
The children were given the chance to create patterns made from found materials in the forest.
Materials:
Found materials in the forest (leaves, sticks, rocks, etc).
Connections to FDK Curriculum:
-
OE 14 – demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings
-
OE 18 – recognize, explore, describe, and compare patterns, and extend, translate, and create them, using the core of a pattern and predicting what comes next
-
OE 29 – demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment
Objective:
Demonstrate respect for the environment and take learning outside the four walls of the classroom.
Observations During Implementation:
Children seemed to enjoy this activity and liked how they were able to work with who they wanted. Some of the children liked to take a leader role, while others were looking to follow the patterns that someone else had already established. Children liked the freedom to create their patterns in both circular and linear shapes.
Reflection:
I think that this was a successful activity, the children were all keen to create their own patterns. If I were to do this again, I would want to ensure that there are enough variety of found materials in the forest.
ACTIVITY: Do-it-Yourself Ice Cream
Description:
Children created their own ice cream by expediting the freezing using science.
Materials:
Milk, vanilla, ice, rock salt, Ziploc bags.
Connections to FDK Curriculum:
-
OE 13 – use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)
-
OE 15 – demonstrate an understanding of numbers, using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships
Objective:
Visually see the physical reaction of freezing, without the use of a machine.
Observations During Implementation:
Children were very eager to participate in this activity and all wanted to have a turn at shaking the bags to make the ice cream.
Reflection:
I loved being able to do this activity with children, as it is one that I can remember doing when I was a child. It was lovely to introduce them to a new activity that they hadn't even thought of before. Many children were unsure if it would work. I would create more spaces to do this in the future, so more than one group could do this at a time.
ACTIVITY: What's it made of? Worksheet
Description:
Children completed a worksheet on a community walk, discovering what buildings in the neighbourhood were made of.
Materials:
Worksheet, pencils and clipboard.
Connections to FDK Curriculum:
-
OE 13 – use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)
-
OE 14 – demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations, observations, questions, and representations of their findings
-
OE 17 – describe, sort, classify, build, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects, through investigation
-
OE 28 – demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings
Objective:
Observe and assess what buildings in the neighbourhood are made of.
Observations During Implementation:
The children were happy to fill out the worksheet as a way to stay focused on the task while walking around the school community. Some children benefitted from the addition of both words and images on the worksheet.
Reflection:
I was happy to have the opportunity to create this worksheet for the children to fill out on our mini field trip. My field educator was very pleased with how my worksheet and activity were completed.
ACTIVITY: Library Books
Description:
I read a selection of books to the children in the class. The books focused on the idea of recycling, or caring for the planet.
Materials:
-
The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling - Written by Alison Inches, Illustrated by Pete Whitehead
-
Charlie and Lola: Look After Your Planet - Written and Illustrated by Lauren Child
Connections to FDK Curriculum:
-
OE 11 – demonstrate an understanding and critical awareness of a variety of written materials that are read by and with their educators
Objective:
Make connections to their own lives as they relate to the books.
Observations During Implementation:
Some children had to be reminded to try to focus on the story, or to move away from certain peers if they were finding them distracting. However, most of the children were engaged in the books.
Reflection:
Literacy is one of my favourite things to bring into all areas of the curriculum as a way to make connections, so I was happy to find some books that relate to the topic that the children were working on. In the future, I would also read Dr Seuss' The Lorax to the children as another book that relates to the topic of recycling.
ACTIVITY: Recycling awareness Posters
Description:
For this activity, the children in the class were encouraged to make their own posters to depict the importance of recycling and caring for their planet.
Materials:
Markers, pencils, paper.
Connections to FDK Curriculum:
-
OE 22 - communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms
-
OE 23 - use problem-solving strategies, on their own and with others, when experimenting with the skills, materials, processes, and techniques used in drama, dance, music, and visual arts
Objective:
Become engaged in community awareness issues and inspire a sense of advocacy in the children.
Observations During Implementation:
In theory, the children were very excited to make their own posters. However, when the application was starting, many of the children seemed to become confused as to what they wanted to put on their posters. With some encouragement, they were able to figure out what they wanted to put on their posters.
Reflection:
This is an activity that is similar to one I have done before, but every time I do it, the children are able to add their own creative spin. In the future, I would encourage the children to make copies of their posters to place in the wider community.