Explain own knowledge and understanding, and ask appropriate questions of others.
Investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate.
Find out about, and identify, some features of living things, objects and events they observe.
Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
Ask questions about why things happen and how things work.
Shows interest in the natural world.
Asks "Why?" frequently and considers replies.
The changes and patterns that children notice.
Instances of children identifying features of living things or objects.
Ways in which children find out about things in the environment, for example, by handling something and looking at it closely.
Instances of children investigating everyday events, such as why a bicycle stops when the brakes are pressed.
Help children to notice and discuss patterns around them, for example, rubbings from grates, covers, or bricks.
Encourage children to raise questions and suggest solutions and answers.
Examine change over time, for example, growing plants, and change that may be reversed, for example, melting ice.
Give opportunities to record findings by, for example, drawing, writing, making a model or photographing.
Provide a range of materials and objects to play with that work in different ways for different purposes, for example, egg whisk, torch, other household implements, pulleys, construction kits and tape recorder.
Encourage children to speculate on the reasons why things happen or how things work.
Designing and Making
Construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources.
Use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately.
Build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources and adapting their work where necessary.
Select the tools and techniques they need to shape, assemble and join materials they are using.
The ways that children make things, for example, a child might use card, scissors, glue, string and a hole punch to make a bag to carry some things home.
How children construct for their own purposes.
Children's own assessment of the fitness for purpose of their designs and the modifications they decide to make to them.
Making a model with glue - In reception class, a practitioner supports the child in fixing boxes together. [transcript]
You can watch the video, via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
Discuss purposes of design and making tasks.
Teach joining, measuring, cutting and finishing techniques and their names.
Encourage children's evaluations, helping them to use words to explain, such as 'longer', 'shorter', 'lighter'.
Make links with children's experiences to provide opportunities to design and make things, such as a ladder for Anansi the spider (in the West African traditional tale).
Provide opportunities for children to practise skills, initiate and plan simple projects, and find their own solutions in the design and making process.
Ensure that the organisation of workshop areas allows children real choices of techniques, materials and resources.
ICT
Complete a simple program on a computer.
Use ICT to perform simple functions, such as selecting a channel on the TV remote control.
Use a mouse and keyboard to interact with age-appropriate computer software.
Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information and communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning.
Finding a website - In a nursery class, the practitioner supports a child using the computer to find a particular website. [transcript]
You can watch the video, via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
How children coordinate actions to use technology, for example, to direct dial a telephone number.
Teach and encourage children to click on different icons to cause things to happen in a computer program.
Ensure safe use of all ICT apparatus and make appropriate risk assessments for their use.
Provide a range of programmable toys, as well as equipment involving ICT, such as computers.
Time
Begin to differentiate between past and present.
Use time-related words in conversation.
Understand about the seasons of the year and their regularity.
Make short-term future plans.
Find out about past and present events in their own lives, and in those of their families and other people they know.
How children refer to past events, such as how long ago it was since they visited the swimming baths.
How a child compares experiences in their own life with those of others, for example, comparing their own play and playthings with their grandparents' experiences of play and playthings.
Sequence events, for example, photographs of children from birth.
Use stories that introduce a sense of time and people from the past.
Encourage children to ask questions about events in each other's lives in discussions, and explore these experiences in role-play.
Compare artefacts of different times, for example, garden and household tools.
Make the most of opportunities to value children's histories. Involve families in sharing memories. This might include celebration of a travelling background or of African-Caribbean roots.
Provide long-term growing projects, for example, sowing seeds or looking after chicken eggs.
Provide reference material for children to use, for example, comparing old and recent photographs.
Draw on the local community to support projects about the seasons. Tap into knowledge and expertise of local farmers, gardeners, allotment holders and so on.
Place
Notice differences between features of the local environment.
Observe, find out about and identify features in the place they live and the natural world.
Find out about their environment, and talk about those features they like and dislike.
How children talk about the different features of the surroundings, such as the sizes, shapes, uses and types of buildings or spaces they notice on a walk to the shops.
How children connect photographs to places in the environment and can work out a route, for example, from the local shop to their setting.
How children talk about and evaluate the quality of their environment, by, for example, talking about how the flower baskets improve the area, and how the litter makes it look untidy.
Use appropriate words, for example, 'town', 'village', 'road', 'path', 'house', 'flat', 'temple' and 'synagogue', to help children make distinctions in their observations.
Help children to find out about the environment by talking to people, examining photographs and simple maps and visiting local places.
Encourage children to express opinions on natural and built environments and give opportunities for them to hear different points of view on the quality of the environment.
Ensure all children have opportunities to express themselves and learn the vocabulary to talk about their surroundings, drawing on and encouraging the home language to support the learning of English.
Encourage the use of words that help children to express opinions, for example, 'busy', 'quiet' and 'pollution'.
Provide stories that help children to make sense of different environments.
Provide stimuli and resources for children to create simple maps and plans, paintings, drawings and models of observations of known and imaginary landscapes.
Give opportunities to design practical, attractive environments, for example, taking care of the flowerbeds or organising equipment outdoors.
Communities
Gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others.
Feel a sense of belonging to own community and place.
Begin to know about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.
The interest children show in stories, music and dance from a range of cultures.
How children talk about the practices and beliefs of their friends.
How children express their attitudes such as about differences in skin colours.
How children respond to information about people's unfamiliar lifestyles.
Introduce children to a range of cultures and religions, for example, tell stories, listen to music, dance and eat foods from a range of cultures. Use resources in role-play that reflect a variety of cultures, such as clothes, symbols, candles and toys.
Extend children's knowledge of cultures within and beyond the setting through books, videos and DVDs, and photographs; listening to simple short stories in various languages; handling artefacts; inviting visitors from a range of religious and ethnic groups, and visiting local places of worship and cultural centres.
Ensure that any cultural assumptions and stereotypes that are already held are countered in activities.
Provide opportunities for children to sample food from a variety of cultures, such as a traditional Caribbean dish.
Provide books that show a range of languages, dress and customs.
Use appropriate resources at circle time to enable children to learn positive attitudes and behaviour towards people who are different to themselves.
Ensure the use of modern photographs of parts of the world that are commonly stereotyped and misrepresented.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
00012-2007CDO-EN