With the continued theme of plants and flowers, thought that Mary, Mary quite contrary would be a great little play corner. So here's what's in it.
... Don't worry no more buttons today, not to say not been played with, I'm just not going to talk about them. However I am going to discuss the reasons why we are a little obsessed by them currently, and it's all related to schema's, connecting to be precise.
When we observe children we often see patterns in their play and activity, whether we are looking for it or not, these patterns are referred to as schema. For example an infant repeatedly throwing toys out of pram (trajectory schema), toddler filling bags up with toys and moving around room (transportation and enclosure schema) etc. There have been many schema identified but common ones are:
• Enclosure/ enveloping.
• Connecting.
• Disconnecting.
• Trajectory.
• Rotation.
• Transportation.
• Vertical Trajectory.
There are full descriptions in the links on the post about theCookie Cutter size puzzle, post. Observing children's spontaneous actions and play allows us to identify their dominant schema's and thus plan activities that extend learning by presenting activities through preferred format or engage further by offering more sustained activities around the schema.
"Schemas can be regarded as a window into children's learning.
Generally, when children are playing schematically they are intrinsically motivated to learn, resulting in long periods of concentration. Through their schemas, children are 'fitting' various experiences into their current thinking." (Colette Tait,16 December 2004, Nursery World)
Within your continuos provision ensure a range of resources to support children's current schema and enhance provision with resources that lend themselves to supporting particular schema's in an open ended way. For example with a connecting schema a collection of pegs can be used in a range of ways to enhance play and development and support the schema e.g. to secure sheets for a tent, simply clipping to things, joining papers together, attaching to string to join vehicles, attaching to string to make a fishing rod, pegging out washing etc.
Adult led and enhanced provision can also allow children to develop new skills through their schematic preference if adults are creative in their presentation of resources, providing appropriate activities and equipment. Using PLOD planning can be a useful brainstorming activity to allow you think think of ideas to support individual children's needs through dominant schema.
On this week's theme, this flower buttoning activity has proved incredibly popular this week, it's always so exciting when something that has been around for a while suddenly becomes a favoured item. From the amount of times this (along with other buttoning activities) has been done this week we are going to have expert dressing skills!! 
If not a little delayed, here are a few ideas and resource links for the Great Plant Hunt. First idea, create artistic collages of plant/ flowers from fabrics and materials and take photos as the end result.
After Tuesdays post about flower puzzle and enclosure schema, I suggested that I would probably do a little series on Schema. Just to remind me that children don't do what we expect and adapt activities in ways we don't even think of. Certainly many professionals are aversive to using templates for drawing around, but if it's initiated by child I say don't discourage!!
“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.” Maria Montessori 
Another quick post, which may lead to a little series on schema?? With children who do exhibit schema, enclosure is a particularly common one. When I found these cookie cutters @ you guessed it..."pound land" I thought these will be brill, lots of enclosure fun and tie in some size vocabulary and understanding!!! ‘Schemas are patterns of linked behaviours, which the child can generalise and use in a whole variety of different situations. It is best to think of schemas as being a cluster of pieces, which fit together. (Bruce)
Only a short post today but hopefully useful, make these little books to high light what children can do "assessing self". Or to enable them to think of things they (or you) may like to be doing next, when they have achieved it they can decorate that person. This could even be done with one particularly hard to achieve skill, with child decorating each time they achieve it.
You can buy these fabulous things called "tree blocks", but personally I think taking the kids out in the woods or stopping on the side of the road when you see a tree fallen down is a much better idea than buying them. You can then cut them to size and hey presto a wonderful resource to enhance play and a wonderful addition to your block play resources.
Enhancing imaginative Play
