Bug Play

 Just a set up of bug play area, with supplementary resources to support play

 Soil, plastic bugs and bug hunting/ hiding materials

Matching plastic ant to picture

Enabling Environment

The drawer unit and block/ shape play on mirrors and foil (torch to right to shine on for better effect). I will try to post a better photo of this.

 The drawers are always accessible, are labelled with what's inside and you will note there are cards with signs relating to what's in many of the drawers.

Kids Recipe Cards

I am and absolute fan of the British Nutrition Foundation's Cook Club resources, including these Primary Recipe Cards that come in various formats. There are also Secondary Recipe Cards which follow the same format but some more complex recipes.

 These recipe cards, with supportive pictures are ideal for older children, adults and just as a prompt.

They also have Action cards (and they have a lot)

How to  Cards

Equipment Cards

Ingredients Cards

Cutting Snowmen and Christmas Trees

After observing some difficulty with Christmas templates I made this simple cutting activity. I folded the paper, drew half the shape on the crease side. I provided scissors, stickers and ribbon. For children to cut out and create independents.

A beautiful christmas tree

A cool sonwman

Five Little Monkeys

I have had these resources for some time, and related resources have been available at www.alljoinin.net for sometime, I just thought I'd take this opportunity to show you (need a quick post, been too busy making something/ watching Children in Need). The resources are things I have available for singing the song, but are also what I used to make the resources. There is a printable book, and an interactive powerpoint. Some example power point slides are below:

Looking after Books

This is going to be the quickest post in history, nearly asleep!! Since I had such a short time I thought I'd share this wonderful idea from kindergarten, kindergarten about how to care for books. Would strongly advocate this within the room if damaging equipment is a problem. To download the book and more info to the blog (minus the "deccoration") go the Kindergarten, Kindergarten

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story Props

Such a simple way to create a story telling prop to accompany The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. Simply cover a Pringles tin with some plain paper, stick and cut out (or print out of the caterpillar on to the tin- if you want the caterpillar on pdf message me) and cut out a slot for the mouth big enough that you can post milk bottle caps in.

Stick pictures of each of the food items onto the milk caps (I drew mine but you could print out the ones below from TES you need to join but that's free)

It's not possible to see from the photos above, but I added a brown cocoon shape to back. When the caterpillar had ate all his food and slept for a while I opened the lid and pulled out a butterfly finger puppet I'd put in earlier.

Let me know if you make this I'd love to hear how it goes.

Post Edit: Due to several requests you can now DOWNLOAD the caterpillar and Cocoon

five little men in a flying saucer

Five little men in a flying saucer, rhyme tray. Felt pieces and talking point buttons.

I printed the elements on t-shirt transfer paper, ironed it onto white felt then cut out. The window on the flying saucer I cut out prior to ironing on, so that it would be "felt" rather than the shiny plasticy feel that the little men wouldn't grip on.
Talking point buttons have each verse of the song on. Each button has the corresponding amount of stars on e.g. five little men: five stars.

And these little men, actually went to live on earth.

Download pictures for this @ alljoinin.net I shrank mine to A5

Maisy's Bus

Today more laminated props, this time for the lovely story of Maisy's Bus.
The road is made of a length of hessian (used to tie young trees to a steak)
The pieces were drawn and laminated (front and back of bus) with window of the bus cut out before laminating.
Putting velcro on the back of the bus allowed the characters to be stuck into their seats and driven along (characters also drawn and coloured both sides so the they can be seen both sides of the bus)

This is such a simple story it lends its self to retelling by the child with or without text, and allows opportunities to add more story lines and different journeys.

This lovely book is available through Amazon, and load of other book sellers (in UK often reduced in The Works)

Maisy's Bus is also available on YouTube.

Hooray for Fish

Matching words to pictures.

I simply love Hooray for Fish so simple, but wonderful illustrations and text!! I made these cards some time ago and they haven't been used for months then all of a sudden today- look! Don't you just love how you think something has past its use then all of a sudden it's used again.

Words and pictures all matched!

I love using props and pictures to accompany stories (particularly favourites) and find they are so useful for extending and engaging involvement in the story. You can download my story cards from TES Connect.

There is a video available on youtube of this wonderful story too!

valentines pairs

So here starts the Valentines activities...

Stones painted with matching hearts.

Turn all stones over, turn two over at a time to match pairs. Play alone or in twos.

Stored in a gift box.

Discovery Colour Bottles

I've been going through old photos and found these, made some time ago but still in use! Originally made for a very little person as a rattle/ sensory toy helped to create by a little bit (but not much) bigger person with the aim of developing their fine motor skills and colour sorting concepts. I simply added a little hot glue to the inside of the lid before screwing on very tightly, but plastic glue also works. Making the bottles was especially enjoyable and probably looking back the most fun sorting activity to date, maybe should do that again (we can cut bottles afterwards to get tiny bits out I guess).

Little person much enjoyed shaking, rolling and placing in and out of box, bigger person enjoyed tidying into correct colour spaces in box. They have since had use as; skittles, good for instructions too knock red then blue down, and colour language e.g. what colours have you knocked down?; driving round in trailers (coloured milk delivery); and as fizzy drinks in roll play...

The bottles make wonderful sensory toys for children with a range of special educational needs, and the best thing is you can personalise to individual needs e.g use bottles with handles to assist grasp, make sound bottles for those with visual impairments, themed bottles for those with particular interests.

There are a host of ideas for discovery bottles online such as Kinder friends, Dr Jean and Mrs. Pohlymeyers class.

Matching Pegs

Surprise, surprise another MIY creation, and as is often the case incredibly simple create. Collect embellished pegs (the kind you simply can't resist at the craft stall but have no actual use for them), cut out little squares of card, and draw pictures that match those of the embellishment. The fortunate thing is most of these are simple pictures so easy yo recreate. On the back you could write the name, when the child is ready they can match to the name and self check from picture (or cheat?). If the cards are going to be used excessively I suggest you laminate.