understanding the world

[redtiger21]

Hi, could anyone recommend a couple of ideas for activities that could enhance or demonstrate a child's knowledge of why things happen and how things work?
I feel like I've got "childminder's block"!!
Thanks

[Simona]

Hi, could anyone recommend a couple of ideas for activities that could enhance or demonstrate a child's knowledge of why things happen and how things work?
I feel like I've got "childminder's block"!!
Thanks

If you look at Development Matters: People and communities, the world and technology ...and then look at Enabling Environments you will find many ideas...all link to other areas such as maths, literacy,PSED, physical development, and creative arts and design

I would bet you are covering them all already!:thumbsup:

[mumofone]

Hi, could anyone recommend a couple of ideas for activities that could enhance or demonstrate a child's knowledge of why things happen and how things work? I feel like I've got "childminder's block"!! Thanks

This is the only one I don't feel I struggle with! What age is the child? For me in this area we do anything to do with maps, globes, gardening, laptop, being outside (weather changes etc)...I don't know if that's right or not!

[FloraDora]

I have a big box of Macdonalds toys, spanning the last 30 years of happy meal gifts. They are superb for how things work. Play with them and find out what makes them move, push, pull, spin, wind, pull back, open, switch.....we sort them into how they work, then go and find another toy that works the same.
Encourage asking questions, why, how, what would happen if...exploring and discovering what the potential of the resources are in your setting....though I have a 4 year old with an engineer dad who wants to take everything apart to see what it does!!
The why things happen is covered like others have said in general out door and indoor play....weather related: kites, wind ribbons, applying sun cream, jumping in puddles, looking after plants, turning on taps, ....cooking and baking....just observing everything and talking about it...why does the butter melt into the toast, apples start to go brown when you are eating them, juice squeezes out, Shreddies go soggy....
Develop an enquiring mind to everyday things, the sun dancing on the chair, duplo bricks that won't go together, children who get upset....
You are probably doing this innately ...every day.

[Simona]

I have a big box of Macdonalds toys, spanning the last 30 years of happy meal gifts. They are superb for how things work. Play with them and find out what makes them move, push, pull, spin, wind, pull back, open, switch.....we sort them into how they work, then go and find another toy that works the same.
Encourage asking questions, why, how, what would happen if...exploring and discovering what the potential of the resources are in your setting....though I have a 4 year old with an engineer dad who wants to take everything apart to see what it does!!
The why things happen is covered like others have said in general out door and indoor play....weather related: kites, wind ribbons, applying sun cream, jumping in puddles, looking after plants, turning on taps, ....cooking and baking....just observing everything and talking about it...why does the butter melt into the toast, apples start to go brown when you are eating them, juice squeezes out, Shreddies go soggy....
Develop an enquiring mind to everyday things, the sun dancing on the chair, duplo bricks that won't go together, children who get upset....
You are probably doing this innately ...every day.

You remind me of my most treasured resource box...it has all recycled bits, checked for safety and so on
We have old mobiles, phones, remote controls, light switches and plugs. Old cameras and real water taps, clocks, pipes, keys and anything with push buttons!!

[redtiger21]

Thank you for the replies everyone, I'll use some of those ideas Floradora. It's not that I don't feel I'm covering that area of learning in my day-to-day practice, it's just that I know the child (age49 months) is already hitting that particular EYO, but I don't have a written observation to support what I'm saying, so I was looking for a couple of nice specific activities that could demonstrate her ability, if that makes sense! And I know we don't actually have to have a written ob for every single EYO, but I did have that particular one as her "next step" under UW in her termly planning sheet, so I really did want some evidence to support what I'm doing.
Thank you again all! :)

[FloraDora]

I understand what you are saying about specific observations, but ongoing, daily observations will give you a far more accurate picture of what a child can do than setting up a particular activity to ' observe a specific learning outcome'.

For instance, a child might constantly use how and why in her play and interaction with you around problem solving when she wants to take her play to the extended stage..."how can I make this tower stay up, it keeps falling down? She might then resolve it by her focus and knowledge of how the bricks stay together...in her play of making an ice castle say......but if you set up a specific activity to see if she knows how to interlock the bricks....it might not 'catch' her that day...but that doesn't mean to say that she hasn't gained this knowledge or knows how bricks work to keep a tower up......there are opportunities in her general play that shows this....
I do not do 'specific set up to see if they can get a learning outcome ticked'...I encourage the aspects of characteristics of learning .....have resources that allow children to explore and discover both in and out doors, question and talk and play ...and you will observe the learning outcomes as they play. If I observe an aspect of learning several times, in different situations, I talk to parents and they might add a couple of observations, gained through their child playing at home and together we will date the learning outcome as achieved, alongside evidence of an aspect of characteristic of learning.

[redtiger21]

Thank you Floradora :) X