Activities Covering All Areas of Learning

[Tealady]

I'm currently doing my Level 3 and one of my tasks is plan an activity for a child which covers all areas of learning, do an observation, then from this find next steps and plan an activity to cover them.

Didn't think too much of it until I actually sat down to plan it. I cover all areas of learning in my planning but never does one activity really ever cover the whole lot in one go!

So just out of interest, do any of you plan activities that cover everything in one go? or are you like me and just ensure a balance of activities across the week.

[Simona]

I'm currently doing my Level 3 and one of my tasks is plan an activity for a child which covers all areas of learning, do an observation, then from this find next steps and plan an activity to cover them.

Didn't think too much of it until I actually sat down to plan it. I cover all areas of learning in my planning but never does one activity really ever cover the whole lot in one go!

So just out of interest, do any of you plan activities that cover everything in one go? or are you like me and just ensure a balance of activities across the week.

These activities immediately spring to mind : playdough ...cooking ...cutting but there are more

[lollipop kid]

One of my favourite activities to cover all areas of learning is a group game of "What's the time, Mr Wolf?"

Make a clock from a paper plate, with some cardboard hands so that you can show: 1 O'clock, 2 O'clock, etc. Or you could demonstrate the times using a "Tell the time" book.

(The clock or book is something you can encourage the children to 'read' during the game, which covers the literacy part. The game itself covers all of the others, IMHO.)

L

[FloraDora]

I don't deliberately plan for all areas of learning in one activity, but planting seeds usually does if it's accompanied/ stimulated by a story ' Tiny little seed' for instance - you can link with healthy eating if you grow veg, radish, beetroot and salad leaves are quick growing. Washing hands etc..comes into it, time, counting scoops of compost and seeds, shape, texture of soil, PD - digging, finer motor picking up tiny seeds with tweezers and pricking out. UW - lots.

The other activity I like to do is being a scientist with water. A selection of water containers, measuring jugs, syphon system, big pipettes and some test tubes. Coloured water...lots of maths and science, mixing colours, usually ends with a floating and sinking type activity where if you pushed it you could bring in a story. I put people and animals out who float to the top as you fill the containers - some animal counters that are heavy and sink....the syringes and plastic pipes push the animals along the tray with water flow...

[Jiorjiina]

I don't think anyone in real life plans an activity that covers all areas on a regular basis, but this is more of an academic exercise to show that you understand how different areas can be covered in one activity. (I'm also doing the level 3, so I've had to do this too!)

I find that something like baking bread is a good one for all areas (and you can vary it depending on the ages).

Reading the recipe and finding all the equipment (bowls, ingredients, etc) - CLL (and Literacy if they're old enough to read the recipe themselves)
Weighing and measuring - Maths
Mixing and kneading - PD
Taking turns to mix/knead (also making your own food, patience while waiting for it to rise, etc) - PSED

Making their own roll shapes with dough - EAD

And I've found a couple of activity kit things that talk about the role of bread all around the world and through history (free download here and here) and we talk about how different people eats different types of bread - UW

Plus, y'know, you get tasty tasty bread to eat at the end! A couple of times we've even made our own butter to go with our own bread (really easy to do as an extension activity for older kids). Also we accidentally grew our own wheat last year, because some of the grain from the chicken food landed in our veg patch (the 2 year olds feeding skills have improved since then), so it didn't get eaten and grew in our garden!

Before anyone goes thinking I am a total lentil weaving hippie (the spirit is willing, the organisations skills are utterly lacking) I also have a bread machine, so sometimes we just bung everything in there and go to the park while it bakes.

[mama2three]

I find a role play shop can cover everything too - the children 'write' their own labels and receipts , lots of maths - weighing , counting , how much , how many , - easy to also link pse , kuw etc...

[hectors house]

I find a role play shop can cover everything too - the children 'write' their own labels and receipts , lots of maths - weighing , counting , how much , how many , - easy to also link pse , kuw etc...

I also was going to suggest role play, I am doing a level 3 course on Supporting Children with Speech, Language and Communication and had to do an observation on extending communication - I did this while 3 children were playing with role play cooking equipment, play food, weighing scales, shopping baskets, till, money, BBQ, etc - it was hard work joining in and writing all the conversations and interactions down but really worth it when I could see how many EYFS statements I could "tick" off.

[Tealady]

Thanks for the responses.

I do have my activity and it is a cooking one but it just got me thinking that I never purposely plan to cover everything in one go, so was just wondering if anybody else did as a regular thing.

[Simona]

Thanks for the responses.

I do have my activity and it is a cooking one but it just got me thinking that I never purposely plan to cover everything in one go, so was just wondering if anybody else did as a regular thing.

I believe we all do...we plan activities and then observe as a whole covering the 7 areas or concentrating on particular ones

Any activity has overarching principles as defined in the EYFS p 5-6

[mumofone]

I don't think anyone in real life plans an activity that covers all areas on a regular basis, but this is more of an academic exercise to show that you understand how different areas can be covered in one activity. (I'm also doing the level 3, so I've had to do this too!)

I find that something like baking bread is a good one for all areas (and you can vary it depending on the ages).

Reading the recipe and finding all the equipment (bowls, ingredients, etc) - CLL (and Literacy if they're old enough to read the recipe themselves)
Weighing and measuring - Maths
Mixing and kneading - PD
Taking turns to mix/knead (also making your own food, patience while waiting for it to rise, etc) - PSED

Making their own roll shapes with dough - EAD

And I've found a couple of activity kit things that talk about the role of bread all around the world and through history (free download here and here) and we talk about how different people eats different types of bread - UW

Plus, y'know, you get tasty tasty bread to eat at the end! A couple of times we've even made our own butter to go with our own bread (really easy to do as an extension activity for older kids). Also we accidentally grew our own wheat last year, because some of the grain from the chicken food landed in our veg patch (the 2 year olds feeding skills have improved since then), so it didn't get eaten and grew in our garden!

Before anyone goes thinking I am a total lentil weaving hippie (the spirit is willing, the organisations skills are utterly lacking) I also have a bread machine, so sometimes we just bung everything in there and go to the park while it bakes.

Whats EAD??

[mama2three]

Expressive Arts and Design , but occasionally also used for English as an Additional Language

[mumofone]

Expressive Arts and Design , but occasionally also used for English as an Additional Language

Thank you :-)