Understanding the World

I want your child to have meaningful opportunities to connect with nature as this will encourage a more pro environmental attitude to last their lifetime.

 

Connecting with nature isn't simply about how much time children spend in nature, it is about looking closely and finding beauty in the world around them, so they truly want to care for our planet. It can be about moments and what you do with them, so whether your child and I are studying hedges and verges on the walk to the park or other small pockets of nature, or we are in the woods or at the nature reserve, I will be helping your child make those connections by encouraging them to notice the good things in nature, how it makes them feel, or what it means to them using 'the five pathways' to nature connectivity. The five pathways are senses (to explore and notice nature), emotions (to create a bond and love for nature), beauty (to notice and capture the beauty by for example drawing/painting, taking a photo, or even making a leaf crown), meaning (considering what nature means to them) and compassion (discussing what they could do for nature).

 

Whilst first choice is to get outdoors, your child will also have opportunities to connect with nature through pictures, videos and sound recordings. After all not all animals, birds or plants are easily spotted outside, and the important thing is activating the nature connection pathways. Your child may listen to different birds calls on the RSPB site, so when we go outside we know where to look for the most common breeds and can distinguish their bird song.  I am most likely to be lead by your child's explorations, as children have a love of all things wild and find delight in stones, sticks and puddles; but I find having an album on my phone of spotter sheets from Wildlife Watch a valuable asset https://www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/activities . I'm not an expert and so often children and I are experiencing something for the first time together. Just seeing wonder on my face, makes it all the more special for them, and then we can turn to my phone with their questions. Your child will enjoy seeing an adult learn alongside them, and it also teaches them an important lesson about how to find answers to their questions. Using the Wild Tots resources, your child will listen to popular stories and then enjoy outdoor activities linked to the books which are specially designed with the under 5's in mind.

 

I want your child to learn about history and geography.

 

This will be done using technology to access BBC learning resources like Barnaby Bear and William Whiskerson covering diverse geography topics, and Magic Grandad to find out about famous people like Louis Braille, Samuel Pepys, Queen Elizabeth I... or how life has changed from Victorian times to the decades within their grandparents and my life time. We use Tuckton library weekly, with often half the books borrowed being non fiction, which help us learn about all things man made and natural, countries, communities and cultures around the world, as well as historic events. Your child will experience learning first hand with visits to National Trust Properties (like Kingston Lacey, Corfe Castle, Max Gate, Mottisfont), or The Red House Museum where they can explore and compare objects past and present. We might go to the Dinosaur or County Museum, a local natural reserve, the beach or forests that surround us to learn about the natural world. Tuckton library have held some great talks and the children have got to see things like cockroaches and tarantulas. Our visits to places like The Kingfisher Barn, Avon Heath or the Hengistbury Head environmental centre give opportunities to go pond dipping, hold artifacts like skulls, have sensory experiences in the herb garden and think about life cycles, weather patterns, coastal and forestry habitats, and gain local and general environmental awareness.

 

Through simple age appropriate science experiments that allow your child to actively question, observe and test their ideas, as they follow their own lines of enquiry, I want your child to develop their curiosity and critical thinking skills.

 

Experiments include watching the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar, melting ice, magnets, balloon rockets, dissolving activities, playing with bubbles, sink or float activities, watching beans grow on cotton balls; observing the reaction which makes food colouring dance in milk by adding washing up liquid; seeing the effects of capillary action as the capillaries in celery or flowers carry coloured water up, or understanding the water cycle by adding droplets of food colouring to a shaving foam cloud on top of water in the Cloud in a Jar experiment.

 

I want your child to be deep rooted in their community.

 

Where ever possible I like to jump at chances to be included in community projects. Over recent years the children and I have been involved in the Christchurch Carnival parade, the project to bring toilets to a school in Rwanda, 'Chatterbox' run by The Waterlily Project which brought together senior citizens with young children in chatter, play and song, and Red Nose Day and Children in Need events organised by childminders to bring all the children together from different setting. Similarly childminders have jointly hired halls to allow for community events to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee, The Kings Coronation, Royal Weddings, have Autumn Celebrations and Christmas parties. For many years we have helped the church make poppies for their Remembrance Day Services, we often take food to the food bank, we have been involved in litter picks, and using technology we access Natural Resources Wales to consider the environmental impact of fly tipping and waste on our local green spaces. We have attended events at Tuckton library to encourage more curb side recycling in BCP and enjoyed playing games to chose which recycling bin, if any, to put things in. I also use the Cbeebies resources as we consider what resources can be recycled. We regularly attend The Parks Foundation events designed to connect local people to parks and green spaces in BCP and gain a love and pride in enhancing those spaces. Two years in a row we have been chosen as one of two early years settings in BCP to review children's books for the library. The children then go into the library and each gives the reason for their personal favourite book choice. Based on the feedback I give, detailing the suitability to different age groups and strengths of each book, alongside the children's own reviews, BCP library services choose which books will be added as new titles into all libraries across the conurbation. The children are always delighted to see the titles they have loved actually appear on the shelves for general borrowing. Visiting allotments and the local farm shop we learn about farm to folk alongside using online resources, planting seeds and cooking activities. Every week we look forward to Wednesday and meeting friends who span nine decades as we attend a group bringing together babies to friends in their 70's, 80's, and 90's. The enjoyment is mutual, with the children bringing a reported sense of pleasure and purpose into what can be lonely times, especially for those who have been recently widowed. They say how much they look forward to seeing the children each week, and the pleasure they get when reading them stories. These are to name but a few of the community projects we participate in! And why? Because I want your child to gain a sense of purpose and feel valued and respected, because of their contribution to 'their 'community. I want your child to experience a sense of achievement when they see their efforts have made a positive difference. I want your child to have a chance to have social contact with people of different ages and backgrounds, and learn to be inclusive and adaptable as they learn from other's diverse perspectives. I want your child to have an understanding of all the different jobs and skills that are needed to support a strong community. Part of this is enabling them to role play different jobs and listen to stories about different professions or visit them at work. The end goal is inspiring a lifelong commitment to 'their' community.