Quote:
Originally Posted by charlotte1001
We are quite a small nursery and so our resources are somewhat very limited. And i seem to find we end up doing the same sort of activities frequently e.g. peg boards, sticking, drawing, singing etc. Im beginning to get bored and fed up of the same activities all the time!! so i bet the children must be too!!! Any ideas of some new activites we could introduce to provide some variety and abit of WOW!!, interest, concerntration and somethings to really try and hold their attention span!. (somethings where the resources arent to important or where we can make the resources, possibly some games or something)
Many thanks
|
Do you have a resource centre nearby? If you are not sure, ring up your early years and ask if there is one in your county/area. if so, for a small membership or a one off visit payment you can obtain a whole host of resources from paper, card, stickers, materials, cds, etc This could help you with crafts and activites - you just need some ideas (look in magazines, the internet and build a portfolio up and try and keep them simple enough for the children to achieve themselves.
How about trying some different songs, dances and games. You can get some cheap used cds on Amazon for 1p and just over a pound for postage - some of them even have audio samples of each song. Hire them from the library - you can always request them, the same with large story books. That will give you variety without cost.
Check out to see if you have a toy library in your area. often they will lend for a term - allsorts including musical instruments.
How about making musical instruments - ask parents to for washed out yoghurt pots for you to make shakers - you can either use a cover over one pot or tape two together for a 'long' shaker with beans/rice etc inside (make sure it's safe). Ask for empty (and whole) tissue boxes to make 'guitars', on garden twine you can thread lots of milk bottle tops ( again parents collection) and thread a bell or two inbetween.
I expect you do all the usual 'Jingle Jangle Scarecrow, Teddy bear, Teddy Bear, I'm a little teapot. head, shoulders, Knees and Toes etc? with no music, and Hokey Cokey, Superman, Simple Simon Says, Music man , Bear Hunt, Famer Duck, Walking in the Jungle etc with music?
Well how about doing some nursery rhymes up on your feet ( with or without music) such as The Wheels on a bus..., Oh The Grand old Duke of York... Sit the children idown on the floor in pairs to sing 'Row, Row, Row your boat....'
Children love gluing and painting/drawing- even the same thing, but I understand it's nice to present it differently to keep it fresh for everyone and to vary skills needed.
If you want 'smelly' gluing - do you or other collleagues have any herbs and spices to donate.
Colour pasta to dry and then use for gluing, use pumkin seeds, rice - white or colour it again, lentils, flake off pine cones, leaves, twigs etc
Leave printing and gluing in season.
Use a colour theme, a texture theme
Junk gluing - ask for donations from parents.
Has anyone a particular potted plant, flower or fruit to bring in?
for observation and painting/oil pastels/charcoal/water colours/drawing and coloring
Use wheeled vehicles (plastic are easier to clean) dip in shallow trays of paint to make tracks on paper, use string/pegs/cotton reels/potato mashers/potao printing/butterfly painting/finger painting/marbling/golf ball rolling (once dipped into paint and them placed into a tray with the paper in - (and child's name on the back).
Paint with various sized brushes, rollers,feathers, twigs - use a combination, the children love experimenting.
Obtain some salad spinners (from car boot sales/charity shops or supermarket) and once cutting out paper in rounds to fit it, allow children to scoop paint out of dishes with teaspoons, drop them in, place lid on, spin,
add more paint if wanted) spin again.
If you can't afford to buy a parachute, get a sheet and use that for parachute songs and games - holding on dancing around, placing balloons on, small ball or a blow up ball - roll them , bounce them up, 'calm sea' rough sea' etc; go underneath to sing certain songs such as row row row the boat all rocking backwards and forwards - put the parachute/sheet under you bottoms.
I think if it's just ideas - look on the net or get some books out of the library, you can always make or adapt an activity easier or it may just give you ideas. Have an inventory - just a typed out list or heading in a book under songs, games, painting, role play etc and build your portfolio up, to look up when you get to this stage again!
With role play ideas - you could decide that next term you'd like to have a shoe shop, so ask for shoe boxes from parents (or ask a shoe shop), get tape measures ready - tape measure rolls - adult version and children's that wind in, shoes/slippers/wellies etc from your dressing up, tills, phones, a couple of chairs for trying shoes on, make posters, unbreakable mirrors to look at shoes, old diaries and pencils to write orders etc in, dolls and bootees as well as children/adult shoes in shop make it nice and colourful so it is appealing.
When you haven't got money it means you have to be creative with what you can get. Usually things like expensive jigsaws etc you start off with only a few and they seem to be forever out - but things such as card, paper, material etc you can put the 'wow' factor into the setting - infact this shouldn't really leave any setting even if or when finance becomes a little easier.
In you termly newsletter ask parents for any resources they can give and give a suggestion - buttons, corks, paper, labels,card etc, but say you're happy with other suggestions. You'll be surprised how many parents don't realise what is useful to you unless you ask (and remember to thank them). Often if a parent works in an industry such as paper, they often have a ream or two to dispose of. I always thank parents for their contribution and never say 'We don't want that' - they won't donate again, so i pass it onto another setting or school or if we have too much junk gluing - we recycle it.
I hope this helps and I hope I haven't repeated what you already have or do.
.
New activity ideas!!
Linear Mode
