Small World Tyres- update

Just a quick update on my previous post about using old tyres to make small world areas suitable for outdoors.

Firstly, I managed to get my hands on 5 more tyres just by going to my local Hi-Q place and asking if they would let me have some. The guy was more that happy for me to take some off his hands as they have to pay to get them taken away. I only wanted 5 but he would have given me as many as I asked for. He even put them in the car for me too!

Secondly, kitchen & bathroom paint really doesn't come in a great range of colours so I've been experimenting and I am pleased to say that, whilst normal matt emulsion will not work, the Dulux colour mixing range will as it has a slight sheen to the paint finish. This means that you can pretty much have any colour you want and they will mix it for you. I've found that a tester pot size (250ml) is more than enough to give the tyre 2 coats and is also a cheap option. They are available in most Homebase and B&Q stores but I've found that B&Q are about 50p cheaper per pot (roughly £2.69). They also have an offer on at the moment where all paint is 3 for 2, and this includes the colour mixing range.

I'm still working on the yellow & white tyres (the rain isn't being very helpful) but this is my collection so far




I'm hoping to go and get some plants at the weekend so that I'll be ready to get them planted up when I go back to school next week.

The bowls to go inside of the sea, polar, desert & fantasy tyres were a bit difficult to find as they need to be so large but I managed to get some from a 99p store for just 99p! They are technically a salad bowl so have a slightly wobbly lettuce look to them. They are hidious but they do the job!



As I get them finished, I'll post another update showing the finished article and any other important info that I've discovered...

Learning Area Photo Albums

In each of my areas (indoors & out) I have mini photo albums that contain a range of photos that I have taken of children engaged in that area in their Child Initiated play.

The albums are plastic covered so showerproof and came from my local Asda for just 50p each. They hold roughly 40 6x4 photos.

They have gone down well with Ofsted inspectors & SIP's as they can easily see examples of what children have done in the different areas even if a child is not working there during the observation.

The main reason I have them though is for the children. I encourage the children to use them to inspire what they can do in that area and they also love seeing photos of what they have done in them too- a great way to encourage boys to go into an area such as 'mark making' or 'writing'! "I really need some new photos for my album!"

I try to update them at least once every 6 weeks and they can be fun to look back on at the end of the year too- it's amazing how much the children change over the year and I certainly don't always notice it, seeing them every day.

A really simple & quick idea but as I mentioned, it's gone down well with a lot of people. Worth a few minutes of work!

Superhero capes

Most kids absolutely love anything to do with Superheroes and lots of the catalogues aimed at FS classes (e.g. TTS) have started to stock superhero capes for role-play. They are usually pretty nice but also pretty expensive. I've had some in my outdoor role-play box for a couple of years now and they get lots of use by both boys and girls. They are very cheap and easy to make for yourself if you own a sewing machine (or know someone that does).

All you need is about a metre of a shiny satin fabric (about £5/m at my local fabric shop), some elastic & the sewing thread. From that metre of fabric, you'll get at least 2 capes. If you cut your fabric carefully, you'll only have to sew a hem on 2 edges, plus the channel for your elastic, to stop fraying. You basically need a square of fabric, hemmed so it will not fray, and with a channel sewn on one edge. Thread the elastic through the channel and then sew together to secure. The elastic will cause that edge to bunch up and is perfect for the children to stretch over their head without it being too tight. They can be worn on either the head or around the neck.

I have 2 black (Batman), 2 blue (Superman?), 2 red (Spiderman?) & 2 pink (for the girls). If you want, you can always applique a fancy design onto it (or just glue it on) to add more detail but the children generally don't care about that sort of detail. They just want an excuse to be allowed to run around like a lunatic sometimes!

(BTW- 3 sequinned ones in the TTS catalogue almost £30)

Go for it- it's not as difficult as you may think!

VERY CHEAP SAND TOYS!!!

Nursery & Reception teachers, get down to your local Homebase store. They've got some great offers in their sale.

Big Box of 25 sand toys (spades, rakes, moulds, sieves, boats, a bucket & a fab castle shaped mould). Original price £9.99 now only £2.99!!!

Bargain- a very cheap way to get a whole new set of toys for the sand area indoors or out. I'm sure they won't last long though.

Small World tyres

I'm really going to try and post some of my ideas on here as I get lots of compliments about my fab ideas and maybe some other people can use them too. I love to try new things with my reception class and make lots of things for them to save that all important budget so I'll start with some Small World Zones perfect for outdoors.

This idea has partly come from looking at the wondeful 'Cosy' catalogue & is also a development on an idea seen on a TV gardening programme. The idea is to use an old car tyre (painted to look nicer) as the basis for a small world zone. The trick is to paint the tyre with Kitchen & Bathroom paint as once dry, it is weather resistant- it won't last forever but it really gives the tyre a new lease of life. WARNING- it will take a fair bit of time to paint it (if you plan on doing as good a job as I have :-) anyway!).

The tyres are pretty easy to get hold of as tyre places generally have to pay to dispose of them so they'll be happy to give you some. I happened to have 3, very old & dirty ones, in the garage. I'd imagine most schools will have one parent that would be able to get their hands on some if you asked anyway.

I've started on 2, painting 1 white & 1 blue that I am planning to use as a Polar Land and an Under the Sea Land. If you were feeling brave them I'm sure you could get the kids to help with the painting as it is washable from hands with a bit of scrubbing (I am not that brave or stupid though!). I am currently trying to hunt down some bowls that are large enough to sit inside the tyre but with little success (they are available in the cosy catalogue but I'm hoping to find some cheaper elsewhere). When I get my hands on some then the last part of the plan can be put into place. I want about 7 in total so I can carry out the following ideas:-

1- Polar Land
White tyre with a clear plastic bowl inside. That will hold some water and some ice cubes giving the children the chance to learn about what happens to ice and how it changes as well as the wider issues of global warming etc. I can then add in my small world polar animals and sometimes actually encase objects in the ice too.

2- Under The Sea
Blue tyre again with a bowl inside. This time holding mainly water but also potentially some of the real (or fake) plants that you get for fish bowls, maybe some stones too. Can then be used with our small world fish etc.

3- Desert
Golden yellow tyre again with a clear bowl inside. Filled with very dry sand and maybe an odd cactus if there are outdoor ones available (I'm not a gardener!). Again plan to have as an area for children to use the small world animals such as camels, snakes etc.

4- Dinosaurs
Green or maybe red tyre this time filled with compost. Lots of nice tree style plants (but small versions of course) planted in it. Could also put some type of volcano in it (there are ones available that you can actually use for the old favourite bicarb & vinegar test that you could erupt) and surround that with some 'lava' (black stones with some red paint & glitter on them). Then of course small world dinosaurs to roam the earth!

You could also do some for a Jungle or Minibeast zone using a green tyre and various plants or go mad and have a purple one for a fantasy land or a pink one for a girly fairy garden.

The possibilities are endless really and even if the kids can't help with the painting then they can definitely help to come up with the ideas!

Revised EYFS (2012) scale points breakdown

In preparation for the new EYFS, I have made a 2 sided grid outlining the new expectations for the end of the Reception year. I've also broken them down into what I feel are more manageable parts rather than the new (very large) ELG's.

It can be used simply as a reference guide for staff (which is my plan), shared with parents, or as a way of tracking the children. If anyone would like me to e-mail them a copy then just leave your e-mail address in the comments section and I'll send one to you.

I've also put these broken down statements into a grid format with a space for comments that can also be used to track the children's progress. Again, leave your e-mail address if you'd like a copy.