In my early days of developing the use of drama with young children I attended a number of courses at the Cheshire Drama Resource Centre and a drama we did there, aimed at older children, gave me the idea for this one. It is a theme that lends itself easily to cross-curricular work, and can be adapted to meet the needs of different age groups. I have used it in various ways depending on the age of the children, and how their ideas develop. It can be used at different times of the year, adapting well to the different seasons. Ideally, visiting a farm beforehand gives the children some prior knowledge, but it isn't essential. Children take things at their own level and can learn about farms second hand using small world farm play, and rhymes and books to support their activities. The drama has defined 'scenes' and can be spit up over a few days, or the initial scenes done in one session depending on what suits the children and the organisation of the setting. Before beginning the drama it is important to set the rules of the game. This drama will need a large space like a hall, or furniture moved to create space in a classroom. I gather the children into a group with a space in the middle. A chair is in place at the front ready for the drama itself. Then I discuss with the children what drama is, and if they remember any that they have done before. I ask them if they remember the drama game rules: in drama we take turns, we listen, we share, and we don't rush ahead but take our time. I ask the children to close their eyes and quietly concentrate. What can you hear? Can you hear yourself breathing? Is it very very quiet? Pause. I ask them to open their eyes and explain that today I am going to take the role of a farmer. I put on some large green Wellingtons, an old jacket and a brown hat. As soon as the hat is on I change my stance imitating an elderly person. Then I take the hat off and become myself again. I ask them to tell me what they saw happen and what they thought I was doing, and then I explain that when I am wearing the hat I am not myself. The hat is the sign that I have changed my role. I stand up and move closer to the children telling them that we are ready to begin. I place an envelope by the chair and, putting the hat on, walk slowly back to the chair, picking up the envelope on the way. I sit down and open it. As I pretend to read the letter inside I use my facial expressions and body language to indicate that it is bad news. I throw the letter on the floor and put my head in my hands. After a pause I take the hat off and then ask the children what they saw. The children will quickly say that the farmer is 'sad' or has had bad news. We discuss briefly what the letter might be about, eventually leading me to suggest that we had better ask the farmer himself. Returning to role I then enact realising that the children are watching me, so I greet them and ask them why they have come. If they ask me straight away about the letter I continue, but if they don't, and they become a bit shy or giggly at this point, I then start grumbling about bad news and what it is to be old, and how I'm finding things hard. One way or another I read them the letter. This tells me that I am not looking after my farm properly and the Ministry have decided that I am too old and will have to leave. They will be visiting the following week to see how I am looking after everything. "Whatever am I going to do? I've lived here all my life. I love my animals. I just can't get around like I used to and there are so many jobs to do." Hopefully the children will say that they will help. If not the Farmer can say "I need someone to help me" or if that fails I will step out of role (taking the hat off) and ask what the children think can be done. Then I will return to role and accept the children's help, telling them that they will need to make a plan of what they need to do. To close this session I tell them that I have had too much excitement for one day and am tired and I fall asleep. Out of role I discuss with the children what has happened, and we move on to use a very large piece of paper to make a plan of the farm. This gives the children an opportunity to discuss what they would find on a farm, and together we make a collective drawing showing the house, fields, animals and where they live, what might be growing in the fields, where the farm machinery is kept and anything else they can think of. With very young children this is better done in small groups as a focus activity, perhaps using small world farm play resources, but with older children can be done all together allowing children to draw their contributions. There are obvious opportunities here for assessing children's prior knowledge, and because this is a collective activity they can learn from each other as they set the scene. With older, more experienced children I would use the next session to walk them around a large space imagining where everything on the farm is placed, referring to our collective drawing of the farm. We gather and draw up a list of jobs for the children to do and then I send them off to do them. The farmer reappears and walks around talking to the children about what they are doing. " How much milk have you managed to get?" "Have you cleaned out the pigs?" " Is the tractor running well as the carrot field needs ploughing?" " Where did you find the eggs?" "Someone will need to make some soup for everyone as they'll soon be feeling hungry." A well-briefed teaching assistant does the same to keep the children on task and to encourage them to take part. Brief any other adults taking part so that they support the children as well. Talking and questioning in this way places the children firmly in their roles and encourages them to reply within the context of the drama. It pushes them to think and use their imaginations. Eventually I call them back together and, in role as the Farmer, discuss what they have done and thank them. I remind them that the Ministry's visit is a week away, so we will need to work hard to be ready. We finish by talking about what we have done and then discuss whether we could make a farm. With very young children I talk them through the various activities, feeding the pigs, milking the cow, using the tune to 'Here we go round the Mulberry bush.' 'Help the farmer take care of his farm... This is the way we milk the cow... Drive the tractor... Sweep the floor... etc.' The follow up to this is to plan a farm for the role-play area, and collect or make what the children think we need for it. (click for role-play plan) This may take a day or two. Once this is set up the Farmer makes occasional visits to their farm to talk with the children about what they are doing, sits down for tea, checks the hens are laying, or notices one of the pigs is looking ill, discusses what they should do and suggests that they call in the Vet. A child can then become the visiting Vet. These interactions definitely improve the quality of the play and keep it going. One group of children told me that they needed a farm shop and on another occasion a group wanted a flower shop, so we set those up as well. The possibilities in the role-play area are endless. The activities in the drama can link with outdoor play, planting seeds in Spring or bulbs in Autumn, and using wheeled toys as farm machinery and providing hay for them to transport around. Reading stories and providing non-fiction books linked to the theme will also support the learning. At harvest time they can look at corn and grind the seeds. In Winter you can tell them, in role, that one of the sheep has had a lamb but it is too cold in the snow so they will need to find a way to keep it warm. Finally comes the day when the Ministry Inspector arrives. The children are ready and the Farmer is there to greet him. I use my TA as the Inspector. She arrives complete with clip board, and children escort her around the farm and she asks questions about how they are looking after the animals, what they are feeding them on, how often they change the bedding, how many eggs the hens lay each day and so on. The children always rise to the occasion and explain what they have been doing. Finally the Inspector tells the Farmer that she is very impressed with what she has seen and he can stay on his farm. Of course the Farmer thanks the children for everything that they have done. At the end of any drama activity it is important to evaluate with the children what they have done, what they liked and disliked, could they have changed anything and done it differently. The move to motivational planning, which is encouraged as best practice by the Early Years Foundation Stage, has given me pause for thought about the use of these highly structured drama sessions with young children. Should I be doing this if I am following the children's interests? Certainly it is possible to use a drama structure like this if children show some interest in farms or farm play, but it is a practitioner-led activity. On the other hand I have seen how effective this way of learning is for the children, allowing children of all abilities to take part and to shine. I have seen so often how children challenged within a drama structure or role-play scenario really excel in their use of language and imagination. Too often role-play can become a shallow activity and the play repetitive. Sensitive and appropriate adult intervention can move the play forward beyond the ' I'd love a cup of tea?' type of intervention. Done well it can be a magical experience. In the second edition of The Excellence of Play (2005) there is a chapter on fantasy role-play and the case for adult intervention, by Neil Kitson. I found this very reassuring in supporting the role of the adult in engaging with socio-dramatic play and providing a structure. Whilst he says that the ideas and words must be those of the children themselves, he reaffirms for me that ' ...adults need also to interact with children. Left to themselves children may operate within the socio-dramatic play at a superficial level. Enriched learning comes about when the adult is working in the story alongside the children. (Smilansky and Shefatya 1990)...' and '...the adult's role is to provide a structure within which the children can interact - to challenge, to set up problems to be solved, to encourage children to test out ideas and, perhaps more importantly, to open up personal learning strategies to children.' This book is well worth a read, and has renewed my confidence in what I do. Resources: Farmer role play area plan Farmer drama plan: Ministry letter: I have provided a drama plan, a role-play plan, and a letter for the Farmer from the Ministry. Below are some ideas across the six learning areas, which can be used and adapted, depending on the time of year and the age group with which you are working. Personal, Social and Emotional Within Continuous Provision Develop social rules Select an activity and appropriate resources Explore with confidence Try out ideas and express an opinion Talk about feelings Learn about cleanliness and personal hygiene Learn about healthy eating Learn about caring for animals Human life cycle Enhance with: Non-fiction books about feelings, caring for animals, healthy foods and people who help us Multicultural - books about fruit and vegetables from other countries Focus activities Circle time - I like to help because... My favourite food/animal is... because.... Finding words to express feelings Fruit and vegetable tasting RE - Creation Myths, parable of the sower Communication Language and Literacy Enhance Continuous Provision with: Books about farms - fiction and non-fiction Farm and seasonal rhyme cards Envelopes and stamps in the writing area Lists, timetables, and forms in the writing area Role-play - Farm Labels for interactive displays linked to the theme Focus Activities Literacy - Farmer Duck, Nine Ducks Nine, Old Macdonald Mind map what is needed for the farm role-playMake labels and signs for the role play Label where seeds, tubers or bulbs are planted outdoors Make lists of what needs to be done on the farm Find fruit or vegetables beginning with the phonemes at the beginning of, or in their names Sound Lotto Farm animals Make a book about the Farm Mathematics Enhance Continuous Provision with: Small world farm and animals for sorting, counting and matching Opportunities in the role-play to count and record: number of eggs, pints of milk from the cow etc. Apple tree with various combinations of red and green apples for counting and calculating andle and identify money in a farm shop Focus Activities Days of the week - weather chart The farmers year - compare seasons The farmer's day - use/make clocks and record the events of the farmers day e.g. get up, milk the cows, feed the chickens, lunch time etc. Make up number stories using the animals on the farm Planting outside and counting how many seeds/bulbs/plants Knowledge and Understanding of the World. Enhance Continuous Provision with: Farm animal and plant pictures Small world farm Treasure basket - vegetables/fruits/seed pods and seeds Gardening equipment Tractor and trailer Hay/straw ICT (eg Innovations Learning site ) Young MacDonald's Farm - Sherston software Focus Activities Plan of a farm Investigate what plants need to grow Learn the names of baby animals e.g. cow - calf Learn about forces within role play- pulleys, cars, wheelbarrow, squeezing (milking cow) Plant seeds or bulbs outdoors Baking activities Invite an elderly person to talk about when they were young ICT - take pictures at different stages of the story to illustrate a class book Creative Enhance Continuous Provision with: Farm pictures and cards A variety of seeds for the collage bar Artist - Archimboldo - fruit and vegetable pictures (see K & U, ICT) Focus Activities: Observational drawing/paintings of vegetables or fruits Printing using fruit and vegetables Making/painting items for the farm: vegetables, fruit, farm animals, farm house, background Songs - Old Macdonald, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Six Little Ducks, See the Farmer Sow the Seed (Harvest) The Farmers in his Den Environmental sounds - identifying and imitating animal sounds Use body sounds, voices or instruments to imitate animals and weather sounds Take on a role in imaginative play Physical Within Continuous Provision: Dressing, undressing and fastenings Moving within the space Movements appropriate to working on the farm, feeding hens, loading hay, milking cows, digging, driving a tractor etc. Outdoors - digging, planting, riding wheeled toys and moving hay Enhance with Play dough - farm cutters seeds in the dough Farm inset trays and jigsaws Focus Activities Movement and mime within the drama activity Here we go round the Mulberry Bush - Farmer activities - digging, feeding etc. Country Dance - Fun Folk Dances for Key Stage One (Folk in Education) References: The Excellence of Play (2005) Second Edition - Edited by Janet Moyles, Open University Press
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