AnonyMouse_2127 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 In our "sticky" and craft area, we have a trolley that has three shelves for the children to access resources from. We have different kinds/types of paper and card, foil, masking tape, glue and spreaders, crayons of different kinds, hole punches, wool, catalogues, scissors, ribbon, pasta, coloured matchsticks and lolly sticks, scraps of material, cotton wool balls, boxes (junk modelling) - other things as well but can't remember. The idea is that the children can just go and make whatever they want to. The problem is that I think it's a bit boring. Quite a while ago we used to have different "bits and pieces" that could be glued to make things - from the Alchemist - but they have gone down hill and there's nothing much there now, so have not rejoined the scheme (that's another story). the children that use this area make the same old things over and over again - we need some inspiration for different things to put there. I have asked the children to look out for leaves, conkers etc to bring in so they can use them ................ What do you put in this area???? We have another area that we call the "graphics area" that has different paper and card, envelopes, stamps, wooden letters and numbers magnetic letters, small chalkboards and small white boards, clip boards, different crayons and pencils, sharpeners, hole punches, stampers, scissors, stencils, squidgy letters and numbers, etc. They are able to take all of these resources to other areas (we try to make sure they don't take them to the book corner as we have had children drawing in books and on the wall!!!) I have to show them my "very upset" face when this happens!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have any new ideas I would love to hear them please. Sue J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8457 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 In our "sticky" and craft area, we have a trolley that has three shelves for the children to access resources from. We have different kinds/types of paper and card, foil, masking tape, glue and spreaders, crayons of different kinds, hole punches, wool, catalogues, scissors, ribbon, pasta, coloured matchsticks and lolly sticks, scraps of material, cotton wool balls, boxes (junk modelling) - other things as well but can't remember. The idea is that the children can just go and make whatever they want to. The problem is that I think it's a bit boring. Quite a while ago we used to have different "bits and pieces" that could be glued to make things - from the Alchemist - but they have gone down hill and there's nothing much there now, so have not rejoined the scheme (that's another story). the children that use this area make the same old things over and over again - we need some inspiration for different things to put there. I have asked the children to look out for leaves, conkers etc to bring in so they can use them ................ What do you put in this area???? We have another area that we call the "graphics area" that has different paper and card, envelopes, stamps, wooden letters and numbers magnetic letters, small chalkboards and small white boards, clip boards, different crayons and pencils, sharpeners, hole punches, stampers, scissors, stencils, squidgy letters and numbers, etc. They are able to take all of these resources to other areas (we try to make sure they don't take them to the book corner as we have had children drawing in books and on the wall!!!) I have to show them my "very upset" face when this happens!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have any new ideas I would love to hear them please. Sue J This sounds very much like our setting! We often get the children to make props for role play in these areas which can get their imaginations going a bit more... for example we had a train ticket office and got the children to make a train, signals, tickets etc and they came up with what we needed and how to use them. We seem to have gone from one extreme to the other don't we? When I first trained in the 80's my first placement had various areas and each staff member was based at one for a whole week! So if you were at the craft table you had an activity for each day, whether that was a collage snowman at Christmas or string painting. That was all the children could do at that table. Now it seems we don't give them any inspiration! Well... we do actually but I'm not sure we're meant to *whistles! We did string painting last week and when it was left teh children got paintbrushes and simply covered their paper with paint of one colour in the main. If an adult sat with them and modelled the activity most of them were keen to repeat and were excited by the results... however once the adult moved on they went back to covering the paper with paint! Part of me thinks OK they clearly have a need to do that - a schema if you will. The other part of me thinks woah that's boring come on children experiment a little! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 are you a member of a local scrap store? I am and go to mine about once a half term and it costs £10 to fill a trolly. I come away with the most unusual and amazing items which are cast offs from companies who would rather recycle than add their cast offs to landfill and all the items go on my construction trolly. Quite often I pick up things and wonder what they could be used for and the children always surprise me! I went last week and picked up a load of red plastic rings and the children made wacky glasses with pipe cleaners with them and one child made an owl robot with the rings for eyes. Scrap stores are all over the country. I also have 3 animal bins (duck, frog and ladybird pop up laundry baskets bought cheaply from the range) and I invite the children to keep them well fed with things from home. I now have parents from all over the school who pop in with yoghurt pots, plastic bottles etc and feed the animals! http://www.scrapstoresuk.org/ Deb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Thanks for the link busybeedeb. Our closest one is about an hour or so away and I'm just worried about where I would store all the stuff I might buy! Rachel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Ha ha, I wonder if you went to the same scrapstore as me, we too have been making glasses with those red plastic rings. Apparently according to my group of spirited 3 year old they are essential items for all superheros this season! Scrap is not too bad to store its mostly small bits and pieces and I store any surplus in breakfast cereal containers. The other thing scrapstore is useful for is larger 'stuff' which is brilliant for loose parts play, my superheroes ( and their red glasses) have been 'fishing', 'building bonfires', making bird tables and constucting castles this week with other peoples rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_2127 Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 Yes, busybeedeb i used to belong to a scrapstore - that's what we call the Alchemist here. They have gone down hill - it has been in the local paper that they may be closing. I used to travel to Fratten to the scrapstore there but I found that's nowhere near as good as it used to be - also it was 1.5 hours drive from here!!!! I think the idea of the animal bins is good - might set that up - thanks. Sue J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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