This week in the Burrow we have carried on our natural materials hunt but have decided to use them in a different way instead of making stories. We revisited last week and questioned children to understand how well they could recall information.

“Can you remember when we collected sticks, pine cones, feathers last week?’

The children showed great understanding of collecting natural objects around the paddock. They showed great control at bending down to pick something up and placing these in their bags. Luckily due to the season and little people’s power of observation there were lots of new findings on the grass and especially lots of different coloured leaves. As practitioners we get to understand the children through the reasons behind their selections and their justification for choosing their special items.

We headed back to the cabin where I had set up paper and glue. Here the children had time to sit down and explore the materials we had found with a prompt that they might be inspired to make a picture. Throughout the week we found that some children didn’t want to make a picture or chose to put just one leaf on. We sat back and observed the children and guided and encouraged them to use their own ideas.

Before this we stood back and looked at our pictures with great admiration and pride. “Well done Burrow children. Look at our great pictures.’ This is just one way to encourage children to reflect on their own work and each others’ and experience sharing positive praise and feedback from others.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the pictures that were sent home.

Lauren