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Sommario
Introduction
Part 1: Spring
March: tadpole hunt, March Water Symphony – listening game, Waterbird nest-making,
Rainbow-colour picture making –splatter art (colours of Wetland flowers), Spot the
"newness" of nature (trailing), spring-clean (learning to stop pollution)
April: Creating a fish/waterworld city, The Scents of spring river(or sea etc.),
Pebble/shell/plant shapes, Flower/underwater plant matching/hunt, Spring clay imprint
making-Textures of Water, real nest hunting
May: Baby Animal Vets (thinking of sustainability), Flower based outdoor cooking – foraging
on the wetland, Wetland face-Portraits using waterworld materials, Fairy Hunt (based on
classic tales including water), Through a looking glass (creating effects via looking through
natural frames) – looking under water, River trail – following trails along the riverbank/ beach
and collecting object along the way
Part 2: Summer
June: Who comes to drink (creating a wildlife observation spot), Map-making (looking for
secrets, animal homes, special scents, sounds), "Watercolours" making natural pigments
from things around the water, The Pebble Family (picking up, observing, comparing pebbles
from the water), water evaporating science, cordial making
July: Riverside Jam making, Underwater Mud Treasure Hunt, Boat building and floating(from
found driftwood and natural materials), sundial making, mud body painting, Underwater
gnome-homes
August: What’s on the move (travelling birds), Natural mandalas, Feathers – scavenger hunt
for feathers left behind/matching game, Copy That! – Transparent sheet copying of wetland
surfaces, water tasting picnic (mineral, tap, distilled, soda), sink and float experiment
Part 3: Autumn
September: Mushroom trail/mushroom map on water’s land, berry jewellery making, Stirring
pie – mud play, water streamers, personalised magic wand, splash science test (different
sized pinecones and sticks thrown into water, which made the biggest splash)
October: Leaf creations (crown, jewellery, pictures etc.), Identity War with shell badges,
designing leaf clothes for mermaids, weaving water plants (reed), the shades of blue – how
many colours the water has, making a Halloween potion
November: Natural wind chime making with underwater objects, Natural buildings (creating
bridges, towers etc. from found natural materials), symmetry hunt in nature (with a mirror),
river/pond/sea dipping, building a waterfall/waterplay channel, shadow tracing
Part 4: Winter
December: feeding the water wild life, weather forecasts, Animal leftovers (who ate this nut,
who munched on this branch etc.), woodcrafts (spoon making), Storytelling stories with
painted pebbles, natural decorating of nature for Christmas
January: Ice art, shadow shape hunt, "Under-ice world" role play (imagining life in the water
under ice), clay-fish making, temperature science – hot water and ice, tool using skills
February: ice crystal observation – magnifying, under-ice light-reflections in the water,
driftwood sorting, Blindfolded water texture experience, Sound pots (pots with different
natural objects) and natural music making (tubes, funnels, musical instrument making -
drum, xylophone, whistle, kazoo), underwater movements
Info autore
Judit Horvath is the Manager of Olympus KeyMed Day Nursery, UK. She has written widely for magazines such as Nursery World, Teach Nursery and Early Years Educator.
Riassunto
This book will inspire practitioners to think creatively about providing rich play situations for young children in natural water environments. Drawing on the Water School approach, it explains how experiences with natural water can enhance and support children’s learning. Activities are presented season-by-season, with activities for different age groups and all wetland environments, such as coastlines, rivers and lakes. Providing guidance on planning, practical examples, case studies and links to the curriculum, this book will be invaluable for practitioners to educate young children in natural water environments throughout the year.
