“Fee Fie Fo Fum!” - Traditional Tales at Snapdragons
Each month we focus on a well loved story as we believe that storytelling and a love of books are vital in providing a firm foundation for our children’s communication and language development, and readiness for reading and writing.
The stories we have chosen include modern favourites such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peace At Last and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. We also like to focus on those enduring classic folk tales which we all remember from our childhood such as; The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Our planning incorporates the story of the month, and many fun activities grow from the ideas sparked by the children’s interest and enjoyment in the story’s characters and events. Our children are currently exploring ideas surrounding “Jack and The Beanstalk” with cries of “Fee Fie Fo Fum!” resounding from every corner of our nurseries!
Activities include exploring the variety of different leaves in the local environment and using their creative skills to make leafy Beanstalks of their own. Beans have been planted in clear bags so the growth of shoots and roots can be observed. Story maps full of imaginative ideas have been plotted using drawing, early writing and mark making. Alternative versions of the story are being shared so the perspective of the Giant is considered and different feelings explored. Role play corners have giant sized tables, bowls and plates fit for a Giant. Construction areas are busy building castles, and magic beanstalks have sprouted and grown up through the ceiling in many of our playrooms!
Like so many of the traditional tales, the story of Jack and The Beanstalk has been passed down through the generations, surviving through storytelling. Jack and the Beanstalk was recorded as “The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean” and “Jack The Giant Killer” in the 17th and 18th century. However, research has now revealed that this story and other folk tales actually have much earlier origins than previously thought. Many have been traced back to more than 5,000 years ago!
The Giant has gone by many names over the years, including “Blunderbore”and “Gogmagog”, but his familiar cry of “Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum! I smell the blood of an English man” remains. This seemingly nonsense phrase is thought to be Gaelic in origin and has a meaning of disapproval and anger. “Fie, foh and fum, I smell the blood of a British man” features in Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Whatever the origin, it is repeated phrases such as this that enable children to remember and join in with the story with enjoyment. We like getting the children actively involved, getting up and becoming the characters, stomping like the giant or climbing the beanstalk as Jack. So with each of our traditional tales we encourage not only sharing the book of the story, but telling the story ourselves, carrying on this age old tradition, and hopefully our children will pass this down to their little ones one day too!
The Dough Disco!
What is ‘Dough Disco’?
This is a fun and engaging activity that involves moulding dough in time to music and combining a series of hand and finger exercises designed to improve fine and gross motor dexterity, hand-eye coordination and self-esteem.
It helps strengthen children's muscles in their fingers which in turn will help them to develop their pencil grip in preparation for mark making and writing, but most of all it is great fun.
How a session unfolds…
First of all the children use their imagination by miming putting their disco clothes on. They are then prepared, ready and excited to ‘go to the Dough Disco’!
They then go on a little walk around the room before ‘arriving at the Disco’ and are then given their dough.
Excitedly they choose the music they will be dancing to.
The children find their disco spot to stand on. The music starts and dancing to the beat of the music the children follow the staff as she demonstrates various ways to manipulate the dough in a fun and exciting way using Tommy Thumb, Peter Pointer, Toby Tall, Ruby Ring and Baby Small, making sure each hand is exercised.
- Rolling the dough into a ball using their hand-eye coordination as the dough is manipulated into a ball in the palm of their hands.
- Poking the dough with each finger.
- Squeezing the dough using all fingers in a fist grip one hand at a time.
- Rolling the dough backwards and forwards in the palm to form a snake!
- Making a pancake by pressing the dough flat in the palm until it become flatter and flatter.
- Pinching the dough with ‘Tommy Thumb’ and ‘Peter Pointer’, using both hands.
- Larger movements like stretching the dough out to the side, up high and down low helps develop arm muscles, shoulders, balance, posture and core strength.
At the end of the Disco, the children make a pancake with their dough, lie down and quietly place their dough on their tummies. They then have a few moments to calm down, rest their bodies and mind by focusing on their breath as the breathe in and out and feel their dough rising up and down with each breath they take.
The children absolutely love this activity and each day look forward to go to the dough Disco and let their hands and bodies dance!
Natural Objects To Spark The Imagination
The way an activity is presented to the children has a powerful impact on its potential for learning. Skilled adults provoke children's interest and curiosity through the way they set up resources. This invites children in, leading them to become engaged and motivated, with opportunities to extend their thinking.
Initially a house was made with sticks, which then sparked her own recall of the snake’s log pile house from “The Gruffalo”.
A child entered into this activity, tempted in through the adult’s arrangement of a tree with bark and leaves, and a bird using circles of wood and sticks for a beak and legs. This was rooted in the children's interest in the different birds from our recent story focus of “Chicken Licken”.
As a variety of natural objects are available for exploration, presented in baskets for the children to select freely, this enabled her to build upon and develop her own ideas in the following ways.
Leaves were used for the fox’s den, it was important to her to provide him with some of these leaves to use as a blanket.
The owl’s house was created using bark pieces placed to form a large tree with spreading branches.
Shiny stones were selected and lined up to mark out the mouse house. Then finally, pine cones were carefully arranged for the Gruffalo’s cave, complete with a piece of bark stood up as his door.
The owl’s house was created using bark pieces placed to form a large tree with spreading branches.
These natural loose parts had been used by the child to create a complete story environment. A toy mouse could then explore and visit each of the character’s homes, retelling the story in her own way.
From an inspiring starting point, ideas evolved through the child’s own story knowledge and creativity. Freedom to select and arrange these natural objects gave the control to make her own choices and decisions. The open ended nature of this activity gave her the opportunity to use objects to represent the features of a story she knows well and remain motivated through her own interests.
This activity was an effective context in which she could use her communication skills to express her ideas. Also physical and mathematical experience was gained through manipulating and arranging the objects carefully. Access to this variety of natural materials also increases understanding of the world around us.
All this learning and imagination from such simple resources, and so much fun!
In Search of Spring
The seasons are steadily turning beyond our doorsteps and it’s the perfect time to go on the lookout for the emerging buds, leaves and blossoms that show us that nature is ready to wake up.
On a short wander-look with a preschool group from Grosvenor there were plenty of things to look at and discover when we took the time to look around. At the end of our walk, the group threaded their collections into mobiles that we hung in the trees to welcome the Spring in. After such a busy walk we sat amongst the Ash, Willow, Sycamore and Elder to try a cup of Birch twig tea freshly cut from a tree we passed by.
Making Birch twig tea using fresh cuttings
Collecting
Have a look out for some of these signs of Spring when you’re out and about!
Blossom
The earliest flowers that appear on the trees belong to the Prunus family of plants. This group includes Almonds, Apricots, Damsons and Blackthorn but the most well known are Plum and Cherry. The flowers will grow in different groupings depending on the variety but they all have five petals and are white or pink.
Flowers
Searching for #Spring with @snapgrosvenor. Collecting dock, goosegrass, ramsons and prunus blossom & making birch twig tea 🌲 #forestschool pic.twitter.com/eY0RtiNxxI
— Snapdragons Forest (@snap_forest) 3 March 2017
Crocuses peeking through, you can almost track the coming season depending on where the flowers are open – farther up the hill where it is warmer they were already open but this crop were still waiting for a bit more sun and a rise in the temperature.
Down the pathway there was another yellow flower that is an indicator of Spring: Celandine. At first glance this may look like a buttercup (it’s part of the same family) but it continues opening to a bright 8-9 petalled flower head and with its distinctive heart-shaped leaf it is a welcome sight to many walkers
Leaves
Around on the ground are young cleavers are shooting up with their stems covered in hooks and leaves encircling in sets of 5-7. Other old names include cleavers, goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed, robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy, stickyjack, and grip grass. Once children found out the sticky properties of these plants, they were off with mischief in their eyes!
Playing with Cleavers
The Dock leaves are coming on strongly with red tinged stems poking up from the ground. Some of the children knew that they could use them to help cure nettle stings, this led to a discussion as to whether they were “Dock” leaves or “Doctor” leaves!
Ramsons (my personal favourite Spring leaf) are coming up in woodland areas as well, although you may know them better as wild garlic. Their distinctive smell fills the air around this time and can also fill your dinners too! This will certainly be playing a part in our upcoming Forest School sessions.
As always – take care when you’re out looking for wild plants and always be sure of what you’re touching before you pick (or eat) what’s growing in the fields, hedgerows and woodlands. If you're not sure about what you’ve found, take a picture and have it sent to me next time you’re at your nursery, or Tweet it to me at @snap_forest.
Tim
Wonderful Welsh Cakes
To celebrate St David’s Day the children experienced how much fun it was to cook their own Welsh cakes.
Cooking is a fantastic opportunity for hands on learning, so we make sure those hands are washed thoroughly first! We talk about how this is important to keep ourselves and others healthy.
Aprons on for more cleanliness and everyone is ready to find out about the names and uses of all the cooking equipment they will need, boosting language by increasing their vocabulary and understanding.
As the recipe is followed step by step, they are learning to follow simple instructions and the sequence of what comes next. Early literacy is also evident in the concept that printed words carry meaning, both by looking at the recipe and on the packaging of the ingredients.
The process of making the Welsh cakes holds so many experiences that actively engage their interest and capacity for learning.
Mathematics is supported through measuring ingredients using scales and spoons, thinking about how much is needed, do we need more or less? Is it heavier or lighter? Deciding which size spoon to use, big or small?
A wide variety of different actions using a range of utensils help their physical development, such as having a go at carefully scooping, pouring, sieving and mixing. They love the experience of using their hands to rub the butter, sugar, spice, flour, raisins and egg together to form a dough, seeing the process of change. Always popular is using a big rolling pin to prepare the dough ready to press and twist the circle cutter to make the little round cakes ready to fry gently in the pan.
The sense of achievement and the turn taking involved in working together increases their self esteem and social skills. Above all, the best part is at the very end…..tasting the finished Welsh Cakes and learning how delicious they are!
Mmmm, look at toddlers' mini Welsh cakes! Can't wait for snack time! #StDavidsDay pic.twitter.com/5a52fbQCFF
— Snapdragons Atworth (@snapatworth) 1 March 2017