TEY-10.2

82 Teachearlyyears.com JONNY KEEN IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND FORMER NURSERY PRACTITIONER. Cheap and cheerful “Paper plates are another fantastically versatile art supply.” Coming-up with new activities doesn’t have to break the bank, says Jonny Keen ... Anyone working with children every day knows how it is. There’s an endless struggle to think up new and improved activities to entertain and engage the little ones and once we’ve exhausted the basics it can be difficult to think of new resources to use. Especially on a tight budget. Fear not! There are plenty of other resources that are both cheap and incredibly flexible. I’ve compiled a few of my own favourites for you to try. Ice I’m not suggesting freezing the entire water area and letting the kids contract frostbite. Instead, incorporate different shaped ice cubes into the water tray. Use a range of moulds, anything from jelly moulds to cups and bowls. Ice is also a great table top activity, if you can use some kind of tray or plastic covering to stop water getting everywhere. It can be crushed, cut up or slid around. It’s a great conversation starter to discuss basic science. Plastic cutlery A fork or spoon can be a great alternative to a paint brush, creating exciting shapes. Forks, knives and spoons can all make intriguing patterns and different sides of each utensil will create different effects. Children can even decorate the cutlery itself, using glitter, or glue. Due to the risk assessments required, this one is probably better suited to preschoolers than toddlers, but it’s feasible in small, supervised groups. Rice and pasta Dry rice and pasta are cheap and easy to store and form the basis of several activities. Both go great inside homemade musical instruments or rattles, or work well in counting activities. They’re also a staple in art projects. You can get really creative here. Paint pasta tubes green and thread them together, then hang them from the ceiling to create vines for a jungle theme. Paper plates Paper plates are another fantastically versatile art supply. You can use them to make masks, collages and decorations, or simply as an alternative to paper. Since they’re a bit sturdier than regular paper, they’re often great for the little ones prone to tearing their masterpieces before they’ve ever had time to stick them up on the kitchen fridge. Yarn Yarn is great for a number of art projects; make spooky spiderwebs or roof hangings, your own soft toys or anything else you can come up with. This is great for developing motor skills. Kids can use yarn to make threaded patterns which helps them develop their fine motor skills and the bright colours and soft textures are appealing to children of all ages. Sand Dry sand is great for art projects. Stick it to paper with PVA glue to create appealing, textural beach scenes or create a seaside habitat for a nature activity. Pre-school aged children don’t really care about how snazzy their resourc es are. Far more important is the enthusiasm and creativity of the grown ups caring for them.

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