Knowledge and understanding of the world relates to children’s everyday lives, their homes, the local environment and community, and the wider world. This week we focused on the following areas:

• Layers of the Earth.

• Continents.

• Flags in the World

• Where in the World you live

• Contamination in the world.

At home we have a lovely Electronic Globe from Leap Frog that ‘talks’ to the kids and provides information about language, animal sounds and others according to the specific place on the globe that you’ve tapped. My boys absolutely love it!

We also have some lovely books such as the World Atlas for kids, Animals of the World for kids, and Questions and Answers About Our World which I highly recommend.

As you can see through different types of play, and experiential learning opportunities as well as practical activities, children can be provided with meaningful experiences. These will stimulate their senses as well as encourage them to ask questions, explore and wonder at their environment.

We’ve been enjoying our time learning about birds this week. Birds are all around and they are fun to learn about. They’re fascinating and so different. If your kids are interested in birds, I’ve compiled 10 fun ways to help your kids learn about birds.

1. Observe birds. We are fortunate to have various Nature Reserves where we live. Through observation we’ve learned about size, colour, sound and even the different wing spans of birds. Birds are everywhere! so take a trip to a local lake, river, or hiking trail. Or, even better, just walk out into your own back garden.

Check out our activity! We created Owl Binoculars.

2. Listen to birds. While you’re observing, use your ears. What do birds sound like? Can you identify a bird by its call?

3. Feed the birds. Learn about the different food that birds eat and make bird seeds cakes!

Learn how to do a simple bird feeder.

4. Read books about birds. There are many books written for kids about birds. You should be able to find one at any age level. We’ve enjoyed Bird House by Libby Walden, My First Book of Birds illustrated by Zoe Ingram, RSPB Nature Guide: Birds (Rspb Giving Nature a Home) by Catherine Brereton, and Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer. Your local library is sure to have a collection of bird books for children too!

Here is a list of some great videos too:

• All About Birds
• How Birds Fly
• Interesting Facts About Birds

5. Learn about nests and bird houses. Last Autumn we were able to study a real bird’s nest as a couple of pigeons built one in a tree in our back garden. But, if you don’t have one, you can make your own! You can use some mud and twigs. Get hands on and learn how a nest is put together.

6. Make a bird house. You can use recycled materials or small pieces of wood! Or simply get one already made from Essex Wildlife Trust. Learn about the materials used to build a bird house and the different types of bird houses. Help the birds having a home.

7. Learn about feathers. If you can, find a feather to examine. Feel how light it is. Fun your fingers along the side and feel the texture. Have some fun with the feathers and paint with them or use them to scribble and write! Do you know about the different types of feathers a single bird has?

You can also try your hand at creating feathers!

We collected some from our visit to Elm White Farm and use them to draw and write with ink!

8. Learn to identify birds. What characteristics do you need to observe in order to determine the type of bird. Find a good bird book and learn about all the different types of birds that live around you. Create your own pocket garden bird guide!

9. Get active! Learn about birds through active play. Flap your arms like a bird. Can you feel the breeze it makes? Pretend to glide through the air or land on a branch. Help your kids learn about birds and burn off some energy at the same time.

10. Do a bird craft. Do a quick search for birds on Pinterest and you’re sure to find many ideas. We made collages, owl’s eyes binocular, colourful birds from recycled tissue paper and more. Check my Birds Pinterest Board for more fun bird crafts!

Bonus resource:

• RSPB has a great compilation of Facts about Birds.
• Bird Anatomy

This week we are learning about Means of Transportation, and here is a list of activities we’ll be doing:

How to Make Paper Aeroplanes

100 Paper Aeroplanes to Fold and Fly

Race Track Game

It is about letter recognition and letter sounds, plus you can spend a lot of time engaging in pretend play. Grab some sticky notes and a marker. Write the alphabet on the notes and place them in order on the floor leading up to a finish line.

To play this ABC game you simply have to drive your chosen vehicle along the ABC race track while saying the letter names. You can also mix up the sticky notes and practise saying the letter sounds out.

Sensory Box/Bin

For the “land” sensory bin I used black beans as the sensory bin filler. Black aquarium gravel or small pebbles would work well, too.

In the “air” sensory bin I added cotton balls as the fluffy clouds.

And for the “water” sensory bin I chose water.

I  first introduced this activity after reading some books and watching this video where we learnt some vocabulary too.

I let them explore freely and they start to use some of the vocabulary you’ve been discussing throughout your transportation theme. They are also allowed to mix the materials in the boxes.

Recycled Art for Kids

We love arts and crafts and I am used to collecting and saving every little bit of cardboard, coloured paper and other materials that are left overs from our projects. Let’s cut down on some of our waste by reusing, recycling and repurposing that trash into artwork.

This time we decided to use all these bits to create art!

We sorted through all of those plastic bottles, newspapers, and cardboard boxes and we really got our creative juices flowing!

The final result was a beautiful collage of boats and ships sailing in the sea.

Let us begin to look at trash in a new way and see the world of creative possibilities that lie before us.

Our collage contained triangles, rectangles, squares, circles, trapezoids and more! so it was a great way to recognise shapes, angles and corners.

Continue the fun and learning after creating your recycled art with these prompts.

• Many owners name their boats, ships, or yachts. What is the name of your boat?
• Who is the captain of your ship?
• Where is your boat sailing? Maybe to a tropical island or a local shore point.
• Draw a picture to illustrate the weather in your art project. Is it sunny or cloudy? Is the sea calm or rough?
• Draw the shapes that you can see in your art project.
• Identify the “trash” materials you can see in your art project.
• Label the parts of your boat. Can you identify the sail, bow, stern, and hull?

I also found a lovely Nursery rhyme your little ones may enjoy.