
Programme of Work
The programme of work will include some or all of the following types of activity:
Exploration and Investigation
- Observation of objects, materials and living things with and without aids such as magnifying glasses, binoculars and microscopes.
- Pictures and collages of natural scenes including animals, plants and trees.
- Observation of animals and plants both inside and outside the nursery.
- Free play with objects and materials that have different purposes and work in different ways (torch, egg whisk, construction toys).
- Individual and group discussions about the weather and changing seasons.
- Keeping daily and weekly weather charts.
- Structured sand play giving the children opportunities to observe and predict outcomes.
- Structured water play giving the children opportunities to observe and predict outcomes.
- Visits to parks, farm parks, zoos and wildlife parks.
- Discussion of the children’s findings, allowing them to ask questions and speculate on reasons.
Designing and making skills
- Using a wide range of materials and tools to make objects relating to topics, experiences and visits.
- ‘Junk’ modelling.
- Collage.
- Simple measuring activities.
- The use of construction toys to make models and vehicles.
Information and Communication Technology
- Discussion about different technological items e.g. telephones, televisions.
- Role play using technological items e.g. a telephone discussion between a doctor and a patient.
- Use of remote control and programmable toys.
- Provide opportunities for children to investigate how things work by safely taking apart and reassembling technological items.
- Observation of and discussion about ICT in the environment (e.g. bar-code scanners in supermarkets, traffic lights, mobile phones, TV aerials and satellite TV dishes).
- Use of computer programs.
Sense of Time
- Oral history - discussions about the personal experiences of nursery staff, parents and grandparents when they were children.
- Story telling based on family history.
- Stories relating to events in the past.
- Discussion and role play about special events such as weddings, births and festivals.
- Discussions about daily routines.
- Observation of changes over time (e.g. the seasons)
- Investigation of items from the past and comparison with present day equivalents e.g. a modern washing machine and Victorian washing equipment.
- ‘Guess who is who’ game based on pictures of the children as young babies.
- Long term growing projects (e.g. sunflowers from seeds)
Sense of place
- Discussion about different types of homes.
- Visits to locations within the local environment - e.g. shops, places of worship, parks, places of work.
- Individual and group discussions following visits.
- Provision of play maps and models to enable children to create their own environment.
- Recording of visits through drawing, painting and modelling.
- Discussions and stories that involve journeys - home to nursery, home to grandparents home, home to a holiday destination.
Cultures and Beliefs
- Stories relating to life in other parts of the country and in other parts of the world.
- Discussion and role play about special events in children’s lives such as weddings, births and festivals.
- Making and eating food from different cultures.
- Listening to music from different cultures.
- Looking at books which show different dress, customs, language and beliefs.
- Visits to places of worship.
- Visits to cultural centres.

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