TUFF TRAY CHALLENGE, Your favourite time of the week! This week all three nurseries have been battling it out with the battles of the shark attacks! All three tuff trays are themed around ‘NATIONAL SHARK DAY’ but their can only be one winner? Let the battle of the sharks commence!
WINKLEBURY- Shark Awareness.
INTENT- This weeks tuff tray was based on Ione of our international days. This week it was shark awareness day. The children have been doing various activities this week relating to the international day. I incorporated one of the children’s favourite songs – baby shark. I also included the baby shark song as in relation to children’s CPR.
IMPLEMENT- The children enjoyed playing in the shark themed tuff tray! I implemented this by using various different resources to make a beach. I used crushed up rice-crispies as the sand and blue coloured rice for the water. To make the baby sharks I used paper plates and painted them in the design of the sharks from the song. The children enjoyed exploring the different textures and were telling me what had been used for which part. The children spoke about where sharks come from, what they eat and what they do. We also spoke about the baby shark song.
IMPACT-The reason we chose this tuff tray idea was to make the children aware of sharks and what they do and where they live. The children enjoyed singing along to the baby shark song and describing the different things sharks do. One child added that “sharks sometimes eat people” and we spoke about why a shark would do this and would not be because that’s what they eat- usually its because they feel threatened. This tuff tray encouraged the children to explore different animals which some wouldn’t usually and to explore their senses in different ways.
HIGHDOWN- Sail away from the sharks!
INTENT- This week our tuff tray was based around the children’s interest of the week which has been boats! We also wanted to incorporate one of this weeks national days which was Shark awareness day. In this tray we wanted to add a range of different leaning resources from arts and crafts, to maths and through music. We added lots of different textures for the children to explore as well as lots of different materials for them to use their imaginations when creating their own boats.
IMPLEMENT- In our tuff tray, we used a range of different textures for the children to explore. We used blue coloured rice, pasta, tissue paper and water for the children to touch and talk about what it felt like. We added a range of different materials for the children to trial and test which ones would work the best for a boat. We also added scissors for the children to cut their materials into different shapes and sizes and to talk about scissor safety. On the ramp to the water, we also added a ruler so the children could talk about the distance which their boat had traveled. Finally, we added the lyrics to Baby Shark so the children could sing alone as they tried to get baby shark safely back to mummy and daddy shark.
IMPACT- The children were very excited and interested in this tuff tray. Some of the children were mostly interested in singing Baby shark and moving Baby Shake themselves down from the tray, down the ramp and too mummy and daddy shark. Some of the other children where interested in which materials would create the best boat to make it down the ramp. The children used scissors to cut the different materials and experimented by trying all the materials from duplo to milk cartoons. They children would then tell the adult ‘My boat went all the way down to mummy and daddy shark’ where as some other children would say ‘My boat got stuck at the bottom on the ramp!’ Many of the children were excited to just explore all the different materials by picking up the rice and pasta and letting it fall through their fingers.
WORTHING- In the depths of the ocean…
INTENT- This week we have created an amazing and colourful ocean themed tuff tray to celebrate our national shark day!!!!! We provided lots of different textures for the children to explore with their hands. We had lots of sea creatures all around the tray to see who lives in the ocean.We will be expanding the children’s knowledge and understanding about the ocean. We will talk about the sea creatures and how to treat them and keep them safe!!
IMPLEMENT- The tuff tray was filled with lots of interesting ocean themed items and different textures for the children to explore using their hands. It was filled with lots of water which had a mixture of cornflour, two tones of blue paint and glitter sprinkled over the top to make the different shades of the deep dark sea. Around the edge we filled the the tray with a variety of size stones, shells and a sprinkle of sand to make the bottom of the ocean effect. We also ripped up some green tissue paper for some seaweed and placed lots of different sea creatures in and around the water for the children to explore and talk about. There was some interesting real pictures of sharks, some keys words which will expand their vocabulary and some fun questions for the children to think about. We also printed off an information book about different types of sharks for the children to have a look and read!!
IMPACT- The children very excitedly came over to the tuff tray and got their hands involved straight away with finding all the different animals in the water or sitting on the stones. The children used a wide range of vocabulary and expanded their knowledge by using new exciting words. E.g: Shark, ocean and seaweed. The children played with all the different sea creatures and starting singing “baby shark” for shark day. The made the animals swim, talk and climb all over the stones. We spoke about how we could care for the different animals who live in the sea and what they might eat. Lots of the children spoke about their own experiences and how they could swim like fishes. We also shared our tuff tray by taking it in the garden for all the other children to explore and have as much fun as us!!!! We had a swimmingly good time!!!!!
THIS WEEKS WINNERS, VOTED FOR BY ALL THE MONKEYMOOS STAFF ARE…. WORTHING!!!
