This week the children at MonkeyMoos have had the chance to explore some more amazing trays this week!!! All three trays this week were completely different and they were able to learn different things. Worthing created their rocket tray in line with asteroid day. The tuff tray was created to trigger conversation and imagination amongst the children and also give them a few different textures and resources to play around and explore. Highdown created their tray based around the upcoming National Day, Asteroid Day. The tray encouraged the children to learn about plants in our solar system, as well be able to get creative and design their own planets! And Winklebury’s tuff tray was based around Wimbledon day so they children were encourage to learn all about tennis. The children’s interest at the moment is sensory play so they were able to combined these two ideas together to make their amazing tuff tray.

All of these are tuff trays are amazing and the children were able to enjoy while learning but which tray will be this weeks winners…………

Worthing’s tuff tray

INTENT ~ For the tuff tray this week I decided that in line with asteroid day on Friday it would be fun to create a space themed tuff tray for the children to enjoy. I wanted this tuff tray to trigger conversation and imagination amongst the children and also give them a few different textures and resources to play around and explore.

IMPLEMENTATION ~ In the tray I used weetabix and corn flakes to create the rocket shape, I used this as it is something the children can really explore by using their touch, taste and sound senses. I also provided helmets and hammers for the children to use to break apart the rocket this will also teach them about safety and how we handle equipment. Along with this, I have added some countdown numbers so they can pretend the rocket is going to take off, and finally I added some screwed foil and glitter to create a space night sky.

IMPACT ~ The children really enjoyed exploring the tuff tray, they liked pretending the rocket was going to take off and especially enjoyed breaking it all apart with the hammers and using their hats imagining they were builders.

They also enjoyed counting down with number cards when the rocket was going to take off, after they broke apart the rocket they used their hands to explore the different textures they had created.

Highdown’s tuff tray

INTENT ~ The idea around this tuff tray was based around the upcoming National Day, Asteroid Day. I based the tuff tray around the plants in our solar system and wanted the children to get creative and design their own planets! I also wanted the children to discuss with each other things that already knew about space, aswell as learning new things!

IMPLEMENTATION ~ For this tuff tray, I used a layer of tin foil across to tray to give it a space rocket feel. I also added a banner of different space features, including aliens, rockets, planets and many more. I added pictures of all the different planets, to help the children learn. I also covered three different sized balls with tin foil, to represent the planets which the children were going to design and create. The children had the option between lots of different coloured paints, and different painting tools for them to use and get creative.

IMPACT ~ The children were very excited to take part in the space themed tuff tray and enjoyed earning about all the different planets. Some children were able to share with each other some knowledge they already had on the different planets, whereas some learnt something new! The children split of into teams of 3 to work together to create their planets. They used all the different colours of paint offered to them, using paintbrushes and rollers to cover their tin foil in paint. The children also got creative with naming their planets, one team called their planet ‘Planet Nothing’, another team called their planet ‘Planet Ice Cream Truck’ and the last team named their planet ‘Planet Ice’!

Winklebury’s tuff tray

INTENT ~ As it is was Wimbledon day I decided to focus this tray on the sport tennis and what a tennis court looks like and what Wimbledon is.I kept the tray simple so we could talk all about teens and the children could learn how you play the sport. 

IMPLEMENTATION ~ In our Wimbledon tray I used green spaghetti pieces, shaving foam, Banana milkshake powder and the small wooden figures from our loose parts area. The tray is set as a scene of a day at Wimbledon, to help yeah the children what Wimbledon is. There was a ball and the figures so we could demonstrate how tennis is played and so the children could pretend to play they rown game using the small people.  

IMPACT ~ The children were very intrigued about the sport tennis and how we played so after we had played in the tray we took a group of children out on to the field to have they own turn t practising how to play tennis in real life. They enjoyed using the ball and figures to create their own small game of tennis. We also spoke about why playing sport is good for our health and about some of the people that like to play tennis and who might be playing at Wimbledon. The children also enjoyed the different sensory aspects of the items too especially mixing all of the items together.