Exploring Change 

Our environment is set up so that the children can access resources independently and explore their interests, with the support of an adult who challenges and extends them as they play alongside.

One of the many interests that  developed this term was how things change. This started from an interest in dinosaurs, a group of children decided to take the dinosaurs to the painting area in the studio. Here they explored shape and space as they covered them with paper and paint and used them to print with on the table and on the easel. The children accessed and mixed their own paints and  as they are doing this, they observe how the colours and consistency of the paint changes.

The water tray was filled with a variety of natural resources, including flowers and herbs. The children manipulate them by squashing and squeezing them, food colouring is added and the children used all their senses to observe and explore as the resources and water change colour and texture. As they explore adults add the vocabulary to describe what they are seeing and feeling

In a small group activity, the children are watch how ingredients change as they make their own playdough. They comment on what they see:

"It's gummy"

"You've changed it"

"It's going yellow its sticky"

"I mixed it and now it's hard"

"Melting"

"It disappeared"

"The water took it away"

The children go out into our forest school and garden area to collect and harvest resources to be brought into nursery to extend their play, this includes leaves, fir cones, pumpkin's and tomatoes.  Some children decide to add the resources to the stone area and use them to place and arrange they explore tessellation, symmetry and repeated patterns. The adult plays alongside adding the vocabulary to consolidate and extend the concepts the children are exploring. They decide to use the chalks to draw round the resources and notice the chalks change colour when they are wet, and they change the colour of the water. A group of children decide to get themselves each an individual container to explore what would happen with the chalks and the water. As they observe the changes, they comment on what's happening:

"Sticky"

"Potion"

"It's like magic"

"My potion is pink"

"I need some flowers"

"Look I made purple everyone"

An adult sets up a provocation to extend this interest and to introduce the concept of an experiment. Resources are set out for children to try different variables and volumes, including pipettes, syringes, measuring jugs and cold and warm water. They continue to share and describe what is happening with each other and the adult.

"I want to see it"

"You have to do a little bit"

One child tells everyone it is an "experience".

Their main interest is making the water "fizz", so the adult decides to introduce bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and to set up another experiment/experience.

The predict what they think will happen:

"It's going to be an experience"

"Nothing's happened"

"Need vinegar"

"You have to make it hot"

"Put hot water"

"It’s going to pop"

"It’s going up and up"

"Will we catch it?"

And discuss and describe what they observe:

"It disappeared"

"The water took it"

"It mixed"

They estimate and use mathematical language for a purpose deciding what amounts they need:

"We need lot's"

"Not too much"

"A little bit"

They notice there is no colour and say it "looks like clouds", they get some food colouring to add and predict "I think it’s going to be pink". After the reaction takes place, they tell us "it’s gone pink, it’s like a volcano, like lava”, "it will explode".

A small group intervention is set up for a group of children giving a variety of opportunities to explore different variables and to extend their inquiry into how things respond to each other. They had been introduced to the fact that experiments do not always have the desired outcome, so we need to experiment with different quantities and conditions. Previously they had discovered that fizzing and bubbling occurs in cold water with vinegar, baking soda and bath bombs.  

They recall prior learning:

"We did this magic yesterday"

"Yesterday I did the biggest experiment, it was a trick"

"We did this experience, it's hot water and vinegar'

They use mathematical language in context to describe and predict:

"You put too much"

"It's hot... that one has gone too full"

"That one has a little bit, that one has a lot"

"Put 2 in that one and 2 in that one"

"I can hear a fizz"

"Maybe it will turn green?"

"It's going off"

They notice that some sink to the bottom and some float on top:

"Keeps bouncing"

"It's pushing"

"Mine is wet"

The project continues as provocations are set up in the light box for children to continue to explore how colours and consistencies change and the children take part in a series of cooking activities to explore how things change when heated and cooled.