6577 Early Childhood Learning Centres Finsihed Rev 1

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Early childhood learning centres

Published by Prim-Ed Publishing 2010 under licence to Creative Teaching Press. Copyright 2007 Creative Teaching Press. This version copyright Prim-Ed Publishing 2010 ISBN 978-1-84654-254-1 PR6577
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Foreword
The purpose of Early childhood learning centres is to help teachers organise their time and resources in the most efficient way so that they can teach their pupils effectively. Observation shows that pupils want to be actively involved in their learning: Sometimes, they want to work with others to solve problems and learn together. At other times, they may choose to work alone, discovering things for themselves. Pupils may sometimes seek help from adults to construct meaning from their experiences but often they prefer to continue without interference from anyone. It is important to accommodate these differences and provide activities that are developmentally and academically appropriate. Learning centres, with their range of tasks and materials, facilitate learning based on the various needs of young pupils. Early childhood learning centres offers practical advice and help for organising the early learning environment so that these needs are met effectively.
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Curriculum links ......................................................................................................................................... iv vii Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................2 Planning for learning centres ......................................................................................................................... 311 Getting started ..............................................................................................................................................1213 Managing learning centres ...........................................................................................................................1422 Assessment ................................................................................................................................................. 2327
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Literacy centres ..............................96125 Lets listen! Listening post centre .............................97100 Lets read! Reading centre ....................................101107 Lets learn letters & words! ABC and word work centre ..................108115 Lets write! Writing and illustrating centre ..............116125 Theme centres ................................126138 Planning a theme .................................127133 Sample theme .....................................134138
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Contents
Developmental centres ...............2895 Lets explore! Maths centre ...........................................2940 Science centre .........................................4155 Lets imagine! Housekeeping/Dramatic play and puppet centre ...................................5666 Lets make, mix & measure! Block centre ............................................6774 Sand and water table centre ....................7580 Lets create! Art centre ................................................8188 Music centre............................................8995
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Early childhood learning centres iii
F cr l Currioueword um link
England
Early years foundation stage - 40-60+ months
Area of learning and development
Communication, language and literacy
Early learning goal

Language for communication use language for an increasing range of purposes listen with enjoyment, and respond to stories, songs, rhymes and poems Language for thinking imagine and recreate roles and experiences Linking sounds and letters name and sound the letters of the alphabet Reading retell narratives in the correct sequence read a range of familiar words independently know that print carries meaning and is read from left to right and top to bottom Writing use writing as a means of recording and communicating use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words write for different purposes Numbers as labels and for counting recognise numerals begin to count beyond 10 count objects select the correct numeral to represent 1 to 9 count aloud in ones say and use number names in order Calculating use language such as more or less Shape, space and measures use mathematical names for 2D shapes and mathematical terms to describe shapes find objects from positional or directional clues order two items by length, weight or capacity sort objects to identify their similarities and differences recognise and recreate simple patterns Exploration and investigation show an awareness of change investigate objects and materials by using all their senses as appropriate ask questions about why things happen and how things work Place know common features in the local environment know physical characteristics of local community Being creative express and communicate their ideas using a widening range of materials, role play and a variety of songs Exploring media and materials experiment to create different textures create constructions and collages explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions Creating music and dance build a repertoire of songs and dances explore the different sounds of instruments begin to move rhythmically
Creative development
Northern Ireland
Foundation stage
Area of learning
Language and literacy
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Objective
Talking and listening listen to a wide range of stories, poems and songs recall sequence and detail Reading read with some independence sequence stories in reasonable detail develop auditory and visual discrimination know how to care for books understand and use some language associated with books Writing distinguish between drawing and writing talk about the ideas represented in their drawings understand that writing is a means of communication
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
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Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
Mathematics and numeracy Number
Art and design Music
Drama The world around us
Subject
English
Objective
Maths
Science
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Receptiveness to language listen to, enjoy and respond to stories, nursery rhymes, poems and songs learn about the basic terminology and conventions of books learn to recognise and name the letters of the alphabet develop an awareness of some letter-sound relationships handle books and browse through them build up a sight vocabulary of common words write and draw frequently Competence and confidence in using language retell familiar stories or parts of stories write and draw copy letters and words Developing cognitive abilities through language differentiate between text and pictures write naming words and add descriptive words Emotional and imaginative development through language listen to, learn and retell a rich variety of stories, rhymes and songs listen to, learn and recite rhymes listen to stories and poems read aloud Early mathematical activities classify objects compare objects according to size order objects according to length or height Number count the number of objects in a set read, write and order numbers 0-10 Algebra identify, copy and extend patterns Shape and space explore, discuss, develop and use the language of spatial relations sort and name 2-D shapes Measures compare and order objects according to length, weight and capacity Working scientifically use the senses to observe carry out simple investigations Living things observe growth and change in living things Energy and forces use magnets of different shapes and sizes and explore their effects on different materials investigate the fact that magnets attract certain materials explore forces such as pushing and pulling investigate how forces act on objects Materials group materials according to certain criteria Early childhood learning centres v
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Republic of Ireland
Primary curriculum - Junior and senior infants
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count objects order numerals recognise numerals carry out simple mental calculations count forwards in ones Measures order three objects of different length/capacity choose and use non-standard units to measure Shape and space create pictures and patterns with 2-D shapes investigate and talk about the properties of shapes name common 2-D shapes follow and give directions for simple movements Sorting sort collections of objects Patterns and relationships copy a simple pattern explore and use a wide range of materials and processes create and develop ideas using colour, lines, shapes, textures and patterns listen to, join in and remember a range of rhymes, simple songs and singing games take part in singing activities sing in a range of situations throughout the day listen to a variety of music and respond to the beat develop their creativity through imaginative play engage in dramatic play to extend learning know how living things survive know where they live know what is in their world and beyond their world know why things move know what sources of energy are in the world
Geography
Visual arts
Music
A sense of place and space become aware of human and natural features of the locality Maps, globes and graphical skills refer to or use simple maps become aware of globes as models of the Earth Weather discuss a range of weather conditions using simple vocabulary recognise that some weather patterns are associated with seasonal change Environmental awareness and care identify simple strategies for improving and caring for the environment Concepts and skills development show an awareness of shape, colour and texture Construction explore materials in making structures Listening and responding to music respond imaginatively to short pieces of music through movement recognise the difference between fast and slow tempos Performing recognise and sing familiar songs
Republic of Ireland
Theme
Well-being Communicating
Aistear - The early childhood curriculum network

Learning goal
3.1 express themselves creatively and experience the arts 3.5 care for the environment 3.3 build awareness of the variety of symbols used to communicate 3.4 become familiar with and use a variety of print in an enjoyable and meaningful way 3.6 develop counting skills 4.1 share their ideas by story-telling, making art, moving to music and role-playing 4.2 express themselves in visual arts 4.3 listen to and respond to a variety of sing songs 4.4 use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences 1.4 learn about the natural environment and its features, animals and plants, and their responsibility as carers 1.6 understand concepts such as ordering and size 3.1 use model-making to record objects and ideas 3.3 build awareness of the variety of symbols used to communicate, leading to early reading and writing 3.4 express thoughts and ideas through music and art
Exploring and thinking
Curriculum for excellence - Early level

Curriculum area
Literacy and English
Objective
Numeracy and mathematics
Science
Expressive arts
Listening and talking explore and play with the patterns and sounds of language, and use what is learnt explore stories to read and listen to Reading explore and play with the patterns and sounds of language, and use what is learnt explore stories to read and listen to Writing explore and play with the patterns and sounds of language, and use what is learnt Number, money and measure explore numbers experiment with everyday items as units of measure to investigate and compare sizes copy, continue and create patterns Shape, position and movement investigate shapes and sort, describe and be creative with them use simple directions and describe positions Planet Earth observe living things in the environment talk about how plants grow and what you need to do to look after them Forces, electricity and waves recognise simple types of forces and describe their effects Materials explore different materials Art and design create images and objects using a variety of materials Drama explore how to use voice, movement and expression in drama use drama to explore real and imaginary situations Music enjoy singing and playing with sound and rhythm
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Scotland
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Wales
Foundation stage
Areas of learning
Language, literacy and communication skills
Objective
Oracy listen to a variety of stories and poems adopt a role, making a conscious use of movement, gesture and speech using language experience a range of stimuli, including rhymes, nursery rhymes, songs, stories and poetry participate in role play and drama activities Reading look at books, handling them as a reader experience and respond to a wide range of print, including stories, poems and chants Writing communicate by producing pieces of emergent writing understand the connections and differences between print and pictures recognise the alphabetic nature of writing and discriminate between letters communicate using symbols, pictures and words write in a range of genres understand number and number notation investigate patterns and relationships Measures compare and order objects use uniform non-standard units for comparison Shape, position and movement play with shapes recognise shapes in their environments understand and use the properties of shapes understand and use the properties of position and movement
Mathematical development Number
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Creative development
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Art, craft and design mix, shape, arrange and combine materials to create their own images and objects develop and use their understanding of colour, texture and shape Music sing a range of songs with others play simple rhythmic patterns on a variety of instruments
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explore and investigate learn about their locality use simple maps identify human and natural features use globes recognise how peoples actions can improve or damage the environment observe differences between animals identify some animals that live in the outdoor environment experiment with different everyday materials and sort them into groups according to simple properties
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I nt r o d u c t
What is a learning centre?
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A learning centre is a small area of the classroom where teachers have introduced a variety of hands-on materials and meaningful activities for children to actively use in risk-free ways. Its purpose is to help children develop new ideas, reinforce previously taught information or meaningfully review concepts or facts. It is important to remember that centres do not always generate a product for assessment.
What types of learning centres are there?

Over the years, as programmes for young children have come into and gone out of fashion, confusion has grown over the use of learning centres and the types that should be introduced. The following three are appropriate for early childhood classrooms: developmental learning centres traditional playtime or exploration centres literacy learning centreswork time centres involving skills practice theme-based learning centres developmental and literacy centres incorporating a common theme.
Why should I use learning centres?

Learning centres are an integral and meaningful part of the early childhood classroom. They provide children with the opportunities they need to do and to practise doing in order to internalise a process, master a skill or understand a concept. In addition, learning centres provide teachers with a manageable way to differentiate instruction so that children experience multiple ways to understand and learn. Learning centres provide varying levels of opportunities for children to: explore, discover and be creative respond and record engage in critical thinking and problem solving develop social/emotional skills use listening and speaking skills for different purposes practise and apply skills in meaningful ways.
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What do learning centres look like?

A classroom with learning centres looks filled with active learning. It is a busy place. Children are using materials in various areas of the room. Some may be working with partners or in small groups. Others may be working alone. The teacher is active, helping to facilitate childrens learning. She may be walking about observing, coaching, assessing with questions or taking anecdotal records. She may be working with a small group, an individual child or conducting small-group reading sessions.
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Planning for learning centres

Every early childhood classroom is different. The teacher needs to discover the optimum way to use the space and resources available. The following ideas will help to plan for room arrangements, materials storage and working with limited space.
Setting up the room

Floor plan map Sketch the shape of the room on a large sheet of paper. Mark all permanent features that cannot be changed. Use small sticky notes to represent moveable storage, furniture, cupboards and centre areas. Be aware of how the sink, windows and doors will affect the natural traffic flow in the room. Save space to create an open area for circle time, class meetings, shared reading and other activities that require space. Set aside a quiet spot for children who need a little space.
Make sure that all parts of the room can be clearly seen.
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During learning centre time, make this open area available for children who are working in centres that require more space. Allow them to migrate to the open area, taking their centre props, games or activities with them.
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Storing mat erials

Self-serve cupboards, carts and chests
It is essential that the classroom is highly organised. Take time to plan where and how everything is to be stored. Arrange learning centre materials in cupboards, on shelves, in rolling carts or in chests with drawers so children can easily remove the materials and work with them on the floor or at a table. Reserve the use of high shelves or tops of cupboards for teacher-used materials.
Colour codes and labels

create matching labels or use matching stickers to identify each material and the shelf, table or cart on which it is stored colour code areas of the room and place coloured dots on all materials that go in that area.
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To help children know where to pick up and return learning centre materials:
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To create materials maps:
use different-coloured paper to line shelves, counters, tables and drawers in a learning centre position all containers for each area on the paper where they are to be stored, and trace around them use correspondingly coloured construction paper to create container labels to match the paper maps. When cleanup time begins, children match container shapes and colours to the footprints outlined on each materials map to independently participate in the clean-up process. As an alternative to colour coding: photograph each container with the materials in it and make duplicate prints. Glue one picture to the container and the other to the map for children to match. use a variety of materialssuch as textured materials; e.g. Velcro, velvet or sandpaperto match each container to the map.
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Materials maps
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Tiny room syndr ome

Many classrooms have limited storage space. The following ideas are designed to prevent tiny room syndrome.
Cans, crates, folders and boxes

Collect cardboard copy-paper boxes, crates, tins, folders, large envelopes and resealable plastic bags to create portable centres. Store them when not in use and bring them out during centre time. Always keep safety in mind and never stack materials that are unsteady or too high, as they can be hazardous to young children.
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Hoops, trays and squares

Use hula hoops, upholstery fabric squares, carpet samples, TV trays, the back of laminated posters or straw beach mats to define areas where materials are to be placed and to avoid centre materials mix-ups.
Shoe pouches
Attach hanging shoe organisers with clear plastic pouches to walls or the back of cabinets to store materials. These work especially well in the art, science or writing centres. Children can see through the pouches and retrieve materials as needed.
Use collapsible drying racks for big book display and storage.
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Use inexpensive, clear plastic shoebox-size containers to store small books by theme, level or subject area.
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Racks and boxes
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C e nt r e d i v i ders
Shower curtains
Use fishing line to hang inexpensive seethrough shower curtains from the ceiling. These curtains give children a feeling of privacy while still allowing the teacher to see how they are engaged. Hang a decorated shower curtain on the wall or drape it over a table to designate a theme area. Match a solid-colour shower curtain to a colour-coded centre area. Place it on the floor to define the allotted space for that centre or to use as a drop cloth under messy play areas, such as the art centre and the sand and water table. When clean-up time is over, sponge the curtain clean and store it until the next centre period.
Cardboard display boards

Create cardboard displays to:
use as portable learning centres, portable word walls or as centre dividers place in front of stacked materials boxes or open shelving to hide overflowing materials and reduce sensory overload for easily-stimulated children enhance display boards, sponge or spray paint them using calming colours such as light green or light blue.
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Window shades
Use discontinued or inexpensive window shades: as portable picture-noun, theme or sight word walls to provide step-by-step rebus and text directions for using a learning centre. Mount the hardware low enough on a wall for children to use with ease. Ask them to pull the shades down to study the pictures and words or to read the centre rebus directions; then roll them up when not in use. The shades can be taken out of the brackets and placed on the floor for walk-on stories and games and then rolled up and placed back in the bracket for group use. Make additional shades highlighting other learning concepts, such as theme word and picture banks, maths terms, community maps for geography and story walk maps. Store them all in a medium-sized plastic rubbish bin. Rotate the shades used to meet the needs of your class.
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Getting sta rted

Start slowly
Slowly introduce centres throughout the first few weeks of school, starting with developmental learning centres, since those need the least amount of explanation and/or rule requirements for safety purposes. Carefully observe the children to see how they are engaged, how they solve problems, what they choose to play with, their current maturity and skill levels and their likes and dislikes. Use this invaluable information to help plan future centre activities, small-group work and whole-group skills modelling and instruction. Refer to page 23 for additional information on assessments.
Before opening a new centre, materials must be introduced to the whole class. Display the materials on the floor to the whole group and discuss things that might be done with them. During this process, work with the children to create safety and management rules for the materials at that centre. Write down their rules, along with a rebus drawing to aid nonreaders (see right). After modelling the safe use of the materials, ask volunteers to help place each item in the appropriate centre. This process is important because it allows children to see the transference of the materials from the discussion circle to the appropriate centre. Post the class-made rules in the centre and, when conflicts arise, refer children to the rules that they helped to create to resolve the problems.
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Opening a new learning centre
Explain that at these centres they will focus on reading and writing activities, so they must be quiet enough to allow classmates to concentrate on their work. Acknowledge the contrast between developmental centres and literacy centres. Each centre activity must be modelled before putting it into a centre area. Nothing (materials, process or activity) should be new to children if they are expected to attempt working independently at literacy centres. How they complete the activity will be based on their own current level of understanding and skill development, but what they are to do, the processes, should be explained and/or demonstrated prior to the centre time, even with openended activities used in early childhood. Always consider the needs of the children when choosing which literacy centres to introduce first. The following is a suggested progression. Listening post centre Reading centre ABC and word work centre Writing and illustrating centre
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After all developmental centres are open and children have begun to work well during centre time, literacy centres can be introduced.
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Adding literacy centres
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Ma n a g i n g l e a r n i n g c e nt r e s
Begin with a few children at a time participating in the learning centre until all children have had the opportunity and understand the rules and options for activities. The key to well-run learning centres is model, model, model and observe, observe, observe! Learning centres run smoothly when children know what materials are available, how to use them in appropriate ways and how to clean up when centre time is over. Do not skimp on the time devoted to introducing centres; it is critical. The optimum management is self-management, in which children self-select their learning centres, complete the centre activity, and clean up at the end of the centre period. Over time, children will be able to work in centres independently. However, this does not happen overnight. Use any of the suggestions to create a system for centre management.
Maths centre art centre
Identify the number of children allowed in each centre by placing the corresponding number of coloured self-stick dots along the edge of the chart. Attach a length of string at the bottom of the chart. Create clothespeg cuties by gluing childrens photographs to clothespegs. Clip the clothespegs on the string. Children find their personalised pegs and attach them on the side of the chart to indicate where they want to explore or work. If all of the dots in that centre block are taken, children must select another centre until their first choice becomes available. Remind children to move their cutie when they leave one centre and move to another. Set a time limit for centres to assist children in rotating to different activities.
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Copy the centre icons on pages 19 to 21 to label each section.
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Section off blocks of space on each chart for the centres you plan to use.
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Create learning centres self-selection charts one for developmental centres and another for literacy centres using a large sheet of white card.
block centre
Clothespeg cuties
puppets
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sand and water table
science centre
Learning centre time
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Can of worms
Copy the can of worms copymaster on page 17. Colour, cut out and laminate the can. Attach a magnetic strip to the back of the can and place the cutout in the middle of a magnetic board. On light green paper, make enough copies of the worms on page 18 so that you have one per child. Write their names on the worms, cut them out, laminate them and place small magnetic strips on the backs. Place the cutout worms in and around the can on the magnetic board. Place a large, clean, labelled can at each centre. To keep the cans steady, fill them two-thirds of the way with small rocks or pebbles. Add crushed green or brown tissue paper on top to represent grass or soil. To select a centre, children find their names on the Can of worms board and attach them to the can at the centre of their choice. Children must remember to move from one can of worms to another as they change learning centres.
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Spin the wheel a rotation wheel for literacy learning centres

Divide a large sheet of white card into four sections and label each with one of the four literacy centre areas. Cut a circle out of white card and divide it into four sections. This is the wheel. Divide children into four groups and write their names in each section of the wheel. Use a brass fastener to attach the wheel to the backing card. Children can check the board each day to see which learning centre area they will work in during centre time. As the wheel rotates, some names will be upside down, so be aware of children who may need additional support to find their learning centre. You could attach photographs of children next to their names to help them to identify their centres. Rotate the wheel each day for four days. Give children a special project on Friday, or allow them to visit the learning centre area of their choice for Free choice Friday. Change the names in each group every four to six weeks so that children have the opportunity to work with different classmates. This management system also works well after you have begun small-group/guided reading time. Call groups from the centre areas to take part in small-group work. After this work is completed, children return to their assigned learning centre areas and resume their activities. Ask children to place any unfinished work in specified baskets at each centre. Children complete any unfinished work before participating in Free choice Friday or they take work home to finish during the week.
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Learning centre signal sticks

Copy the centre signal sticks icons on pages 19 to 21. Colour, cut and laminate before gluing them to craft sticks. Use the sticks to label each centre. Place all centre signal sticks into a decorated tin when not in use. Copy labels on page 22. You may prefer to have two tins; one for developmental centres and one for literacy centres.
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Can of worms
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Worm cutouts
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Signal sticks

Maths centre
Science centre
Housekeeping/ Dramatic play
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Puppets
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Signal sticks

Block centre
Sand and water table
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Art centre
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Music centre
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Signal sticks

Listening post
Reading centre
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ABC and word work centre Writing and illustrating centre
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Signal sticks
Directions: Colour the two labels below. Cut and tape them together to form one long strip, then laminate it. Cover a tin with construction paper and attach the strip around the tin. Place centre signal sticks inside the tin.
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As s e s s m e
Introduction
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Assessment is an ongoing process throughout the year. Observations, interviews, checklists, rubrics and tests are just a few of the numerous ways to evaluate children and their work. Use assessments that are developmentally appropriate to guide your classroom instruction and to meet the needs of the children in your class. Knowing what information you wish to obtain and choosing a child-friendly way to gather it will help you determine the types of assessments to use. Three powerful assessment tools for teachers of young children include: teacher observations anecdotal records childrens self-assessments.
what they choose to play with how well they get along with others their strengths their interests their current skill levels.
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Use the form on page 25 to make notes on the areas in which children may benefit from your intervention, modelling and guidance, as well as information you may wish to communicate to parents.
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Anecdotal records
Anecdotal records are statements of exact, observable behaviours with no value judgments. They are short written scripts of exactly what occurred or what was said. They provide a keen insight into a childs unique learning styles and thought processes. Copy enough forms from page 26 for the entire class. At the beginning of each day, select a few children to observe and record. Attach their forms to a clipboard to carry with you during centre time. Place completed forms in the childrens individual folders and prepare another group of forms for the next day. By the end of a week or 10-day period, you will have documentation on all of the children in your class.
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Observe children in all learning centre areas and over time. Be aware of:
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Teacher observations
Child self-assessment
Interviewing children to determine how they assess their own work and progress is invaluable. This form of assessment helps children to: compare their own work over time set personal goals evaluate their personal growth. Asking children questions such as, What are you good at in this centre? or What would you like to do better? elicits incredibly honest responses and helps you to plan what to do next. Each week, give children a copy of the My centre time record on page 27.
Collected over time, these forms begin to reveal childrens perceived strengths as well as their preferences, both of which are important to share with parents.
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Concepts overview
To ensure activities at all learning centres cover a range of concepts, skills and knowledge, use a scope and sequence chart to highlight the main focus(es) of each activity. Such a chart has been included for each section within the development and literacy learning centres. Refer to the charts for each learning centre to see how the activities support child learning.
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Collect and review the completed forms to keep track of which centres children participated in and how they felt about each one.
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Ask them to identify how they felt about their work each day at the end of centre time.
Centre observa tions

Date:
Child name
Centre
Observations/ Notes
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Anecdotal records
Name Learning behaviours Social/Emotional behaviours Date Physical behaviours
Anecdotal records
Name Learning behaviours Date Physical behaviours
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Social/Emotional behaviours
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My centre time record

Name Date Directions: Draw a picture of how you felt about each centre.
M Listening post
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Reading centre
Writing and illustrating centre
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ABC/Word work centre
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Developmental centres
Introduction
Developmental learning centres are the traditional early childhood centres often viewed as playtime. These centres tend to be open-ended and self-directed, and should be thought of as playtime with a purpose. Most developmental theorists believe that young children learn through their play as they act out the roles of adulthood and experiment and explore concepts in risk-free settings. Through these experiences, children build foundational knowledge for future academic content and develop the understanding necessary for working with other human beings, materials and the environment. Much is going on in well-orchestrated, teacher-facilitated developmental learning centres. Children are introduced to materials, concepts and situations allowing them to meet learning and social/emotional challenges head on. They are able to use their developmental strengths and preferred learning styles to support their experiences. In recent years, much has been made of adding environmental print, functional print and literacy- and numeracy-building materials to developmental learning centres. Explorations and interactions with these concepts are an integral part of the play environment and necessary for building a childs framework for future learning. Observing and assessing children in developmental centres provides insight into their development with oral language, fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, numeracy and inquiry, and social/emotional skills.
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Lets explore!
Lets imagine!
Lets make, mix & measure
Lets create!
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The following four developmental learning centre areas should be considered in the early childhood classroom:
Maths and science centres
Housekeeping/Dramatic play and puppet centres
Block centre and sand and water table centre
Art and music centres
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Lets explore!
Maths centre
Young children are naturally interested in maths. Innately curious, they seek to investigate and discover who is bigger, who can find the longest worm, who has the highest flying kite and who can lift the heaviest stack of books. It is important to provide children with varied opportunities to explore mathematical concepts and develop problem-solving skills. As teachers, we need to acknowledge and foster childrens natural mathematical abilities and their interest in number, shape, size, quantity and pattern.
How learning centres help

It takes time for logic and reasoning to develop in young children. Centres enable you to provide children with a combination of child-oriented lessons and learning centre experiences in open-ended exploration to help them develop as mathematical thinkers. Observe and encourage childrens explorations with maths materials and manipulatives. Discuss their experiences and ask questions to scaffold their learning and confirm their predictions and conclusions.
Resources
range of storage containers
shells, buttons, keys, rocks, foam packing pellets
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multi-link cubes craft sticks
two-sided counters
cards, dice, poker chips and dominoes numeral and dot dice numeral spinners calendars, clocks, used watches, stopwatches and timers play money; domestic and foreign coins masking tape, wool, rulers, tape measures, metre sticks and measuring cups and spoons walk-on number line
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flannel or magnetic board with shapes and objects balance and standard scales pattern blocks and attribute blocks geoboards with bands assortment of bag, box and folder maths games and puzzles number, colour and size charts dot stickers, stamps and stamp pads paper of various sizes, colours, shapes and textures assortment of markers, pens, pencils and crayons numeral and number word flashcards
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Maths centre concepts overview

In the jungle animals patterning In the jungle animal subtraction In the jungle animal addition In the jungle roll and count Count & sing maths books In the jungle animal graph Count Flat Stanley style Move through the month
Measure the length
Squishy numbers
Dough numerals
Ride the wave
Numbers and operations Understands numbers represent quantities Counts by ones to 10 or higher Counts objects Understands one-to-one correspondence Knows the written numerals 09 Knows language for comparing (more, less) Knows the quantity of objects can change by adding or taking away Shape and space Knows language for naming shapes
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Sorts and groups objects by attributes Measurement
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Knows shapes can be combined to form other shapes
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Measures objects with nonstandard tools Orders objects by attributes Patterns Understands simple patterns Repeats and/or extends simple patterns Data Knows that concrete and pictorial graphs represent information
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Pattern time
Shape time
Ship shape
C e nt r e i d e a s a n d a c t i v i t i e s
Move through the month
Numbers and operations Patterns On your calendar write the odd numerals in one colour and the even numerals in a different colour. Assign one movement to every odd-numbered day and a different movement to every even-numbered day.
Count Flat Stanley style

Numbers and operations
Read Flat Stanley (1964) by Jeff Brown to the children. Make a copy of page 37 for each child. Children decorate the figure to look like themselves.
Children count to rhythmic music playing softly in the centre. They explore counting heads by ones, pairs of hands by twos, fingers by fives, and toes on the feet by tens. Children love this activity and will count and count and count!
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Hang the decorated figures on a length of string between two chairs, using miniature clothespegs. For safety, place the display away from classroom traffic areas.
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This provides great counting practice and helps get rid of the wriggles before beginning the morning meeting. Place the calendar in the maths centre for children to continue moving through the month.
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Begin the activity on the first day of the month and let children count and move to the current day of the month.
Dough numerals
Numbers and operations Use one of the recipes on page 124 to prepare dough for this activity. Children roll balls of dough into snakes. Place a 110 numerals chart in the centre and ask children to form the numerals they see.
Squishy numbers
Numbers and operations Shape and space Place finger paint into a freezer-quality resealable bag (just enough to coat the bag). Squeeze out excess paint and air bubbles.
Lay the paint bag on a contrasting-coloured sheet of construction paper. Place a set of numeral flash cards at the centre for reference. Children try forming numerals using their fingertips. Warn them not to scratch the bag with their fingernails. Children will see the contrasting colour appear in the indentation in the paint. Variation: Encourage children to form squishy basic shapes. Place coloured sand on a baking tray for children to draw a number or shape in it with their fingers.
Ride the wave

Numbers and operations
Children sponge paint a paper plate and let it dry. They then cut a wavy line through the centre of the plate to create two pieces. Help them to layer one end of the wave slightly over the other, punch a hole through both pieces and insert a brass fastener. Children place loose multi-link cubes on both sides of the plate, enough to add up to a set of 10 or less. When children open the circular plate, some of the cubes ride the wave and the cubes are separated. When children place cubes on each side of the opened plate and then close it, two smaller sets ride the waves and are joined to form a larger set.
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Shape time
Shape and space Place shape stencils or premade shapes for children to trace, colour and/or cut out. Children decorate the shapes to create an object from their home, classroom or community environment. For example, a circle becomes a clock, a rectangle becomes a pet taxi, and a triangle becomes a clowns hat. Children glue their objects to sheets of paper and draw background scenery to show their shape creations in their environment.
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Measure the length
Measurement Data
Place a container of multi-link cubes, butchers paper, crayons and 56 classroom objects such as books, small dolls and plastic spoons at the centre. Each child selects objects to trace around on the paper and then connect cubes to determine how many cubes long their objects are. Children count the cubes and write that number next to the outline on the paper. Remind children to return the cubes to the container for the next group to use. Taking the cubes apart from the chain is a good fine motor activity.
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Shape and space
Ship shape
Place basic shapes made from thick card or corrugated cardboard in the centre. Children arrange the shapes on the table to create an object such as a boat or a house. They place butchers paper on top of their creations and secure it in place with a teachermade cardboard frame. Children then shade over the paper many times with a wax crayon to create rubbings of their shape creations.
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Use pages 3839 for any of the maths mat games and activities on pages 3435. Prepare six maths mats and the animal cards in advance. Copy the pages on card for durability. Colour and laminate the pages and cut out the animal cards. For variation, use plastic animals for the manipulative pieces, or create your own maths mats and animal cards using a farm or garden animal theme.
In the jungleroll & count

Numbers and operations Place the In the jungle maths mats, animal cards and a large 16 dot dice in the centre. Children each take a mat and place all the animal manipulatives in a pool between the mats. Children take turns rolling the dice and identifying the number set of dots displayed. They count out that same number of animal cards and place them anywhere on their mats. The game continues until all manipulatives are taken. Children count all of their cards to determine who has the most and the least number of animals on their mat.
Children place all animal pieces back into the pool for another round or in the storage container for future use.
In the jungleanimal addition and subtraction

Numbers and operations Place the In the jungle maths mats, animal cards and a large dot dice and numeral spinner in the centre. Children each take a mat and place all the animal manipulatives in a pool between them. Children take turns rolling a dice and placing that number of animals on one part of their mats. Then they spin the spinner and place that number of animals on another part of their mats. Children count both sets to add the total number of animals on their mats and then say their maths problems aloud; for example, I have 5 animals in the tree. I have 2 animals on the ground. So I have 7 animals altogether. After one round, children either place all animals back in the pool for the next round of the game or in the storage container for future use. Subtraction: Children place 10 animal cards on their maths mats and take turns spinning the spinner. They read the numeral, count out that many cards from their set of 10 and remove them from their mats to create subtraction problems. Children present their subtraction problems aloud; for example, There are 10 animals in the jungle. I took 4 away. Now there are 6 animals left. For a higher-level activity, provide paper and markers for children to write the addition or subtraction problems; for example, 5 + 2 = 7 or 10 - 6 = 4.
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Addition:
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In the jungleanimal patterning

Patterns Children use the animal cards on their mats to create AB, AAB, ABB or ABC patterns. Ask them to say their patterns aloud; for example, an AB pattern, I have monkey, elephant, monkey, elephant.
In the jungleanimal graph

Numbers and operations Measurement Data Choose three different animals and place varying numbers of each animal card in a container. Draw a large graph on heavy card.
Children categorise the animals by placing them on the graph as shown. Ask children to count how many animals are in each category and then interpret the data using maths language such as most, least, more than and less than.
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Count & sing maths books
Numbers and operations Cut coloured A4 paper and sheets of construction paper into quarters to create individual books, each with five sheets of coloured paper and a construction paper cover. Copy animal squares and cut into strips. Children choose one animal each and cut them out, count them and glue them onto the pages of the book, ordering sets 110. Children write the correct numeral on each page (with assistance if needed) to create a count and sing book to the tune of Ten little Indians. Example: 1 little, 2 little, 3 little monkeys, 4 little, 5 little, 6 little monkeys, 7 little, 8 little, 9 little monkeys, 10 monkeys in the jungle!
Early childhood learning centres 35
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Pattern time
Patterns Materials * Keycards page 40 * red, blue and green multi-link cubes * coloured markers Direct children to: construct a two-part (AB) pattern with the cubes; for example, red, blue, red, blue assign a movement to each part of the pattern based on the Keycard choices. For example, if they decide that the red cube (A) equals clap, colour the cube on the hands clapping card red. If they decide that the blue cube (B) equals a high five, colour the cube on the high five card blue. use the multi-link cubes and the rebus cards to demonstrate the pattern by acting out the movements extend the pattern by linking cubes until all cubes of the two colours are used perform the extended pattern. Extension: Children create and perform more complex patterns; for example AAB, ABB, ABC.
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Flat Stanley
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In the junglemaths mat
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Keycards
Directions: Cut out and laminate the Keycards. Use crayons or overhead markers to colour the cube on each card to match the colour of linking cubes used in the activity. Wipe off the colour to use the cards again.
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Lets explore!
Science centre
Exploring science is an exciting and wondrous part of early childhood. Children seek to investigate and discover how their world works. They question, they look, they listen and they talk about their findings. Children investigate the passage of light through various materials; how insects crawl on the ground; and what sinks and floats and why! It is important to acknowledge and foster young childrens natural abilities and curiosity as we develop their scientific thinking. Although young children may not understand complicated and abstract principles, they can wonder, explore and discover ideas about plants, animals and other objects in their environment. Aspects of earth science, physical science and life science should feature in early childhood classrooms.

To carry out their scientific wonderings, children need time to explore and discover scientific concepts in risk-free, play-like settings. It is through experiences involving interaction with people and materials, and the physical and social environments, that children construct their own knowledge. They are able to formulate and answer questions and use the research processes of observing, describing, classifying, predicting, testing and reporting.
Resources
tubs, carts, baskets, trays and boxes
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collections of seashells, rocks, feathers, keys and marbles
masking tape, wool, rulers, tape measures and metre sticks
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various weighing scales
assortment of bag, box and folder science activities, games and puzzles classification charts for animals, plants and objects
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plastic cups, bowls and containers of various sizes funnels of various sizes magnifiers eyedroppers thermometers stickers, stamps and stamp pads paper of various sizes, colours, shapes and textures markers, pens, pencils and crayons
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Science centre concepts overview

Match those seeds and plants One potato, sweet potato Squish to mix colours The pocket plant wall What is the weather? Rockshot or not? Will it sink or float?
Nature is grand!
Stuck on what?
A balancing act
Scientific inquiry and communication Uses senses to make observations Records information Conducts simple investigations Asks questions about observations Develops predictions and explanations based on previous experiences Earth science Knows vocabulary for different types of weather Knows weather conditions change Knows water can be liquid or solid and change forms Knows rocks come in many shapes, sizes and compositions Physical science Knows vocabulary to describe observable properties Sorts objects based on observable properties Knows objects are made up of different materials Knows objects can move in space (push, pull, sink) Knows magnets can make things move without being touched Life science Knows living and nonliving objects are different Knows living things grow and change Knows basic needs of plants and animals Knows plants and animals need certain resources for energy and growth
Humptys hair
What is mist?
Rock and roll
Rock etching
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What is the weather?
Scientific inquiry and communication Earth science Place a variety of fiction and nonfiction books about weather in the science centre. Ask children to explore and examine the illustrations of different weather types, such as rainy, sunny, foggy, windy and snowy days. Provide a paper plate and cardboard arrow for each child. Children illustrate different types of weather around the edge of their paper plates. With assistance from an adult, children attach their arrow spinners to the plate using brass fasteners.
What is mist?
Earth science
Scientific inquiry and communication
To help children understand the properties of water and the concept that water has many forms, allow them to explore with bottles with fine spray nozzles. Support childrens background knowledge for this activity by exploring books about weather and viewing pages depicting fog or by observing a foggy day outside. Place a variety of spray bottles, plant misters and empty perfume atomisers in the centre. Children to observe what happens to the water in the air as they gently spray the air (not each other) with the water. (This activity is best done outside.) To record their observations, children can use white crayons to draw the school playground on blue paper then use large paintbrushes to paint a thin grey wash over the pictures. As the wash dries, they can watch the fog creep in as the picture begins to look foggy.
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As children look through the books again, they move the spinner to indicate the weather illustrated.
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Rock and roll

Scientific inquiry and communication Earth science Supply your centre with rocks collected on a school playground field trip, brought from home or from a purchased rock collection. Add magnifying glasses, scales and small bowls of water. Children use magnifying glasses to examine the rocks to determine their colour, presence of crystals, and any visible texture characteristics. Children weigh the rocks to determine which are heavier. Help them to develop vocabulary to describe the rocks, such as jagged, smooth, rough, heavy and light. After the examination is complete, children gently drop each rock into a small bowl of water and roll it around. Ask them to observe whether or not the rocks colour or shine changes or if small air bubbles come out of any of the rocks. Note: As water seeps into more porous rocks the air trapped inside is released to the surface as air bubbles.
Scientific inquiry and communication Earth science
Place various types of rocks (from the collection in Rock and roll) and coins in the centre. To help children to determine the hardness of the rocks, ask each child to select a stone and try to scratch it with a fingernail and then with the edge of a coin. Ask children to think about which rocks could be etched or carved and which could not.
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Rock etching
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Will it sink or float?

Scientific inquiry and communication Physical science Place in the centre small containers of water and a basket of various objects such as rocks, keys, marbles, paper clips, crayons, coins, twigs, plastic straws and feathers. Children drop the objects one by one into the water and watch what happens. For a higher-level activity, use butchers paper to create a large Sink or float observation chart. Children create a real graph by placing the items on the sink or float side of the chart after testing them. Children who are ready can make predictions, test objects and make individual paper copies of the Sink or float observation chart to record their results by drawing pictures or using labels and words. Encourage children to share their predictions and results.
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A balancing act
Scientific inquiry and communication Physical science Place a balance scale and the same basket of objects from Will it sink or float? in the centre. Children explore the relative weights of the objects by balancing different objects and numbers of objects against each other; for example, they may count out how many twigs it takes to balance a rock or how many feathers it takes to balance a plastic straw. For a higher-level and more focused activity, children to count out sets of five of each of the objects and place each set on opposite sides of the balance scale. They determine which set weighs the most. Allow children to continue to explore freely with the objects and the balance scale. Provide time for them to talk to their centre partners about their findings or draw pictures on a sheet in a learning log (use page 52 as a cover sheet for a learning log) to represent what happened.
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Stuck on what?
Scientific inquiry and communication Physical science Equip the centre with a large tray of different magnets, such as a magnetic wand, a bar magnet, magnetic marbles, magnetic chips (from craft stores) and a large box of small and large paperclips. Allow children explore with the magnets and clips on the tray to see what they discover.
For a higher-level and more focused activity, add pencils, crayons and learning logs (use page 52 as a cover sheet for a learning log) to the centre. After children have explored, invite them to count and write or draw in their learning logs, the number of paperclips, marbles or magnetic chips that were attracted to their magnets. Encourage children to compare their results with a centre partner. Facilitate childrens thinking with questions such as Which magnet attracted the most clips?, Which magnets were strong and powerful?, Which were weaker?, What do the answers to these questions tell you? Young children can be led to think scientifically over time. They naturally ask questions; as teachers you are helping them to focus their questioning.
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For a higher-level activity and after children have explored with the materials, suggest that they select one magnet and predict and test how many paperclips, buttons or magnetic marbles their magnet will attract. Encourage children to choose a variety of magnets in the centre and make predictions for each.
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Nature is grand!
Scientific inquiry and communication Life science Place the following materials in the centre: assorted live plants, cups, spoons, soil, collection baskets filled with dried grass, leaves, vines, bark, magnifying glasses and books and charts of plants, seeds and insects. Children collect caterpillars and other insects and place them, along with small portions of their natural habitats and food, in small covered jars (with airholes) for daily study.
Release the caterpillars unharmed after a few days and replace them with different ones. Look after the hermit crabs as instructed by the pet shop. To observe the life cycle of a butterfly or moth, obtain a caterpillar and place it in a safe habitat.
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Children place a Life cycle cover (page 55) on top and connect the two sheets with a brass fastener. They can turn their wheels to talk about the different stages of the insects life cycle. Find pictures of each stage of the life cycle of the frog, toad, butterfly, moth or any plant. Enlarge pages 54 and 55 to create a chart-size Life cycle and Life cycle cover. Glue the picture for each stage to the circle, place the cover on top and place in a centre for children to manipulate and talk about as they move from section to section on the Life cycle.
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For a higher-level activity, children record the parts of the life cycle they observed on the Life cycle chart (page 54). Ask them to draw what they saw, stage by stage, on their sheets.
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Allow children to visit the caterpillars or hermit crabs at the centre over time to observe their characteristics.
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Alternatively, obtain a hermit crab to place in a terrarium with food and materials from its natural habitat.
Humptys hair
Scientific inquiry and communication Life science Plant seeds in clean, empty eggshell halves. Store them in egg cartons on a sunny shelf in the centre or under a grow light. Birdseed is especially good for this type of planting. Children draw faces on the shells before planting, so that when the seeds sprout, it looks like the eggs are growing hair!
The pocket plant wall

Scientific inquiry and communication Life science Collect recycled clothing with pockets, such as old jeans. To limit fraying, cut off the pocket sections with pinking shears. Glue or stitch the various styles, sizes and colours of pockets, one for each child, to a large board or piece of cloth and display them in the centre within childrens reach. Children roll two different seeds in moistened paper towels and place them in sandwich-size resealable plastic bags before placing them in their selected pockets on the pocket plant wall. Each day, children check their seeds, mist the rolled-up paper towels, reseal the bags and replace them in the pockets. Continue this process until the seeds sprout. Children plant the sprouting seeds in soil in a bright location.
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One potato, sweet potato
Scientific inquiry and communication Life science Place a sweet potato (with eyes) in a clear container of water. Use toothpicks to hold the potato up so that only the bottom third is in the water. Children observe the potato plant growing and add water when necessary. When the vine is growing well, place the potato near the window and watch the vine continue to grow.
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Earth science lesson

Rockshot or not?
Scientific inquiry and communication Earth science Materials * collection of rocks and stones * ice * stopwatch or timer Direct children to: * sandwich-size resealable plastic bags * blow dryer * shallow trays or paper towels
handle the rocks and stones to feel their temperature arrange rocks and stones in the shallow trays use the blow dryer in 30-second bursts to heat the rocks
touch the rocks to feel the difference in temperature. They will discover that the rocks will quickly become warm as they absorb the heat from the blow dryer. take the warm rocks and set them under the small bag of ice for 30 seconds remove them and ask children to feel the difference in temperature. The rocks will have cooled quickly as they give up their heat to the ice.
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place the following materials in the centre: rocks, ice in a resealable plastic bag, a blow dryer, and shallow trays or paper towels
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Physical science le sson

Squish to mix colours
Scientific inquiry and communication Physical science Materials * Make-it-yourself dough recipes (page 124) * Squish to mix colours worksheet (page 53) * food colouring * sandwich-size resealable plastic bags Prepare one of the make-it-yourself dough recipes in advance. divide the dough into four equal portions. Leave one portion white and add food colouring to the other three portions to make red, blue and yellow dough choose two balls of different coloured dough (red, blue, yellow) to place in a resealable plastic bag carefully knead the dough in the bag with their fingertips to mix the colours together and observe what happens think about what changes occur when two colours mix describe their observation to a centre partner and then record them on the Squish to mix colours worksheet. Children can repeat the activity, varying the proportions of each dough colour used and comparing the resulting colours. Add the white colour to the primary colour choices for children to mix and study. Help them to discover that two primary colours mix to make a secondary colour, but white mixed with a primary colour creates a shade of that primary colour. Children can add their new findings to the Squish to mix colours worksheet. Direct the children to:
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make marble-sized balls of each colour of dough
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Life science lesson

Match those seeds and plants!
Scientific inquiry and communication Physical science Life science Materials * packets of flower, herb, fruit and vegetable seeds with picture covers * mixture of seeds * sorting tray * paper plates * magnifying glasses Direct children to: examine the pictures on the seed packets empty a mixture of seeds onto a small tray * plastic spoons and knives
use plastic spoons to scoop seeds onto their paper plates sort the seeds on their plates by size, colour or shape
carefully separate the different groups of seeds using plastic knives and use magnifying glasses to examine the similarities and differences within each group For a higher-level, more focused activity, children can try to match the sorted seeds with the fruit, vegetable or flower packets from which they came. Some seedsfor example, maize and beanare easy to match because they look like the part of the vegetable plants that we eat. Othersfor example, radish, melon and orangeare more difficult to match unless the children have eaten the fruits and observed their seeds.
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discuss their observations and different seed types and how they sorted them.
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Squish to mix colours

Name Directions: Colour the first two circles to match the two colours of dough you mixed. Colour the last circle to show what colour you made. Date
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Life cycle
Draw each stage of the life cycle you observed. Cut out the circle.
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Life cycle cover

Colour the cover. Cut out the circle and the wedge. Attach the cover to the top of the life cycle. Turn the cover to show one section at a time. Use your life cycle to describe how your animal or plant grows.
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Housekeeping/ Lets imagine! Dramatic play and puppet centres All over the world, children learn to speak and use language at
similar ages and in similar ways. Three-year-olds begin to expand their two- and three-word phrases to create sentences. They grow adept at ordering their words to achieve their intended meaning and purpose. Three- to five-year-olds use their accumulated knowledge of how language works to improvise and present their case. In doing so, they often create such magical utterances as, I goed to Grandmas or My foots are dirty. By age four, children are mastering most of the rules of language and are using more complex sentences. They enjoy talking and telling stories. Five-year-olds have an ever-expanding vocabulary, ready for use on command, and an adequate knowledge of word order and basic language structure. They can translate their thoughts into language to express themselves to fit each situation and every conceivable purposeto ask, tell, request, demand, and share.
Housekeeping centre materials play kitchen furniture doll beds and multicultural dolls aprons kitchen towels, dustpan, small broom, mop and bucket and paper towels pretend food and multicultural food packages and labels table and chairs plastic dishes, cups, tumblers, silverware and cooking utensils books and magazines lamp and rug rocking chair dress-up clothes
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Resources
radio, tape player, CD player, craft sticks and paint stir sticks and audio tapes and CDs with assortment of wiggly eyeballs in multicultural music a variety of sizes curtains over the window (made stickers, cutout shapes and with paper and draped scarves or stencils fabric) construction paper, scissors, glue Dramatic play materials sticks, glue and velcro pieces housekeeping materials above crayons and markers Magic crates materials cardboard box decorated as a suggested on pages 5859 puppet theatre (if space allows) blank labels various pretend and/or real illustrated word banks microphones or karaoke machine child journals cloth scraps, felt and wool markers, pencils and crayons paper lunch bags Puppet centre materials hand and finger puppets of animals, people, community helpers and multicultural families
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Research indicates that the foundation for all literacy development is oral language, both receptive, the language children receive, and expressive, the language children use in everyday interactions. Experiences that develop creative thinking, problem-solving skills and enhance language development, contribute to childrens cognitive development. Part of that development occurs as children create roles and scenarios during their play. As they act out their scenarios, they are building skills needed to follow plots in books that are read to them and in books they will later read themselves. The housekeeping/dramatic play and puppet centre areas provide early childhood children with many opportunities to play creatively, to interact with others and to explore language as they act out roles both familiar and novel.
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Housekeeping/Dramatic play and puppet centres concepts overview
Dramatic arts Creates simple dramatisations Engages in both fantasy and real-life dramatic play Creates props using available resources Visualises and arranges environment for dramatisations Visual arts
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Experiments with a variety of colours, textures and shapes
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Eency weency on the way
Spoon puppets on stage
A-camping we will go!
Sock puppets in a bag
Lets go to the doctor
Dinnertime at home
Puppets on a stick
Lets do lunch!
To the theatre
Off to work
Lets shop!
Soups on
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Magic crates
Spice up the housekeeping centre and enhance dramatic play with Magic crates. Try the following dramatic play scenarios using the suggested materials. Store the sets of materials in separate crates and bring them out at any time. As if by magic, children can become anyone they want to be! Add labels to the items placed in the centre, or create a portable illustrated word bank for children who want to write about their dramatic play experiences in their journals.
Dinnertime at home
Dramatic arts Invite children to take on the roles of family members and pretend to cook, set the table and dine to music and candlelight for a special dinner. Suggested materials include: table and chairs, kitchen appliances, crockery, cutlery, tumblers, tablecloth, napkins, cooking utensils, sealed, empty food boxes and packages (including multicultural foods), pretend food, centrepiece for the table, CD/MP3 player and collection of music, candlesticks and candles.
Lets do lunch!
Dramatic arts
T the theatre o
Dramatic arts Children become rock stars, actors, backstage staff or ushers for the big night! Children create plays, write play programmes, make costumes, play music and put on a show of their own creation. Suggested materials include chairs, dress-up clothing, shoes, boas and big hats, large torch for a spotlight, pretend stage, microphones, music and a CD/MP3 player, tickets and bowties for the usher outfits.
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Children turn the housekeeping area into a favourite cafe complete with labels, menus, waiters, patrons, chef and cashier. In addition to the materials in Dinnertime at home, add a chefs hat, apron, menus, play money, cash register, order forms for the waiters, pencils, signs with the cafes name.
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Lets go to the doctor

Dramatic arts Turn the housekeeping centre into a medical office and waiting room by rearranging furniture and adding medical supplies such as a stethoscope, bandages, white smocks, a torch, a weighing scale, play money, pretend credit cards and cheques, an eye chart, prescription pads, crutches, a play thermometer, stuffed animals or dolls, tongue depressors, empty pill bottles, a medical bag, a heating pad and ice packs. Children take on the roles of doctors, nurses, receptionists and patients and dramatise a medical office or veterinarians office scenario during which they treat their sick dolls, stuffed animals or classmates. Children can weigh patients, write prescriptions, complete medical forms, and fill prescriptions, and examine each other for a temperature, headache, broken limb, or sore throat. Make books about the human body, skeletons and medical models available for consultation.
Dramatic arts
Lets shop!
Dramatic arts Transform the housekeeping centre into a shop where children can become merchants and customers, write price tags, sell items and give change, wrap gifts, run the store and make purchases. Make picture books about money, department store brochures and coupons available for their use. Suggested materials include a calculator with tape, receipt pads, pens, price tags, cash register and play money, pretend credit cards and cheques, items to be soldfor example, pencils, balloons, plastic animals, books, simple toys and play jewellery plus shopping bags, gift wrap and tape and signs.
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Invite children to pretend to work in an office and be business executives, secretaries or administrative assistants, clerks or accountants and have meetings with colleagues and customers. They can schedule appointments, write letters, file papers and give presentations. Make books about business careers available in the centre. Suggested materials include an office desk, chairs, calculators, office supplies such as pens, staplers, paperclips, clipboards, paper, a typewriter, an old laptop, envelopes, file folders, business cards, a calendar, signs, telephone books, pads of paper, easel, charts and a pointer.
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Dramatic arts
Drape a dark blanket or tablecloth over a table in the centre. Make a tent flap for children to crawl through to sit under their table with torches to camp out at school. Place any real or artificial plants available around the campsite and create a stream made from blue construction paper. Stock the stream with child-made construction paper fish that have self-adhesive magnetic strips attached. Give the campers fishing rods made from dowel and paperclip hooks so they can fish for their dinner. Children may choose to make a pretend campfire next to their tent, sing camp songs or create pretend meals. When they return from their camp out, encourage children to write a letter to a family member about their camping experience. Create a portable Camping words word bank with words and pictures for them to build their vocabularies and use to write or draw their stories.
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A-camping we will go!
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Puppets on a stick
Dramatic arts Visual arts Place numerous character cardboard cutouts such as a dog, dinosaur, gingerbread man and bear in the puppet centre. Provide children with glue, markers, wiggly eyes, rickrack, material scraps and craft sticks. Children decorate the cutouts, glue them to a stick, and voilashowtime!
Spoon puppets on stage

Dramatic arts Visual arts Place a plastic wastepaper bin and a collection of long-handled wooden spoons and plastic spoons in the puppet centre.
Children can create a stage by turning the wastepaper bin over and draping a colourful scarf over it. Children hide behind it or on the side of it to perform their puppet shows.
Sock puppets in a bag

Visual arts
For this activity, ask parents to collect and donate stray socks, flat buttons and brown paper lunch bags. Cut holes in the bottom of the lunch bags, large enough for a childs hand to fit through. Place a varied assortment of socks at the centre along with the paper lunch bags. Add flat buttons, glue, markers, wool, felt scraps, craft foam scraps, rickrack and pompoms. Children use the materials to make a sock puppet character. They create an individual theatre by decorating their paper bags, placing the puppets on their hands and making them come up through the hole in the bottom of the lunch bag. Children can perform their puppet monologues to each other or, working with a partner, create a double act.
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Provide children with wiggly eyes, glue, wool scraps, pompoms, material scraps, felt and craft foam scraps. Children decorate their spoons to create puppets.
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Housekeeping/Dramatic play lesson

Soups on
Dramatic arts Visual arts Materials * Chefs hat template (page 64) * Very veggie soup copymaster (page 65) * plastic vegetables * soup pot, ladle, plastic soup bowls and spoons * measuring cups and spoons * clean, empty vegetable and tomato sauce tins (with labels) * bands of construction paper 5 cm wide * scissors, glue and stapler * aprons * empty or pretend salt and pepper shakers
Copy and laminate the soup recipe and place it in the centre.
Direct children to:
For a higher-level activity, children create their own soup of the day recipes using large index recipe cards, drawing the ingredients and writing as much text as they can. Invite children to prepare their recipes during the next centre period.
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read the rebus and text recipe, and use the centre items to create the soup of the day for their hungry patrons, while wearing apron and chefs hat.
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Provide an assortment of plastic vegetables, a large soup pot, a ladle, plastic soup bowls and spoons, measuring cups and spoons, salt and pepper shakers and labelled but empty vegetable and tomato sauce tins.
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P u p p et l e sson
Eency weency on the way
Dramatic arts Visual arts Materials * The eency weency spider rhyme sheet (page 66) * stray socks * fingerpaint * wiggly eyes * stapler * large and dessert-size thin paper plates * markers * sponges cut into small pieces and held with clothespins * pompoms * glue
Model for the children how to create a spider puppet following the steps below, using two paper plates and a sock. Direct the children to: sponge-paint the plates with any colour and allow them to dry
cut off the cuff of the sock and cut it into eight strips to make the eight legs glue two pompoms with wiggly eyes to the closed end of the sock for the head of the spider insert the eight legs between the plates and staple them together leaving room on two ends to slip your hand (with the sock puppet) in between the plates recite the rhyme, performing the actions with their puppets. This procedure can be adapted to make any creature that crawls; for example, as the grouchy ladybird or a little turtle that lived in a box.
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Enlarge, copy and colour the rhyme sheet. Read it with the children, first together and then in rounds.
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Chefs hat
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Very veggie soup

1 tin of tomato sauce
4 cups of water 1 potato 1 tomato 1 onion
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper
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1 tin of corn
The eency weency spider

The eency, weency spider Went up the waterspout. Down came the rain
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain. And the eency, weency spider Went up the spout again.
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And washed the spider out.
Lets make, mix and measure
Block centre
The block centre is a meaningful and valuable part of the early childhood experience. As children play with blocks, they develop spatial awareness skills. They use their imagination, develop creativity and learn about number, size, shape, weight, form and structural soundness. They interact with other children during their building projects and develop social skills.
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block storage shelf or block wagon various shapes and sizes of unit blocks carpet or rug
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cardboard boxes closed and taped shut toy vehicles such as cars, taxis, trucks, police cars, fire trucks and aeroplanes flat wooden planks to create roadways and runways
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variety of bricks and blocks, foam blocks and dominoes toy street signs, traffic signs and greenery
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maps
toy people, animals and community helpers toy dinosaurs and zoo animals construction hats wooden barns and dollhouses with furniture ramps, toy cranes, bulldozers, cement trucks photographs and picture books of all types of buildings and structures
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During centre time children use language to reflect their feelings about their constructions and create scenarios around the structures they build. They use spatial sense as they use materials and fine motor skills to confidently create a product. They try on the roles of architect and craftsperson. With project completion, children develop a sense of a job well done, which increases their self-esteem.
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Block centre concepts overview

Checkpoint weigh station
Read and build
Checkpoint weigh station
Literacy arts Maths Add scales to the block centre. Direct children to: set up a checkpoint station with a daily weight limit sign load their transport carriers with blocks check the weight of their loads remove excess weight before they continue on their way.
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Literacy arts Knows writing and pictures communicate meaning Uses drawings to express ideas Knows print and written symbols convey meaning Maths Knows process for measuring weight Knows basic geometric language for naming shapes Uses language to describe position and location Knows shapes can be put together or taken apart to make new shapes Understands shapes are useful for describing and representing real-world situations Places Understands maps can represent his or her surroundings Uses simple geographic thinking Knows common features in the local environment Knows physical characteristics of local community
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My home town
Say cheese!
Say cheese!
Literacy arts Maths Young children often hate to tear down their architectural creations at the block centre. Provide paper and markers for them. Direct children to: name their creations, autograph their labels and have their photograph taken in front of their structures. Print the photographs and keep in folders in a file at the centre. Children can review their previous creations with classmates or try to copy the creations of other children. Provide paper and markers for children who are ready to write about their work.
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T he three little pigs
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Read and build
Literacy arts Maths Place construction theme books in the centre. Include favourite picture books that prominently feature various structures, such as a hospital from Curious George goes to the hospital, a castle for Cinderella, a brick house for one of the little pigs or the giants house from Jack and the beanstalk. Children can browse through the books and then create coordinating structures. Photograph each structure with the child architect who designed it and the book that inspired it. Place protected folders in a file at the centre. When this centre idea is finished, place the photo album and books in the library centre for children to review and appreciate.
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Block les son

My hometown
Maths Places Materials * My hometown props copymasters (pages 7174) * boxes of various sizes * markers, crayons and scissors * permanent markers * cardboard tubes, cotton spools, small blocks or empty medicine bottles This centre activity is a learning station created and used over time. Ahead of centre time, and with the whole class, work with the children to lay out a town centre with a surrounding residential community on a large sheet of butchers paper. Use a permanent marker to designate the streets and the town square. Discuss what community buildings are needed for the town; for example, fire station, police station, library, school, hospital, post office, supermarket, other shops, churches, leisure centre and park. Using plain paper to match the size of larger boxes, children draw the front of community buildings. Discuss the best location for each of the community buildingsfire station, police station, library, school, hospital, church, post office and shopsthen place them in position. Children draw houses on plain paper then glue them to one face and small boxes. Children place their houses on the residential streets. * blocks * plain paper to match size of boxes * butchers paper
Children colour the scenery, people and vehicles from pages 7174 and glue them to small boxes, tubes or cotton spools. Children locate the props around the town.
Children navigate their way through the streets and explain how they will travel between landmarks, houses and buildings. Build up a bank of direction words to help children describe their travels. Set them navigation challenges; for example, How do you get from your house to the library? Who lives closer to the school, or ? Describe their roles.
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Assist them in naming and labelling the streets and numbering their houses and buildings.
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My hometown props vehicles
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My hometown props scenery
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My hometown propsfamily
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My hometown props community helpers
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Lets make, mix and measure
Sand and water table centre
As children explore in sand and water, they develop an appreciation of sensory play and materials. At the same time, they are developing cognitively, socially and physically. Sensory explorations at the sand and water table also provide children with a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment which builds their self-esteem. Place the sand and water table on an uncarpeted or washable carpet area covered with plastic dropcloths. Teach children to wash their hands before and after use, to never rub any of the materials near their eyes and to clean up their own spills before leaving the centre. It may be helpful for children to bring old adult-size shirts from home which they wear backwards as smocks with the sleeves rolled up or cut off. Fill the sand table with rice for a different sensory experience.
Cognitively, as children fill and sift or pour and empty, they are developing maths skills about size and volume, science skills using their five senses and language skills as they talk about their explorations. They also use a range of skills to predict and test, quantify and communicate their findings. Socially, they have repeated opportunities to observe others, share materials and ideas and initiate investigations together. Physically, children manipulate the sensory materials and objects added to the sand and water to develop fine motor skills.
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picture books with ocean, fish, seashore or desert topics plastic containers, clear tubing and squirt bottles small fishing nets large plastic drop cloth, vinyl tablecloth or shower curtain and sponges small broom, dustpan, towels and handheld vacuum cleaner small-sized rubber gloves
sand table or a large plastic or wooden container play sand and rice sand toys, moulds, measuring utensils, funnels, sieves and buckets water toys, animals, seashells and boats measuring cups, spoons, scoops and ladles
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water table or a large, shallow flat-bottomed plastic container or small wading pool
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A broom and dustpan or a handheld vacuum nearby would also be handy.
Sand and water t e entre concepts oveablew c rvi

Ahoy, matey! icebergs ahead!
Bubble bath, anyone?
Sift, measure, mould
Maths
Knows that different-sized containers will hold more or less Understands basic measures Makes quantitative estimates Science Uses the senses to make observations Records information Conducts simple investigations
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Knows the common language of measurement
Knows that water can be liquid or solid and can change forms Knows vocabulary used to describe observed properties Knows magnets can be used to make things move Places Understands the globe as a representation of Earth Uses simple geographic thinking Knows natural features of the environment Knows how people positively or negatively affect the environment
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Develops predictions and explanations
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Treasure hunters
Sand table zoo
Its mud day
Funnel time
Sift, measure, mould
Maths Science Add moulds, sifters, measuring utensils and buckets to the sand table. Provide spray bottles of water. Children predict how much sand they need to fill a mould; for example, I need 3 cupfuls. They measure the amount of sand they believe they need, sift it into the mould, spray with water to hold the mould together, and turn it over to place the mould upon the sand in the table.
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Its mud day
Maths Science
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Place small-sized rubber gloves, extra-large resealable plastic bags, garden soil, a container of water and measuring cups in the centre. Allow each small group to measure three cups of soil and one cup of water to place in the bag. Help children press out all of the air from the plastic bag and then close and seal it. Children can play in the mud the clean way by mixing the dirt and water inside the bag to make mud.
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Maths Science
Funnel time
Add various-sized funnels and containers to the water or sand table to encourage children to measure and pour without spilling as they move sand or water from one container to another. When using the water table, add a scented oil such as lavender, peppermint, spearmint or rosehip for some smelly fun. As they measure, pour and funnel water, they do so fragrantly!
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Children discuss the accuracy of their predictions with each other.
Bubble bath, anyone?

Science Place large plastic bowls filled with warm water in the centre. Add liquid soap to the water. Provide a variety of bubble blowers, straws, a whisk and a handheld eggbeater. Children generate and blow bubbles. Children can add plastic animals or dolls to the centre to give them a nice, relaxing bubble bath! Prior to this centre activity, or directly after it, read The bubble factory by Tomie de Paola.
Maths Science Places
Children can dig in and excavate sand to create mountains, ponds filled with crushed blue paper, shaded areas and various zoo animal display areas. The clear plastic tubs can be turned upside-down to contain any animals they dont want to get away.
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Add clear plastic tubs, zoo animals and plastic scenery such as plastic rocks, bushes and trees to the sand table.
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Sand table zoo
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Sand table lesson

Treasure hunters
Science Materials * learning log copymaster (use page 52 as a cover sheet for a learning log) * sand table * bar magnets * magnetic items, such as various styles and shapes of refrigerator magnets, toy coins with adhesive magnetic strips glued to the backs and small metal toys * small plastic toys * sifters * magnifying glasses * play microphone * measuring cups, spoons and bowls * pretend news video camera * two plastic sand buckets
Bury small plastic and magnetic items in the sand at various depths.
Children hunt for treasure by sifting cups, bowls or spoonfuls of sand. If an object is found, they salvage it with their magnets. Label two buckets Treasure and Other to hold the days find. Children drop their magnetic artefacts into the bucket labelled Treasure and their nonmagnetic artefacts into the bucket labelled Other. Children use magnifying glasses to examine their treasure and pretend to determine each objects worth. For a higher-level activity, add marker pens and learning logs to the centre. Children draw pictures and make labels to create treasure reports to be printed in the newspaper. Children pretend to be newscasters and camera operators, and interview the treasure hunters for a television news item.
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a W ter table lesson

Ahoy, matey! Icebergs ahead!
Science Places Materials * learning log copymaster (use page 52 as a cover sheet for a learning log) * plastic containers of ice (with debris if desired) * map of the USA showing Alaska * globe * water table * toy ships and toy Arctic tundra land and water animals * strainers and small fishing nets * thermometer
Fill various containers with water and freeze them overnight. Add debris such as shells, twigs, pebbles, leaves, plastic lids, metal ring pulls and shredded paper to some of the containers before freezing. Display a globe and a world map in the centre. Help children identify the countries of the Arctic region on the map and on the globe. Children use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water in the water table. Add the icebergs to the water table, along with toy ships to float in the Arctic waters. Add sea and land animals native to the Arctic environment. Children act as environmentalists and decide what to do. Ask questions such as Can the debris stay or must it be removed? Allow children to determine how unwanted debris is to be removed. After the icebergs have melted, children can check the water temperature again with the thermometer and discuss any changes. For children who are ready, allow them to record the temperatures in their learning logs by drawing side-by-side pictures of the water without ice and with ice and annotate the pictures with the temperatures.
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As the icebergs melt, debris will be left in the water.
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Lets create
Art centre
One of the greatest drives human beings have is to express themselves. Young children are no exception. As children learn about line, shape, design, colour, texture and size, they not only experiment with concepts modelled during whole-group lessons but also express their own creative ideas. Childrens artistic investigations are often based on physical explorations, such as manipulating clay, finger painting or working with collage materials, all of which develop fine motor skills. In addition, early childhood is a time when children are developing their own imagination and multiple ways of looking at objects, materials and media. Integrating art in all areas of the curriculum helps to strengthen the young childs understanding of the concepts they are learning. Art and scienceArt develops science knowledge as children study line, number of extremities of animals and colour exploration, such as separation of light into the colours of the rainbow.
Art and musicWhen art and music are connected, children benefit doubly as both media encourage their ability toward self-expression and originality.
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The art centre provides children with time for free exploration and creative play with various media. The art centre also provides opportunities for children to make intercurricular connections and develop their ability to critique and appreciate fine art. The art centre is a fun place to work independently or in cooperation with others to develop and strengthen concepts and skills.
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Art and languageWhen art is connected to language, children develop vocabularies filled with interesting descriptive words and the ability to make comparisons between their artistic creations and nature. Children use language to describe the work of famous artists and how the art makes them feel.
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Art and mathsArt develops maths concepts as children explore depth, proportion, shape and size.
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Resources
finger paint and tempera paint watercolours and watercolour pencils brushes of various sizes clay and homemade dough sponges of various shapes and sizes various types of paper including fingerpaint paper stamps and stamp pads wallpaper samples fabric swatches and remnants scissors pencils, pens, markers, coloured pencils, crayons and chalk tape, glue sticks and glue bottles collage materials art prints art books about artists lives and work newspapers and magazines wool, ribbon, string and straws various colours of craft sticks and tongue depressors
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Art centre concepts overview

Cow-chalk scenesmoo! moo! Wool, ribbon and string painting Happy/sad watercolour scenes
Rainbows of our own
Visual arts
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Experiments with various colours, textures and shapes Creates 3-D structures/arrangements using concrete materials/ manipulatives Uses variety of basic art materials Knows names of basic colours Uses art to communicate ideas
Give me five prints
Artclassical style
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Sponge-it
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Rainbows of our own
Visual arts Dye small elbow macaroni the colours of the rainbow by placing 35 drops of food colouring and 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol in a resealable plastic bag. Discuss how colours which need to be made upfor example, purpleare made. Add the macaroni to each colour, seal the bag and shake it until the colour appears evenly distributed. Spread the macaroni on paper towels to dry. Children spread glue in a large arc on construction paper and position the coloured macaroni one arc at a time.
Artclassical style
Visual arts
Children paint to music using watercolours or tempera paint. Experiment with many different kinds of music and papers of different sizes. Watch in amazement at the variety of pictures that will be created.
Sponge-it
Visual Arts
Cut inexpensive sponges into cubes. Scrunch the bottom part of the sponge and squeeze it into a clothes peg to create a sponge-it paintbrush. Provide a variety of paper and various colours of finger paint for children to sponge paint designs or pictures. Model shape, numeral or letter sponges for children to use. Cut a slit in the back of each sponge, insert a craft stick to create a holder and glue it into position. When the glue has dried, children can use the different sponges to create collage scenes or spell words or names to label their work.
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Some children prefer the easel, while others prefer to sit and work at a table with a smaller sheet of paper. Childrens classics such as Peter and the wolf and the Peer Gynt suites are excellent for this centre activity. Children can listen to a low volume CD placed in the centre or use individual players with headphones.
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Give me five prints

Visual arts Place several paper towels in a shallow tray. Pour washable paint onto the paper towels, and give it time to soak in to create a paint stamp pad. Place a variety of paper sizes in the centre. Children press each of their hands onto the stamp pad and then make hand prints onto paper. When they have washed their hands, children can autograph their prints and display them.
W ool, ribbon and string painting

Visual arts
Show children how to carefully fold the left half of the paper over the string and press firmly. Children pull out the string by the tail and open the paper to examine the print left behind. When the paint dries, children can shade the background with crayons, draw pictures around the string imprint or glue cutout pictures to create a scene.
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With the sheet open, children select one of the lengths of wool, ribbon or string, dip three-quarters of it into a tray of paint and arrange the painted string on the right half of the paper, leaving a tail hanging off at the bottom.
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Place 2025-cm lengths of wool, narrow ribbon and string in the centre, along with white construction paper. Prefold the paper vertically and crease well.
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Art lesso n
Cow-chalk scenes Moo! Moo!
Visual Arts Materials: * buttermilk * bowls * paintbrushes * dark construction paper * pastel-coloured chalksome whole pieces and some broken in thirds Place a small amount of buttermilk in bowls at the centre. Children paint the construction paper with the buttermilk to cover the whole page.
When children are finished, working with a partner they can take turns to describe their cow-chalk scenes. Note: Buttermilk helps to prevent the chalk from rubbing off after the paper dries and it makes the colours brighter.
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Children use the coloured chalk to create scenes of their choice. Encourage them to draw with the tips of the whole pieces and with the sides of the smaller pieces. This creates different types of lines.
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Add paintbrushes, dark construction paper and pastel-coloured chalk.
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Art lesso n
Happy/sad watercolour scenes
Visual arts Materials: * flower copymaster (page 87) * two musical selectionsone upbeat and the other slow and sombre * CD player * paintbrushes * red, orange and yellow paint * blue, purple, brown and black paint Place the two musical selections in the centre. Explain that art, like music, can convey a mood.
As they listen to the happy music, children paint a scene of their choice or paint the flower, using only red, orange and yellow paint. Children listen to the slower, sombre music as they paint a picture or the flower, using only blue, purple, brown and black.
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When the paintings are dry, encourage children to compare the two scenes and talk about how each painting makes them feel.
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* drying rack or clothes line with clothes pegs
Flower
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Lets create
Music centre
It is important to model any songs and movement techniques with the whole group prior to children working in centres. Provide enough space in the centre so that children can sing and move safely. Whenever possible, children use rhythm instruments and props to accompany creative movement with music and to help them internalise the rhythm of the music. Use the following suggestions to increase the success of enjoyable, developmentally appropriate sound and movement explorations during music centre time.
Teaching a new song

Use a variety of the following methods to help children gradually learn a new song and be ready to sing it enthusiastically during centre time. Model it: Select a song or chant. Sing or play the recording of the whole selection at tempo all the way through as children need to hear language in its entirety. Then sing it all the way through again but, this time, sing it more slowly.
Unison: Children sing the whole song with you in unison.
Body percussion: As you sing the song, include rhythmic taps, pats or claps. By adding this movement, children are more actively involved with the song, so the learning is strengthened.
Adding movement to music

Adding movement activities to music is always a favourite with young children. There are two types of basic body movements. The first includes movements performed in a stationary position, such as pushing and pulling, swinging and swaying, twisting, turning, bending, rising up or falling downward. The second includes movements that take a child from one place to another, such as walking, running, hopping, sliding, jumping, leaping, galloping and skipping. Both types of basic body movements can be performed to the beat of the music and add fun and energy to the musical exploration. It is important to adapt movements to the age of the children and to the special needs of individual class members. An excellent way to determine movement activities that are appropriate for your children is to first observe them at play. In this setting, children will use movements that are developmentally appropriate. When initiating movement activities that you will encourage children to use on their own during centre time, start by having each child find a space and remain in it during the movement exploration. Circles of yarn or string, hula hoops placed flat on the floor or areas marked with chalk or tape can define each childs personal space. In time, remove the assigned spaces and ask small groups of children to take turns performing the movement activity for the class. In this way, young children will develop self-control, understand my place in space, and be better prepared to enjoy their musical experiences during centre time.
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Using learning centres to expose children to music helps develop their ability to listen for sound and rhythm which are the essential components of music and speech. Children are more likely to hear sounds in words when they can listen for, identify, discriminate and create sounds, sound patterns, rhythm and rhythm patterns. These experiences will help develop childs phonological and phonemic awareness.
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Call and response: Sing one line of the song, and children sing the next line. Continue in this way until you have sung the whole song.
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Echo chant: Listen to the song in short segments and encourage children to echo the words. Small portions are easier for children to store in short-term memory. Pick out familiar or repeated parts of the song (rhythm patterns) and cue children when it is time to join in with the music.
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Rhythm Instruments drumscoffee tins or cylinders covered with coloured paper and sealed with adhesive tape rhythm stickspainted wooden dowels, unsharpened pencils or chopsticks rhythm shakersmargarine tubs or plastic water bottles filled with rice, dried beans, aquarium gravel or sand and sealed with adhesive tape handbellsbells glued on craft sticks wrist and ankle bellsbells sewn on elastic bands
Inexpensive Music Centre Props long, silky scarves ribbons of various sizes tied to wooden dowels or unsharpened pencils crepe-paper streamers hula hoops peacock feathers hats or caps capes made from fabric scraps or towels Other materials CD players and musical CDs class and professionally recorded tape recorder multicultural music and instruments
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Music centre concepts overview

The singing scarf Washboard band Sing-a-song bag Rah-rah boogie
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Musical arts Sings simple familiar songs Plays with a variety of musical instruments Echoes short rhythms and melodic patterns Responds to the tempo and rhythm of music Responds to music through purposeful movement
classical music
books to sing and read
String action
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Be the wave
Mirror me!
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The singing scarf
Musical arts This is a fun vocal warm-up exercise. Put a silky, chiffon scarf on the floor. Children begin singing with a low Ahhhhh sound. Pick up the scarf and slowly lift it into the air. Children slide their voices higher as the scarf is elevated. When the scarf is at its highest point, children are singing at their highest tone. Then, slowly and gradually lower the scarf to the ground as the children slide their voices downward to the beginning tone. In this way children will discover the full range of their voices. Encourage children to take turns leading the singing scarf during centre time.
Musical arts
Children can use markers to decorate their washboard instruments. Play a recording of rhythmic music, and have some children at the centre ready to dance and others ready to play. Let the old-fashioned centre time fun begin!
String action
Musical arts Children create individual guitars using different-sized open boxes and rubber bands of varying lengths and thickness. Children stretch the bands over the open boxes and then pluck the guitar strings to investigate how the vibrations create sound. Ask them to consider questions such as Do the strings on the long boxes sound like the strings on the shorter ones? or What happens if you change from using thin to thick rubber bands? Bring in a real guitar. Tighten and loosen the strings so children can hear the different tones. Talk about the different sounds the guitar makes. Provide smooth flowing guitar music available for children to listen to as they join in with their own guitars.
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Recycle corrugated cardboard to create washboard instruments. Use a hole punch to place two holes in the top of a 25 x 30 cm piece of cardboard. Insert enough string to create a strap that will allow the instrument to hang loosely on the chest of the performer. The corrugated part of the cardboard must be exposed in order to get a musical sound. Then, cut a 10 cm circular pick, and tie it to the instrument with another length of string.
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Mirror me!
Musical arts Place a full-length mirror in the music centre. Add a CD player and a musical recording of soft, smooth flowing music. Children practise making slow, sustained movements in front of the mirror as the music plays. Encourage them to carefully watch their mirrored image. Pair children so that one child is the leader and the other is the mirror. Play the music again, and let them try mirroring each others slowmotion movements, taking turns being the leader and the mirror.
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Be the wave
Musical arts
Place classical or New Age musicmusic with added ocean sound effects also works welland scarves or ribbon streamers in the centre. Children play the musical CD on low volume and use the scarves and their arms to become the ocean waves ebbing and flowing with the sound of the music.
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Musical arts
Rah-rah boogie
Rah-rahs are miniature pompoms. To make these, cut red and green tissue into 2-cm wide coloured tissue strips. Staple lots of red strips onto one craft stick and lots of green strips onto another. Place rah-rahs and boogiewoogie music in the centre. Children hold red rah-rahs in their right hands and green rah-rahs in their left hands. Children alternate holding up their left and right hands, shaking the appropriate rah-rah while moving to the boogie-woogie beat.
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Mu s i c l e s son
Sing-a-song bag
Musical arts Materials: * Old MacDonald cut-out props (pages 9394) * tape recorder * crayons or markers * tape or glue * craft sticks Make a transparency of the Old MacDonald song sheet. Sing it with the children until they have memorised the words. Record the children singing the song. * Old MacDonald had a farm song sheet (page 95) * blank cassette tape * scissors * lunch-size paper bags
Make enough copies of the barn setting and the song character props for each child at the centre. Children colour and cut out the barn and glue it to a similar sized box to create a setting for the song. Children colour and cut out the song props and glue or tape each one to a craft stick. Children play their class-made tape on a low volume and use their displayed song props while singing the verses in sequence before dropping each character into the box while singing along with the tape.
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Make a larger-sized bag setting from an enlarged version of the barn, a grocery bag and enlarged character props glued to paint sticks. Place all of the props inside the setting bag and place it at the listening centre.
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Place the tape in the centre. Once children are familiar with the song, they are ready for this fun sing and sequence activity.
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Old MacDonalds barn

Colour the barn. Cut it out. Glue it to a cardboard box.
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Old MacDonald characters

Colour the characters. Cut them out. Glue each character to a craft stick.
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Old MacDonald had a farm

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O. And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O. With a moo, moo here, And a moo, moo there, Here a moo, there a moo, Everywhere a moo, moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
Dogwoof, woof
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Duckquack, quack
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Pigoink, oink
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Literacy learning centres

Introduction
Literacy learning centres provide an opportunity for all children to engage in meaningful literacy-building activities that enrich their skill development and understanding. During literacy centres time the teacher works with small groups or individuals pulled from the various centres, or he or she can be a centre that children visit. Literacy learning centres, which may be open-ended or task-specific, are to: provide opportunities to pretend read, begin to read, listen to taped stories and poems or read along with such recordings allow time drawing pictures and then writing about the drawings and to speak and listen to their friends support the development, review or extension of early reading For the teacher, literacy learning centres:
support the learning which occurs in small-group or guided-reading time.
provide a meaningful way to differentiate experiences, accommodate different learning styles and build childrens self-esteem as they experience success can evolve from whole-group, small-group and individual activities. For example, after reading a big book, place it in the big book centre. After singing a song, place the taped version in the poetry and song centre. This method of centre development allows children to use familiar centre materials. As a result, the teacher has time to work uninterrupted with small groups or individuals.
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Each of the following literacy centre areas can contain several centres with multiple activities. The activities can be cumulative to provide children with unlimited chances to practise and master the skills. Lets listen!
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Lets read!
Lets learn letters and words
Lets write!
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Listening post centre
Reading centre
ABC and word work centre Writing and illustrating centre
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reinforce existing alphabet/phonics instruction and language development programmes
Lets listen!
Children benefit from listening to familiar stories on tape, hearing nursery rhymes and reading along with a recorded voice. They hear fluent reading with expression and attempt to make their voices sound exactly like the taped voice. In doing so, they begin to develop an ear for what expressive, fluent reading sounds like. Children also develop the ability to listen for rhyme, alliteration and onomatopoeia as they listen to songs, chants and poems. This helps children to develop phonemic awareness, a precursor to success in phonics instruction and reading ability.
How centres help

Centres provide children with numerous listening activities to participate in within a given time. Many teachers find it helpful to for children to use individual CD players instead of all plugging in to a common listening centre device. This way, children can choose what they want to hear and when they want to hear it instead of having to go along with a selection that may not interest them.
Resources
individual CD players and headphones crayons, markers, paper and scissors story response journals magic write-on, lift-off slates with stylus follow-the-directions recordings read-along books with accompanying CDs
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Listening post concepts overview
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class-made songs, nursery rhymes, poems and story tapes
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recordings of big books read by the whole class classical music CDs multicultural music CDs with theme-specific or culture-specific stories camping chairs, beanbag chairs, carpet squares and other comfy places to sit and listen rhythm band instruments
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Name that sound We made that!
The hit parade, part 2
Sound effects stories
The hit parade
Listening and speaking Knows words are made up of sounds Listens to a variety of genres Listens for a variety of purposes Knows the source of a variety of sounds Retells the sequence of a story
Listen and tell

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Name that sound
Listening and speaking Record a number of common school sounds and photograph someone or something making each sound. Place the tape and a file of the photographs in the centre. Children listen to the sound, turn off the recording, find the matching photograph and then continue listening to the recording until all pictures have been matched to the recorded sounds. Try the following fun examples: a child coughing, the school bell ringing, the toilet flushing, water running, the teacher sneezing, the principal saying, Good morning, boys and girls, children playing on the playground and a stack of blocks being knocked down.
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The hit parade part 1
Listening and speaking
Record an assortment of age-appropriate favourite songs, poems, nursery rhymes, finger plays or skipping jingles as an aid to teaching the selections to the class. Place the recording with the text in a resealable plastic bag in the listening centre. Children can sing along with favourite songs and rhymes, moving to the beat of the music or the rhythm of the words. For those who are ready, encourage following the text as they listen.
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W made that! e
Listening and speaking Record the class reading a class-made book to which all children have contributed. Store the book and recording in a resealable plastic bag. A fun book to make is one based on the old song Mary wore her red dress, adapted by Merle Peek. Children can write and illustrate pages about something they are wearing. Make a class recording of children singing their pages; for example, Dan wore his brown trousers all day long, Gina wore her black shoes all day long or Mazin wore her pink ribbons all day long.
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The hit parade part 2

Listening and speaking Another favourite activity is to read and sing along with picture books inspired by songs. For example: Mama dont allow by Thacher Hurd Cat goes fiddle-i-fee by Paul Galdone The itsy, bitsy spider by Iza Trapani Skip to my lou and Peanut butter and jelly by Nadine Westcott. Children can make a class book based on the text of the picture book and song. Bind their book and record them performing it.
Listen and tell

Provide recorded stories and the books for children to listen to and follow. Create a felt board with the characters or items from the story, each backed with felt. Place the book, recording and felt props in a resealable plastic bag. When children have listened to the story, they use the felt board and props to tell the story in their own words. Some may be able to record their thoughts about the story on the Heres what I think! worksheet on page 100. Alternatively, prepare a number of copies of the Heres what I think sheet for all of the stories, adding the title and author. Children just complete the assessment section and draw a picture.
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Sound-effect stories
Read aloud a story with lots of action; for example, Too much noise by Ann McGovern, in which the bed creaks, the floor squeaks and the leaves swish. Record the story as you read it, and pause at each point in the story when a good sound effect would be appropriate. Place the tape in the centre for children to play on a low volume, adding the sound effects with their voices or percussion instruments at the appropriate time.
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Children can listen to and follow their own personalised songs and storybooks during centres.
Heres what I think!

Name Title Author I think this book is Date
Great
Okay
Not for me
Here is a picture from the story.
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Lets read!
Reading centre
Reading is a developmental process at which children become more proficient over time and with practice. Children need to read and be read to every day. They need to use the background knowledge they bring to the reading experience, along with their vocabulary knowledge and their understanding of word order and grammar, to aid their ability to read independently. To provide children with all they need to launch into the reading process, model reading with expression, read from all genres and make materials available for them to pretend reading what has been read to them. Provide a comfortable area for quiet reading time in the library centre. Reading does not occur just in books, so display charts, post directions and instructions with print and rebus drawings and label objects in the classroom. To read independently, children must conquer the alphabetic code. Hearing sounds in words is the basis of phonemic awareness and eventual sound/symbol recognition. Research supports that our brains seek patterns and relate to sound and rhythm patterns created by language and song. Short rhymes, songs, picture books, alphabet books, poetry and patterned, predictable books use rhythm, rhyme and repetition to help to teach sound/symbol connections, phonics and invented spelling. In addition, they provide opportunities for responding to literature.
Stage
Emergent reader characteristics
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Children develop as readers in stages. The following chart describes the characteristics and needs of emergent readers in early childhood. Emergent reader needs print-rich environment where independent reading is scaffolded and encouraged many opportunities to hear rich literature being read aloud by teachers, visitors, older children and reading buddies or in recorded stories many opportunities to respond to literature in different ways using rhythm, rhyme, art, music and drama participation in shared, modelled and interactive reading and writing systematic and explicit instruction which always focuses on meaning and is connected to meaningful reading opportunitiessongs, poems, chants, books, environmental print and picture-noun (familiar words) word walls.
imitates reading-like behaviours learned from observing reading styles of teachers, parents or siblings begins to discover the connection between oral and written language Emergent reader uses his or her own language to tell a story but uses text from books previously read begins to discover that he or she can read the same words in many different formats and books
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enjoys being read to and will often ask to hear the same story over and over
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The activities you place at centres will help children to identify, reproduce and create sounds and rhythms in a fun, game-like atmosphere to develop their reading skills and strategies. As they experience familiar literature, they listen to and speak the text and read, chant or sing the words. Once modelled in large-group and small-group time, all of these activities and skills can be extended, practised, and practised again in developmentally-appropriate ways during the reading centre literacy centre time.
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How centres help
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Resources
tape recorder/player blank cassette tapes books, poems and songs on tape pointers of various sizes, shapes, lengths and themes Super specsplay reading glasses in various sizes and shapes big books, magazines, newspapers and picture books emergent-level booksfiction, nonfiction and theme-related comfy pillows, chairs and pads bookcases, boxes and tubs small wading pool bookmarks StikkiClips letter/word hunt sticks (page 104) paper, pencils, crayons, markers and glue construction paper, self-stick notes, index cards and notepads computer and appropriate software applications songs and poem charts pocket chart with story, poem and song sentence/word/picture strips magnetic board/flannel board with magnetic/ flannel story characters/props picture/letter/word games and puzzles decorated book boxes for storing books by readability
Reading centre concepts overview
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Poetry and song centre
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Left-right chairs Big book centre
Reading skills and strategies Knows the difference between letters, numbers and words Knows print and written symbols convey meaning Understands pictures/illustrations convey meaning Knows the proper way to handle books Knows print is read from left to right, top to bottom, and front to back Knows letters of the alphabet Knows familiar words in print Uses emergent reading skills to read a story Knows books have titles, authors and illustrators Uses pictures and print to aid comprehension Uses basic elements of phonetic analysis (to decode) Understands level-appropriate sight words and vocabulary Reads aloud familiar stories, poems and songs Knows the sequence of events
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Read-the-room centre
Pockets chart stories
Left-right chairs
Reading skills and strategies Help children to improve reading fluency with this activity. Place two child-size chairs side by side and tie them together with a ribbon. Hang a pair of traced and decorated hands from the bow. Label the left hand left-hand chair and the right hand right-hand chair. For fun, paint the fingernails of the paper hands and add pictures of jewellery to them. In a magazine rack place a number of familiar-patterned and predictable books that children know. Sitting on the chairs, two children hold each side of a selected book with the one on the right turning the pages. The child on the left reads all left-hand pages and the one on the right reads all right-hand pages.
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Poetry and song centre
Reading skills and strategies Place the text of favourite poetry and songs in decorated boxes or bins. Include famous works of poetry, nursery rhymes and child-created poems. Place audio recordings of text in the centre for children to follow as they listen.
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When the reading is complete, children swap places and read the book again.
Big book centre

Reading skills and strategies After reading a favourite big book during group time, place it in the centre along with a pair of super specs and a pointer. Children can take turns being the teacher while others act as the readers.
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Pocket chart stories

Reading skills and strategies Make a transparency or chart using the One, two, buckle my shoe rhyme on page 105 or select another familiar poem or song. Teach the rhyme to the children until it is almost memorised. Write the verses on sentence strips. Use cutout shapes or the rebus drawings on pages 106107 to illustrate the lines of the verses on separate cards. Place the lines of text in sequence in a pocket chart. Children read the familiar rhyme line by line, point-tracking the text as modelled by the teacher, and place the appropriate picture cards next to each line. Until children are ready for text, they can sequence the picture cards in the pocket chart and say the verse from memory.
Read-the-room centre
Reading skills and strategies
Place clipboards with coloured copy paper, marker pens, super specs and a set of letter or word cards with letter/ word hunt sticks in the centre.
Children select a letter or word card, and clip it in the letter/word hunt stick. They then track print on word walls, big books or poem and song charts to spy the target letter or word. When the text is found, children use the marker pens and attempt to write the letter or word on paper attached to the clipboard. Include a decorated stick or magic wand, to make fun pointers for reading the room.
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To make a letter/word hunt stick, glue a wiggly eye on the end of a craft stick. On the reverse side, behind the eye, affix a StikkiClip.
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One, two, buckle my shoe

One, two, Buckle my shoe. Three, four,
Five, six,
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Seven, eight, Lay them straight. Nine, ten, A big fat hen.
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Pick up sticks.
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105
Shut the door.
One, two buckle my shoe cutout shapes
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6 7 8 10 6 7 8 9 10
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One, two buckle my shoe rebus cards
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Lets learn letters and words!
ABC and word work centre
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Children in the ABC and word work centre practise the alphabet, play with letter and sound associations, learn words that are common and important in their lives and begin to create an awareness of high-frequency words in a relaxed, risk-free atmosphere through games, songs and fun activities. Centre opportunities provide greater levels of practice than are possible in the whole-group setting, meaning that children have more chances to develop their own understanding. Also, the centre practice experiences provide children with multiple chances to use what they have learned in meaningful ways.
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Jingles, chants and dramatisations increase recall, especially for English-language learners and dyslexic children. Avoid rule-laden programme activities in which children memorise and then recall rules on demand to facilitate word recognition. The human brain functions by detecting patterns rather than by memorising and implementing. Young childrens work in phonics should begin with basic elements such as sound-letter matching, and gradually move into more complex and subtle elements.
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The ABC and word work centre helps to develop phonemic and phonological awareness, facilitate letter and word recognition and enhance phonics instruction. Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that each word is made up of specific sounds, and phonological awareness is the ability to manipulate the sounds of language. For children to develop these skills, they need repeated opportunities to listen to and play with language. Young children are ready for phonics or sound/letter pairing when they have some phonemic and letter awareness and can recognise a core of consonants. Letter/word recognition is critical to both the reading and writing processes. Letter/word awareness activities help children quickly recognise specific letters and words and develop their automaticity and fluency. Research supports the need for children to master basic skills at the automaticity level so they can focus on their comprehension of what they read.
Resources
letter cardscapital and lowercase sets alphabet stamps and stamp pads self-stick notes craft sticks and paint paddles magnetic letters and magnetic boards pencils, crayons, markers, staplers and glue construction paper, index cards and notepads lined and unlined paper assortment of file folder, box and plastic bag alphabet games alphabet puzzles picture-noun cards thematic illustrated word charts portable or individual word wall folders
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Menthol-fresh letters
ABC and word concepts ove work rview

Touch, see and say tray
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Letter mosaics Letter patterns Magic letter
Paper plate match-up
Letter treasure chest
Letter rubbings
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Reading and writing skills and strategies Knows letters of the alphabet Understands pictures/illustrations convey meaning Knows print and written symbols convey meaning Uses phonetic knowledge Uses forms of emergent writing
Word sort time

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Print-friendly
Which bin?
Roll on
Letter rubbings
Reading and writing skills and strategies Take one set of alphabet cards and trace over each letter with glue. Allow the glue to dry. Children place newspaper sheets on top of the alphabet cards and rub them with the sides of wax crayons. Magically, the letters are revealed! With their eyes closed, children can trace the letters with their fingers as they say each letters name or make its sound.
Reading and writing skills and strategies Write large capital letters on individual paper plates. Make an identical set of letters on small cards. Nominate one child at the centre as the caller.
The caller places the letter cards facedown on the floor or table. All other children at the centre select one paper plate each.
Children work together to name as many things as they can that start with the sound of the identified letter. The game continues until all cards have been drawn and all plates have been rolled and identified.
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The caller draws a letter from the pool and says its name. The child with that letter stands and rotates the plate in a circle. As he or she spins the plate around, the rest of the group quietly sing the song to the right to the tune of The farmer in the dell.
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Print-friendly
Reading and writing skills and strategies Ask children to bring in cardboard packaging from products such as cake mixes, crackers, cereals, toothpaste and drink mixes. Cut the front panel from the package and place it in a plastic sleeve. Store the sleeves in a ring binder. Make a set of small letter cards for any target letters previously introduced. Children choose a letter card and attach it to a letter/ word hunt stick see page 104. Children hunt for that letter on each piece of print in the binder.
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Roll on
Menthol-fresh letters
Reading and writing skills and strategies Write a few target letters on index cards, and place them in a pocket chart at the centre. Squirt paraben-free, menthol shaving cream in a plastic or metal tray. Each child selects one letter from the chart and writes it in the shaving cream as he or she says the letters name or sound. When ready to try a different letter, children use three fingers to spread the foam ready to start again. Remind children to keep their hands away from their faces during this activity and to clean their hands immediately after completion.
Letter mosaics
Reading and writing skills and strategies Read aloud to the class a fun alphabet story, such as On Market Street by Arnold Lobel.
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Letter patterns
Reading and writing skills and strategies
Place alphabet stamps, various colour stamp pads and cardboard strips in the centre. Children select two or three stamps to create an alphabet pattern card. When the cards are finished, children work with partners to read the two- or three-member patterns and tell which letter would come next. For example, in the pattern APB, APB, AP, B would be next. For younger children, place premade alphabet pattern cards at the centre for them to finish.
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Each week, place large 1520-cm cardboard letters and a variety of collage materials in the centre. Children decorate their own letters using the materials. If possible, each could be decorated with materials or pictures of things beginning with its sound. When all the letters have been introduced to the class, and A to Z are finished, children at the centre can take the letters, line them up in order on the floor and sing the alphabet song. The letters can be stored in alphabetical order in individual plastic sleeves and kept in a ring binder. When the activity is no longer practised, the letters can be glued onto sheets of paper, ordered alphabetically and bound into a class-made alphabet book.
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Magic letter
Reading and writing skills and strategies In this activity, children explore substituting sounds in words. Make a set of letter cards and place the card with the focus letter on a small tabletop easel. It now becomes the magic letter. Place one set of class name cards in the centre. Children at the centre take the name cards and place them facedown on the floor or a table. Each child draws a card, identifies the name and then says it again by substituting the real beginning sound with the magic letters sound. For example, on Magic M day, children would change Sara to Mara, Pablo to Mablo or Jeremy to Meremy. The game continues until all of the name cards have been made magic.
Encourage children to say the name of the letter as they write it. For children who are ready, place word cards in the centre.
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Children select a card and practise writing the letter in the salt with their fingertips. As they write in the salt, the shiny foil appears.
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Cover the bottom of shallow trays with aluminium foil. Cut to fit, and glue the foil to the tray. Cover the tray with a thin coating of salt. (Tell children not to eat the salt or rub it in their eyes.) Place a small set of letter cards in the centre.
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T ouch, see and say tray
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Run through all of the names with the magic letter of the week to identify any possibilities of inappropriate language or name-calling.
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For younger children, glue a picture to their name cards for quick identification.
Paper plate match-up

Reading and writing skills and strategies Cut 26 inexpensive, flat paper plates in half. On each of 26 halves, write a capital letter of the alphabet. Cut the remaining halves in half. On each of 26 quarters, write a lowercase letter. On the remaining 26 quarters, glue a picture that begins with each letters sound. When choosing pictures for the vowel letters, use short vowel sound pictures. Place the pieces for six to seven alphabet letters in resealable plastic bags to create various sets for children to play with (26 plates in a bag are too many pieces to manage). To play the game, children sort the pieces into capital letters, lowercase letters and pictures. Children select the half pieces and lay them out on the floor. Then they find the matching lowercase letter pieces and matching picture-sound pieces to complete the paper plate match-ups.
Make a collection of toys and other small objects that begin with the target sounds; for example, pig, penny or purse for p. Randomly arrange the objects for all target sounds at the centre, and place the bins in a row. Children select objects, identify them, say the beginning sound and place them in the appropriate letter bins. Children repeat this process until all objects are in the appropriate containers. Add new letter bins each week, or just add one more each week, and remove the letters children have mastered. When children can sort by beginning sounds, they can then sort by ending sounds. Photograph all of the items and print two copies of each. Mount the photographs on card and write the name of the item underneath. Highlight the initial letter on one copy and the final letter on the other. Sort the photographs by initial and final sound and place in an envelope in the matching bin for children to self-check their work.
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Select target letters, and collect a plastic bin for each one. Make a set of alphabet cards to match the target letters and use transparent tape to attach each card to a bin.
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Which bin?
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Letter treasure chest

Reading and writing skills and strategies Create a treasure chest by using glue to attach colourful craft supplies such as beads, sequins, tissue paper and ribbon to a box. Place alphabet blocks with selected target letters in the treasure chest. Let children know that these blocks are the treasure. Place the chest along with various alphabet books at the centre. Children select a treasure from the chest, identify a letter on one of the blocks faces and find the matching letter page in an alphabet book. Once they find the matching page, children name all of the pictures on the page that start with the treasure letter.
t ou t sor rds witthr a rd o te Wo e W the le n h Be ht wit a ds er r y Wo lett h rem a Je nn Ha rys n Ce a Ry es Jam d avi D las ico N
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Each time children visit the centre, change the categories on the T-chart. For example, one week the categories could be words with the letter a and words without the letter a and another week, the categories could be words with 3 letters and words with more than 3 letters.
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Select common or high-frequency words from the word wall and write each word on a small index card. Alternatively, childrens names could be used. Copy the Word sort T-chart on page 115, laminate it and place it in the centre with the word or name cards.
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boy sat
W ord sort time
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Wo sw rd ith lett sor ers three t Wo cat tha rds w nt i hre th mo e le the re thi tters wh gir l s at
Wo rd
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Word sort
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Lets write!
Writing is about communication. Being able to share ones ideas through drawings and writing is a powerful and motivating experience for children. Writing is a developmental process that children become more proficient at over time and with practice. Childrens initial attempts are often through drawings, but in time they progress to include words and sentences. It is important to childrens academic development and self-esteem to value every stage of the process. Children need opportunities to express themselves through writing every day, from the first day of school to the last! Provide children with a variety of writing experiences to support the following writing stages and help scaffold their learning.
Use of developing knowledge of soundsymbol correspondence to label their drawings.
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Extension of scribbles into character-like and letter-like formations.
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Communication through their drawings.

Developmentally appropriate activities enrich childrens writing skills and provide them with a desire to write and communicate with others. During centre time, children can write names, lists, notes, stories, poems and songs. They can create labels for their drawings, art projects and block constructions. Children can also write letters and invitations to family members and friends, make name placecards for creative dramatics, create menus and take pretend restaurant food orders.
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Addition of scribbles to imitate writing they see.
Creation of letter strings.
Writing that can be recognised by others.
Writing stages
The following chart describes the characteristics and needs of emergent writers in early childhood.
Stage
Emergent writer characteristics draws pictures to write stories uses scribbling, symbol writing or letter strings in early writing attempts understands that talk can be written down, but may not understand how the process works begins to use left-to-right directional movement
Emergent writer needs many opportunities to hear literature from all genres read aloud to develop writing models and structures opportunities to dictate experiences to see their oral language in print daily opportunities to hear songs, poems, and chants as models for writing
begins to participate in frame or variety of writing instruments and structured writing, using common syntax papers patterns or frames for his or her writing
Resources
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lined and unlined paper paper in all colours, sizes, textures and shapes greeting cards, postcards, stationery junk mail, and nonpersonalised cheques and deposit slips various types of markers, pens, pencils, crayons, coloured pencils and chalk blank shape books typewriter and computer station letter- and larger-sized envelopes alphabet cards, alphabet stamps, character stamps and stamp pads clipboards class or theme-related word banksbe sure each word is illustrated with a rebus drawing stickers, stencils and cutout shapes alphabet, sight word and colour word reference charts individual writing folders
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begins to choose his or her own writing topics
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to use those skills to invent spellings, especially with consonants
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Emergent writer
numerous whole- and smallgroup modelled and shared writing often tells his or her writing to others to opportunities read it begins to develop phonemic awareness daily opportunities to self-select topics, write and share writing and letter recognition skills, and begins instruction on phonemic awareness and letter recognition skills
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Writing and il lustrating centre concepts overview

The Once upon a time story box
My draw and tell news journal
Character stamp stories
Clay dough story starter
Knows pictures and writing communicate meaning and information Uses drawing to express ideas Dictates stories, poems and personal narratives Knows letters of the alphabet
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Writing skills and strategies
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Uses knowledge of letters to write or copy familiar words Uses emergent writing skills Applies rudimentary rules of grammar Uses phonetic knowledge Uses conventions of print
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Knows sequence of events Knows elements that compose a story Uses descriptive words to convey ideas
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Thumb-body special
Writing folder station
Developing journals
Shape book stories
Clay snake letters
Snake letters
Writing skills and strategies Prepare dough from one of the recipes on page 124. Place large, laminated alphabet cards, plastic knives and the dough at the centre. Children roll the dough into snakes and cut them into pieces to place onto the straight and curved lines of the laminated letters. They trace the dough letters with their fingertips. Provide unlined paper and crayons for children who are ready to try to write the letters.
Children roll out the dough and use cutters to cut the dough into various shapes and characters. They use the figures in stories they tell, draw or write about, depending on their levels of development.
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Prepare dough from one of the recipes on page 124. Provide old laminated charts to use as dough work mats, cookie cutters, rolling pins, unlined paper, pencils, markers and crayons.
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Dough story starter
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Writing folder station

Writing skills and strategies Give each child a folder to be used for storing writing samples. Provide a range of art and craft materials such as stickers, stamps, gel pens, glitter pens or puffy paint pens for children to decorate their folders. Gluing a favourite photograph from home on the front cover can personalise the folders and make it easier for children to find their own folders in the storage box.
Shape book stories
Character stamp stories

Writing skills and strategies Children stamp scenes on drawing paper. Depending on their stage and writing, children can describe, label or write stories based on the scenes they have created.
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Writing skills and strategies Use blank books shaped in different waysfor example like apples, cars or bearsto inspire childrens writing. Children write stories or facts using their emergent writing skills.
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Writing skills and strategies Staple sheets of unlined paper together with a construction paper cover to create a journal for each child. Children attach a copy of My draw and tell news journal (from page 125) to the cover. This type of journal provides children of all learning levels with an opportunity to view themselves as writers because they can draw pictures as a form of written communication and then talk about their drawings. Children learn about letter and sound connections; encourage them to label their pictures with letter strings, words, phrases and then sentences. Children can write about exciting events in their lives that they would normally share during daily news or their sharing times. They may write about something happening in their neighbourhood, positive news from home, family events, birthdays, something they saw on television, or just any news they wish to share with other children at the centre.
Developing journals
Stock the writing centre with journals made from sheets of unlined paper with construction paper covers. Vary the type of entry from week to week. They may be theme-specificfor example, The ocean; storytimespecificfor example, responding to literature; content-specificfor example, relating to maths or science. Children can draw, use stickers, rubber stamps and stamp pads, or cutout shapes, and include as much print as they can generate to describe their learning.
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Allow children to take their journals home at the end of each week or use them periodically over time and send them home when completed.
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121
Writing le sson
Once upon a time story box
Writing skills and strategies Materials: * decorated crate or special box labelled The once upon a time story box * story props such as a ball, toy drum, dolls, stuffed animals, magic wand and a magic hat Model how to use the items in the Once upon a time story box to make up a story. Children take turns to choose items from the story box and make up and tell a story that always begins with, Once upon a time Theme-specific stories Place items from a current theme in the box to encourage children to tell a story based on the topic of study. Recorded stories Record the children making up and sharing their stories. Place the recorder in the listening centre for others to enjoy. Write your own story To inspire writing, display the props used in the childrens stories and encourage them to use word banks, the word wall and invented spelling to write their own versions of Once upon a time. . .
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Writing le sson
Thumb-body special
Writing skills and strategies Materials: * coloured and white copy paper * towelettes or moistened paper towels * stapler * stamp pads * markers, crayons or coloured pencils
Children or a scribe can write the following frame on their books. On each of the four white pages: I can On the last page: I am .
When books are completed, children can read their Thumb-body special stories to one another.
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After the frame text is written, each child uses the stamp pad to ink his or her thumb and place it on all five pages. After towelling thumbs clean, children use markers, crayons or coloured pencils to show their thumbbodies doing the activities described in the text.
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Place the step books at the centre. Children think of four things they can do well. With the help of a scribe or using their sound-symbol knowledge, children complete the sentences and write their names on the last line. For example, I am Jeremy, thumb-body special!
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, thumb-body special!
Ahead of time, prepare enough five-page step books for each child at the centre. To make a five-page book you will need one sheet of coloured construction paper and two sheets of unlined white paper. Make a pencil mark on the side of each sheet, 2.5 cm from the top. Bring the bottom of one white sheet (sheet 1) up to its pencil mark and fold. Lie sheet 1 on the second white sheet (sheet 2) with the top of the page in line with the pencil mark. Bring the bottom of sheet 2 up and fold it where it meets the fold of sheet 1. Lie the two sheets on top of the construction paper with the top of sheet 1 in line with the pencil mark. Bring the bottom of the construction sheet up and fold where it meets the folds of sheet 1 and 2. Staple the sheets together at the folds.
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Make-it-yourself dough
Recipe #1 1 cup baking soda cup cornflour cup water
(add food colouring, if desired)
Mix soda, cornflour and water in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens. Cool on waxed paper and knead dough until smooth. Store unused dough in a resealable plastic bag in a cool place.
Make-it-yourself dough
2 cups flour cup salt 2 cups water
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Mix all ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture forms a ball. Cool on waxed paper and knead dough until smooth. Store unused dough in a resealable plastic bag in a cool place.
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Recipe #2 6 teaspoons cream of tartar 3 tablespoons oil
(add food colouring, if desired)
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By
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125
T h e m e l e a r n i n g c e nt r e s
Introduction
During a theme, materials at all centre areas are more specific and tied directly to the theme. Theme centres can be useful to develop and extend core knowledge in a unit of study. They can incorporate all of the centre types introduced in developmental and literacy centres. Theme centres may occur every week, every month or whenever a special interest develops. The following section includes suggestions and graphic organisers to use when planning a theme, and activity ideas for incorporating centres into a sample theme.
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Planning a theme
A theme is taught over time. It may consist of one unit of study that is multi-day or week-long, but often a theme may have several units that are all tied together. Study the curriculum objectives to determine what to cover in the theme. Look at your available materials and the activities you want children to participate in. Decide which are better suited to whole-group instruction and which would be better suited to small-group or individual participation. Integrate the small-group or individual activities into centre time. Keep noisier, more active choices for developmental centres and use activities that address literacy skills for the less active, more focused literacy centres. Store all materials for a theme together in one area of the room or in one container. Place each unit of study in a folder, in its own jumbo resealable plastic bag, or in snap-on lid containers that can be stacked when not in use.
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Lets explore! Math centre: Science centre: Lets make, mix and measure! Block centre: Sand and water table:
www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications
Graphic organisers are valuable tools for planning a project and they also provide documentary evidence of planning. The organisers on the following pages will help you to: plan a theme designate objectives to be accomplished by the children gather materials
Developmental centre ideas and activities

Lets imagine! Housekeeping/dramatic play:
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Puppets:
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create an overview of expected achievements from the theme. Use the organisers on pages 128130 to plan for the goals of an overall theme.
Theme:
Lets create! Art centre:
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Use the developmental centre and literacy centre webs on pages 131132 to record specific activities and what you want children to accomplish in each of the centres. Use the centre planning sheet on page 133 for any additional centre to demonstrate how activities are connected to the curriculum outcomes.
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Music centre:
131
127
Theme: Learning area: Strand: Objectives:
Songs/poems/finger plays
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Materials and activities
Story book read-alouds
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Cooking/special events
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Big books
Theme:
Art centre
Music centre
Block centre
Housekeeping/dramatic play
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Puppets
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Sand and water table
129
Theme:
Maths centre
Science centre
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Reading centre
Developmental centre ideas and activities

Lets explore! Maths centre: Lets imagine! Housekeeping/dramatic play:
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Lets make, mix and measure! Block centre:
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Theme: Lets create! Art centre:
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Sand and water table: Music centre:
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Science centre:
Puppets:
Literacy centre ideas and activities

Lets listen! Listening post centre: Lets read! Reading centre:
Theme:
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Lets learn letters and words!
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ABC and word work centre:
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Lets write! Writing and illustrating centre:
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Centre planning sheet

Theme: Centre: Learning area: Strand: Objectives:
Materials:
Description or photograph of the centre.
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133
Sample theme
Resources
Our growing and changing worldautumn

rubber stamps, stickers, cutout shapes and stencils with an autumn theme pumpkins and apples both artificial and real large cardboard apple tree with twisted paper branches scale
fiction and nonfiction books related to the theme Look what I did with a leaf! by Morteza E Sohi (Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 1993) songs about autumn magnifying glasses large piece of coloured felt collections of autumn leaves and twigs
Dramatic play centre
Encourage children to bring straw farm hats from home. Use Velcro to attach red, yellow and green apple cutout shapes to a cardboard tree with twisted paper branches. Children pretend to be farmers harvesting their apple crop. Children store their crop in baskets and take them to market (the maths centre).
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The following set of sample centre ideas and activities demonstrate a unit on autumn can be integrated into various centres in the classroom. Use this general format as a guide to create centres for any unit or theme in the classroom.
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Maths centre
After the harvest in the dramatic play area yields an apple crop, children in the maths centre select their favourite kinds of apples and graph them onto a piece of felt (so the Velcro on the apples will adhere). Children display their graph, interpret the results and report their findings orally or with pictures and writing in their maths journals. Children can use the apple cutout shapes to create two- or threemember patterns on felt, copy them onto paper and describe them orally.
Science centre
Children collect the seeds to determine if all apples have the same kind of seeds regardless of colour or shape. Children study the seeds under a magnifying glass. Place a real pumpkin in the centre for children to compare with the apples. With assistance, children record their comparison findings on a Venn diagram.
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Housekeeping centre
After the apples are studied in the science centre, wash them well and add them to the cooking area of the housekeeping centre.
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With adult supervision, the children can make apple sauce using the recipe on the right.
led, slic 1 kg pee apples ater 1 cup w
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Discuss similarities and differences in the apples. Ask questions such as Does the colour make a difference to the taste? or Does the colour determine the shape?
a e Apple sp sucr uga

cu 1 n lemo teaspoo salt pinch of
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Place an assortment of real red, yellow and green apples for children to observe, weigh, smell and taste at the centre.
n juice
ash the tender. M cinnamon. ntil edients u d teaspoon ook ingr C ed, ad of whole s. If desir kers or wedges apple t on crac Chill. Ea a bread. grain pit
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Block centre
Add small baskets of cutout autumn leaves and plastic pumpkins and apples to the centre. Children load their crops on the block centre vehicles and pretend to drive their loads to the market square, created with blocks by the children.
Sand table
Hide brown multi-link cube acorns in the sand and attach squirrel face stickers or cutout shapes on the sand table scoops. Children pretend to be squirrels hunting for food. Provide a bucket for each squirrel to collect his or her acorns.
Art centre
Music centre
During circle time, record a class rendition of Do you know the autumn leaf man? sung to the tune of Do you know the muffin man? and add it to the music centre. Groups perform the song as a question and response song with boys asking the question and girls answering, or vice versa.
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When the glue is dry, display childrens leaf art in an art gallery on the wall.
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Children arrange and glue the leaves on construction paper to create their own leaf creatures, leaf animals, leaf boys or leaf girls.
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Read aloud Look what I did with a leaf! by Sohi. Place it in the art centre along with baskets of cutout leaves in various colours, shapes and sizes.
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Do you know the autumn leaf man, The autumn leaf man, the autumn leaf man? Oh, do you know the autumn leaf man Who lives on _______(name of schools street) Lane! Yes, we know the autumn leaf man, The autumn leaf man, the autumn leaf man. Why, yes, we know the autumn leaf man Who lives on ___________Lane.
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Create autumn word bags to read and reread. Make a My autumn words rebus chart with the children during language and literacy time. Place the rebus chart, brown paper lunch bags, index cards, stamps and stamp pads, and stickers in the centre. Children colour the top of the bag to look like a tree and stamp apples or autumn coloured leaves on the treetop. Children stamp an autumn symbol, place a sticker, glue an autumn cutout shape, or trace a stencil onto the index cards. Children may be able to copy the autumn words onto one side of the index cards and illustrate the other side. Working with adult volunteers, young children say the name of each autumn item and identify its beginning sound. Older children practise reading the words.
A u tu m n w o rd s
acorn apple hat leaf pumpkin scarecrow
Reading centre
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Copy the Apple-pickin time poem (on the right) onto a chart or sentence strips.
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Apple-pickin tim
By Dr Maggie Al len Im going to pick
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I think Ill pick on e more!
Children read and dramatise the poem.
an apple Right from the tr ee. (Reach high over head) Im going to choo se a red one, Round and firm as can be. (Pick an apple an d feel its roundn ess) Im going to take a big bite And crunch to th e core. (Take a big bite) I like it so much,
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Listening post
Create a medley of songs about autumn and record children as the class sings them during circle time. Place the tape at the centre, and let children listen to themselves on tape and sing along quietly.

Children make a five senses rebus book about autumn. Create step books following instructions on page 123. Place them at the centre with a variety of writing materials, autumn stickers, stamps and stamp pads, cutout autumn shapes and stencils. Children copy the text in the example into their pre-made books.
Children who are ready can add words to their pictures.
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Ask children to add pictures to illustrate their poems.
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Other titles for this age range include: Early childhood themes 1 Early childhood themes 2 Early childhood themes 3 6575
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6576 6573
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every page of every book
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6577

Early childhood learning centres

School Order# (if applicable):

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Early learning goal

Early childhood learning centres

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy

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Mathematics and numeracy Number

Art and design Music

Drama The world around us

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Primary curriculum - Junior and senior infants

Aistear - The early childhood curriculum network

Exploring and thinking

Curriculum for excellence - Early level

Numeracy and mathematics

Early childhood learning centres

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Mathematical development Number

Knowledge and understanding of the world

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Early childhood learning centres

What types of learning centres are there?

Why should I use learning centres?

What do learning centres look like?

Planning for learning centres

Setting up the room

Early childhood learning centres

Storing mat erials

Colour codes and labels

Early childhood learning centres

To create materials maps:

Tiny room syndr ome

Cans, crates, folders and boxes

Early childhood learning centres

Hoops, trays and squares

Racks and boxes

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Cardboard display boards

Early childhood learning centres

Getting sta rted

Early childhood learning centres

Opening a new learning centre

Adding literacy centres

Early childhood learning centres

Copy the centre icons on pages 19 to 21 to label each section.

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sand and water table

Learning centre time

Spin the wheel a rotation wheel for literacy learning centres

Learning centre signal sticks

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Early childhood learning centres

Early childhood learning centres

Housekeeping/ Dramatic play

Sand and water table

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Centre observa tions

Early childhood learning centres