Knowledge and Understanding of the World in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Stella Louis

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136033025
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

The Practical Guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage series will assist practitioners in the smooth and successful implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Each book gives clear and detailed explanations of each aspect of Learning and Development and encourages readers to consider each area within its broadest context to expand and develop their own knowledge and good practice.

Practical ideas and activities for all age groups are offered along with a wealth of expertise of how elements from the practice guidance can be implemented within all early years settings. The books include suggestions for the innovative use of everyday ressources, popular books and stories.

Knowledge and understanding of the world cuts across all of the EYFS guiding themes and this book will encourage practitioners to think about and develop their own understanding of the implications for inclusion, respect for oneself and for others irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, gender, disabilities or abilities.

Exploration and investigation

From birth–11 months

Development matters

Babies will use their movement and senses to focus on, reach for and handle objects.

Babies will learn from observing others and their effect.

Key words

sensory exploration

Learning story

Rahim, aged seven months, is described as being of a passive nature; he enjoys interaction with others. He has a fascination in cause-and-effect toys and is intrigued by opening and closing lids.

Rahim was observed sitting on a blanket with some of his favourite toys which were placed around him in the grassy area of the garden. The child-minder sat down next to him and began to walk her fingers up his arm, and then she tickled his nose with a blade of grass. Rahim responded by laughing and bouncing his whole body and waving his arms as he anticipated being tickled. The childminder repeated this several times. Rahim saw a cat and crawled off the blanket on to the grass towards it.

Activities

Play and exploration

Practitioners need to provide a range of resources and materials for babies to touch and listen to so that they can explore different textures and sounds, for example:

rough

smooth

hard

soft

loud.

Practitioners can point out sounds of aeroplanes, birds and traffic. Practitioners should also consider everyday and natural objects, for example:

large wooden and metal spoons

sieves, both metal and plastic

whisks

pots and pans

plastic containers

jam-jar lids

fir cones

feathers

brushes

fabric

cushions

purses or wallets.

This exploration will support babies in using all of their senses and it enables them to choose objects for exploration that interest them. Sing songs and rhymes to babies that name parts of the body.

Look, listen and note

Look out for how babies explore objects by putting them into their mouths.

Note down the objects which babies choose to explore and the ones which they reject.

Watch out for what sounds they notice and which ones excite them.

Effective practice

Provide resources and materials that enable babies to make connections with their first ideas and early understanding of the world.

Teaching and learning

Practitioners need to develop an understanding of how important babies’ sensory explorations are when supporting them to develop a conceptual understanding of time, space, sounds, sights, scents and taste.

Observation of babies’ active exploration will enable practitioners to anticipate what babies might need next in their development and learning.

Planning and resourcing

Babies are initially non-mobile; they need practitioners to provide resources and materials at different levels, for example on the floor and at eye level.

Babies require space so that they can observe, reach out and roll and somewhere where they can sit up with support.

Practitioners need to take babies out for walks in the fresh air so that they can experience cr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Exploration and investigation
• 2 Designing and making
• 3 Information and communication technologies
• 4 Time
• 5 Place
• 6 Communities
• Bibliography