This half term the children in year 1 have begun their project learning all about creatures of the world.

The children have been asked to share their initial thoughts and understanding whilst learning in the block area, creative area and piazza. They have used various media and materials to explore their ideas and share them with others.

At the beginning of each project session the adults shared a short video about different creatures of the world. This allowed the children to develop their discussions and transfer it into their representations within the various classroom areas.

Block area

The children have been designing and constructing their animal habitats using blocks and loose parts. The children have worked collaboratively to develop their constructions, taking into account each others ideas.

They have begun to think carefully about the needs of each animal and what they need to survive. As a group they have introduced narrative to their construction, using resources provided to represent a particular animal of interest.

The children in the block area have been exploring maps of the world to discover where various creatures live. This has enabled them to develop their construction further by taking into account the environment and climate of that part of the world.

Creative area

The children were asked to use thinking pens, water colours and coloured pencils/pens to share their initial thoughts and understanding about creatures of the world. The adult provided the children with photographs of various creatures and asked the children to use these to support their representations and discussions.

Piazza

Within the Piazza the children have been combining loose parts with drawing in order to share their understanding of creatures of the world with others.

The children have shown a particular interest in creatures found under the sea and have been developing their thoughts and ideas about them.

They have been keen to work collaboratively and have been having discussions together about how they can use the resources to represent their joint thoughts.