Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, and Make a Robot!

 

 



I love my job, love, love, love it! But there are times when it feels like an uphill struggle. There are times when I feel like a Defender of Play and its blooming hard! However, there are also days where the stars align and it just works. These days are the BEST and the ones to focus on.

So, I wanted to share with you my glorious moments of playful learning this week.

The Summer Term is golden isn't it? All the efforts we put in start paying off, and I always notice those younger, quieter children beginning to blossom, nothing is more joyous!

This week a bunch of our Class have been totally fascinated by Robots and so we collected together all our tattier bits and pieces. You know the ones, the bricks left out in the sand pit, the broken pieces of Kine'x and anything from the Caretakers bottom draw!

It was a great opportunity to talk about upcycling, how we can repurpose old things to make new and potentially better things with them.


The glue gun, as you can imagine, was a real hit. I am always surprised with how well children manage their risks and rise to a challenge of using something they perceive to be 'adult'. The opportunities for talk were wonderful, and listening to their chatter as they discussed their robots' features was lovely;

"This one is for the antenna, and it has a belly button that can repel things… .bad things and things that smell!"

The mathematical and creative learning is obvious to see, and the opportunity to explore safety and sustainability, both things I value, were really successful. But best of all, as with all learning was the joy at what they had managed to create themselves, the delight in taking it home and showing their parents and siblings and the feeling of 'I did it!' which is all a huge part of why I love Early Years so much.



Like all the things lovingly made in our Classroom, they headed home once they were dry. We did however set up a 'Repairs Workshop' the following day, it seems a good layer of varnish is essential in keeping all the parts together! I have to say, this may be the best part, the equipment in the Workshop grows and grows as we discover new and better ways to secure all the different materials we originally used. And our Caretaker has never been so busy with requests!

Recycle, reuse, and repurpose in the Early Years, what will your little lovelies create ?!



I am an Early Years Teacher with nearly 20 years experience working with young children. I am a firm believer in the beauty and value of play. Real, messy, child led play which inspires magic and mayhem!

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