Each week I will give you an idea for an activity that I have used in my Forest School sessions. I will try to link it to the EYFS (2014) and schematic play if appropriate.
This week I tried a Rainbow Mandala.
Intent
In a previous session, the children took part in a Rainbow Scavenger Hunt. I wondered if I could channel their interests in the colour of nature by making some art. I also decided to position the mandala in the middle of our log circle to encourage the children to walk around the circle when we have a fire within it.
Implementation
Whilst the children were eating snack, I made a stick mandala in the middle of the log circle. They watched as I placed the coloured wooden rainbow pieces within each segment. The children naturally began to search for things of a matching colour. I modelled laying them carefully to make a pattern and soon the children were copying and making their own patterns.
Impact
Below are some of the ways you can link a Rainbow Mandala to the EYFS and to your children's development. This idea is more about building on what took place in the last session with the Rainbow Scavenger Hunt and cementing the learning which took place. There maybe more or less outcomes which you could link to, depending on the level of involvement in your session and the approach your children take and how they respond, sometimes they just want to do their own thing!
Listening and attention (40-60) - Two-channelled attention.
The World (40-60) - Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
Exploring and using media and materials (40-60) - Manipulates materials to achieve a planned effect.
A child's transporting schema can be supported as the younger children carried huge amounts of items around with them.
The World (30-50) - Can talk about some of the things they have observed.
Moving and handling (22-36) - Squats with steadiness to rest or play with object on the ground, and rises to feet without using hands.
Shape, space and measure (22-36) - Beginning to categorise objects according to properties.
The World (22-36) - Notices detailed features of objects in their environment.
Exploring and using media and materials (22-36) - Experiments with...colours.
