1. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Builders tray - Ideas This is a useful planning prompt to help set up the learning environment targeted towards meeting the 40-60 age band in exploring and using media and materials.

2. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Explores what happens when they mix colours. Freeze different coloured water into ice cubes. Now place two primary coloured ice cubes in the tray and allow the children to explore. Leave out magnify glasses and paper for them to write their predictions or draw what they see. Can they talk about the changes in colour? Put out different primary colours each day. 40-60 months Explores what happens when they mix colours. Dress the builders tray with fabric and 3 (clear) water vases with coloured water. Place any white flowers into each vase and wait. Leave out magnify glasses and paper for them to write their predictions or draw what they see. Can they talk about the changes in colour? The flowers should slowly change colour as they absorb the coloured water. 40-60 months

3. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Explores the different sounds of instruments. Dress the builders tray with fabric and add a variety of musical instruments. Have a range of word cards e.g. loud, soft, gently, crash and bang and a range of picture cards e.g. lightning bolt, waves, smash. Pose the question, can you make these sounds using the instruments? Allow the children to explore freely and try to imitate different sounds. 40-60 months Explores the different sounds of instruments. Dress the builders tray with fabric and add a variety of musical instruments. Create different rhythm cards for the children to attempt to follow with the instruments e.g. shake, tap, bang, shake, tap and bang. Leave blank rhythm cards for the children to create their own. 40-60 months

4. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Experiments to create different textures. Place the builders tray outside with a variety of natural objects e.g. twigs, leaves, soil and petals. Eave some paper and glue and see what natural textured pictures they can create. Why not have a few examples to spark inspiration e.g. of a house, bugs, flower or person. 40-60 months Experiments to create different textures. Have a variety of sorting pots with different textured materials e.g. cut up pieces of fabric, wool, and paper, torn paper and tissue paper. Allow the children to explore with the different materials and see what pictures they can create. Why not have a few examples to spark inspiration e.g. of a house, bugs, flower or person. 40-60 months

5. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Understands that different media can be combined to create new effects. Leave out a bowl of flour and a cup of water. Allow the children to mix and explore independently to make their own playdough. Have instructions out in the tray to prompt their understanding e.g. too runny add more flour, too sticky add more water. This will develop the children's understanding of following instructions and show them how materials can be changed. 40-60 months Understands that different media can be combined to create new effects. Have a variety of coloured paint in different pots. In each pot add another variable e.g. sand, glue, glitter or water. This will change the state of the paint. Can the children use the different textured paints to create a picture? 40-60 months

6. www.earlybirdyeducation.com Manipulate materials to achieve a planned effect. Leave out a variety of junk modelling resources e.g. boxes, tubes, lids, yoghurt pots, string, material, cello- tape, glue and containers. Now have either a prototype of a model (to fit in with topic e.g. robot) or a picture. Allow the children to explore with the resources to create their own model. The prototype will be their to scaffold their learning. 40-60 months Manipulate materials to achieve a planned effect. Fill the builders tray with playdough and pictures of animals (choose on animal and have a variety of picture of their body parts e.g. claws, beak, feathers, body). Allow the children to have a go at moulding the playdough into the animal using different tools available. The pictures will deepen their understanding and guide their creativity to produce a desired outcome. 40-60 months