dough showing an interest in mark making (physical development and expressive art and design).


We then rolled out long rolls of paper for the children to make a series of prints and explained that if we were at the farm or in the forest we might see prints like this in the mud or soil and that could tell us what animals lived there. The children initially tried placing the stones directly into the paint - which wasn’t entirely successful as the paints made the stones slippery and difficult to handle with accuracy - even though they are a perfect size for small hands generally. The children adapted the activity by using paintbrushes, instead resulting in some fabulous trails. Some children also made an extension activity by taking stones inside, adding water to the sandpit to create a suitable surface and making additional prints in there - demonstrating some fantastic characteristics of effective learning. Children were very engaged in the scrubbing up process as well!


We would certainly recommend these products as they are such a super open-ended resource and can be used inside and out in so many different ways.


Customer’s verdict Abbey 345 Preschool


George Mitchell Nursery Madeley Nursery School


9/10 7/10 9/10


Shop Little Learners ypo.co.uk/earlyyears


17


Madeley Nursery School, Telford


The group used the footprints alongside their e-twinning project work, sharing the ‘animal sounds of a country’ with a kindergarten in Latvia.


The children also explored the resources in the following ways:


• Creating prints in a large tray of damp sand


• Exploring both sides (animal / footprint) of the stones


• Discussion between the group about the animals/prints and making comparisons


George Mitchell Nursery and Reception School, London


We predominately used the product in the sand area - children found footprints and matched them to the corresponding animals on the stones. We also used the stones to do wax rubbings and paint printing.


Within the early years curriculum they would support ‘understanding the world’ particularly noticing similarities and differences in animals. Also there are lots of ways they could be used in art activities to support ‘exploring media and materials.’


We have also planned to use them as writing stimuli for example writing letters to the animals that have been visiting their playground.


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Children created their own prints using their hands and bare feet, extending their understanding and knowledge of marks/ prints in materials and supporting our project work.


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