3. Outline & Align
Pick out a range of items collected outside and place them in a Tuff Tray (801659). Then, draw an outline around each material to create a giant match-up puzzle. Set the materials aside and allow children to explore the tray by matching the natural objects to their outlines. To expand on this, ask the children to describe the shapes and textures of the items as they work: Is the leaf jagged or smooth? Is the twig straight or curved? You can extend the activity even further by adding labels or prompts around the tray, encouraging early literacy and vocabulary building.
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4. Natural Name Makers
Encourage children to express their creativity and celebrate their unique identities by crafting their own name collages using natural materials. Start by writing each child’s name in bubble font on paper or card, or invite older children to write their own for an extra challenge! Then, ask the children to carefully arrange leaves, twigs, and other autumn treasures inside the letters. As they do this, they’ll be developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, while also exploring self- expression and social awareness. Don’t forget to secure their masterpieces with PVA Glue (749117) before displaying them or sending them home to share with loved ones.
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5. Hide and Seek
Add natural materials to a sturdy container and let children explore the colours, shapes and textures. Then, scatter and hide minibeasts between the materials for the children to find using Magnifiers (427301), getting a closer look at those they find and seeing if they can use Tongs (450164) to pick them out. Providing the children with trays means they can also practice sorting the minibeasts into different categories, e.g. number of legs, wings/ no wings. During the activity, use descriptive vocabulary – ask children to imagine where the minibeasts live, what they eat, and what adventures they go on.
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6. Petal & Leaf Pixies
Fill a tuff tray with paper and draw the outlines of fairies in various shapes and sizes. Lay out your chosen natural materials and let the children decorate each fairy, filling their dresses and hair with golden autumn leaves and flowers. This activity allows children to express their personal creativity, enriching their spoken language as they discuss how the materials feel, smell and the sound of crinkly dried leaves.
6 Shop Little Learners products and more at
ypo.co.uk/earlyyears 17
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