Tyre printing in the garden

Practitioners set up a bike painting activity in the garden, laying a big sheet of white paper on the ground, putting blobs of paint on it and positioning the bikes around the edge. The preschool and toddler children couldn't wait to get on the bikes and ride them over the paper, through the paint, leaving marks on the paper.

Practitioners asked the children what marks they had made; one child said bumpy, and another said wiggly. This creative activity was an extension of a previous activity 'making marks in the paint with the toy cars', practitioners observed the children and thought of  an activity that could enhance their learning on a bigger scale.

A variety of children of different ages took part in this activity for a considerable amount of time. Children were encouraged to look at the different colours that had been made by mixing the paints.

 As well as extending their creative skills, this activity also promoted their physical development as they used their feet to pedal the bikes or push them along and their hands to steer the bikes through the paint.

Practitioners strive to provide a range of activities at Daisykins nursery using all the areas of the setting. Other activities that have been set up in the outdoor area this week have included, emptying and filling containers with green soapy water in the water area and making mud pies in the mud kitchen.

A group of practitioners also set up a creative activity on the dance floor. Covering the slide in the white paper, then encouraging the children to dip balls in paint and roll them down the slide, making marks on the paper.