The World Around Us

​“It’s great for us, as Mordekai gets the chance to play with other toddlers and I get an opportunity to interact with other mums”
Abiyah with Mordekai

​Thanks to a grant from Millennium Point Trust our monthly Under 5s play sessions The World Around Us started in September 2019 and will run until July 2020.
 
It’s Pay As You Feel by being supported by Millennium Point Small Grants scheme and each month has a different science-based theme to spark curiosity in little ones with varied high-quality play opportunities.

What is the World Around Us about?

We’ve had varied themes for under 5s and their caregivers to explore science, technology, maths and engineering (STEM) through play activities, stories and rhymes, including Ice, Autumn and Night Animals.

​At Wolves Play Café, children are leaders of their learning. Our Early Years Specialist has over 20 years in Early Years settings and as Science Co-ordinator in EYFS and KS1. Using this experience, activities are designed to encourage curiosity and use children’s ideas to extend their own playing and learning.

Our aim is to engage with 100 under 5s in the World Around Us between September 2019 and July 2020 and it’s great that we’ve been able to welcome over 50 already in just 4 sessions! Lots of people have been to more than one session which is brilliant so little ones and their big ones can become familiar with the sessions, explore different themes each time they play and therefore build STEM experiences each time.

How does the World Around Us support STEM in Early Years?

The use of language, questioning and commenting by facilitators and caregivers develops an awareness of scientific and technical vocabulary from an early age.  We do this in World Around Us sessions through stories and rhymes in a short group time gathered together.
 
Open ended resources are available throughout the sessions. These resources promote curiosity and creative thinking, for example loose parts, sensory trays and magnifying glasses.
 
At each session to show how play activities support under 5s development, there are ideas of questions to ask, posters with learning intentions and Take Home cards to carry on the playing at home.

How are the sessions going?

​At each session we have been collecting a range of feedback to ensure we are achieving our project aims. As well as chatting to playmates, we have designed feedback methods that can easily be completed as below to take into account how hard it is to keep an eye on little ones! 

In November it was also great to be joined by Jordan Reeves PR who were able to film our mini-scientists in action in this video here.

I want to play!

Come and discover the World Around Us at our remaining sessions - the next one is 25th February and they book up quickly due to limited capacity!

​Click below to find out more and book your space.

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