In the garden with her key person, Zia plays a game with some sand and containers. She wants to share the sand equally for the three bears.
Good for looking at
- Maths
- Sharing
- Amounts
- Language
- Pretend play
- Imagination
Example Observation
With an adult playing with the sand next to her, Zia talks about sharing as she tries to get the same quantities of sand and water into her three bowls. “He needs a bit more – I’m sharing it out“. Then she gets a pebble for each bowl making them equal again. “1,2,3” The adult progresses the play by making the link between her 3 bowls and the three bears story which Zia immediately relates to. “Don’t eat the baby one” she says and between the two of them they progress the story. Zia knows what happens “the daddy one was hot, the mummy one… and the baby bear was just right!” She indicates that there were three bears on her fingers. When the adult suggests giving them three spoons Zia remembers exactly which colour spoon she’s looking for when she goes to the mud kitchen.
Assessment
This clip shows Zia concentrating, highly involved with her activity. It involves many aspects of creative play showing what she understands about sharing and amounts. English is an additional language and she’s communicating well with the adult, trying hard to understand and be understood. She understands stories and can use them in her play, as here where she’s supported by the practitioner, who tunes in well with her interests. The practitioner acts as a prompt to make occasional suggestions to enhance her play experience and her understanding of mathematical concepts.
