O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree. How lovely are thy branches…
The spider webs have taken over our Christmas decorations this year. The children’s interest in weaving and string re-emerged during the transformation of a branch they carried back during our treasure hunt in Burgess Park. As the children wrapped a range of coloured string around the branch, conversations of Christmas trees were heard between friends and soon other friends joined.
Lights, natural materials and loose parts were added to the tree and as the children strung silver tinkering objects together, they began to sing ‘Jingle Bells’. This sparked the idea of tying string around the room. As we observed the room turn into a maze of string, we discussed how the spider’s webs need to be high to keep our friends and tall adults safe. As the string went higher, they engaged in aiming, throwing and catching as they passed balls of string over the webs. Through their stretching and large motor control, the children were soon showing the need to be able to connect with the webs above their heads.
From this, we decided to introduce a ladder to the children. They explored and used an increasingly wide variety of grips, manipulating the tools and materials with fine motor control to create their hanging decorations. One at a time, waiting their turn, they confidently climbed the ladder to hang their finished piece. A mix of strategies were explored as they experimented with their balance and at the same time, used hand and eye coordination to wrap the decoration in place. They waved to their friends below and willingly offered assistance to give back their fallen masterpiece. Through persistence, the children found their own technique and excitedly headed off to make more decorations.
Nature continues to promote creativity and imagination within the nursery. Our decorations have been redesigned by the children, allowing them to take the autonomy of their own environment and learning process.
