Using Explorify in Early Years
Although Explorify activities are not sorted by an EYFS category, many Early Years practitioners enjoy using some of our activities in their setting.
EYFS pupils in a classroom
Good starting points are the What’s Going On? videos and Zoom In Zoom Out. The new What Can You Hear? are also popular and fit well with the Early Learning goal of being able to: listen attentively and respond to what they hear.
You can use Explorify with the whole class, or groups of children, at any time of the day. Good What’s Going On? activities to start with are Special delivery , Buzzing with Life, Hungry hedgehogs, In the swim, Spring Flowers and Baking cookies. The aim of the activities is to spark a conversation among your young pupils about what they see. There is no right or wrong answer, it is simply an opportunity to explore ideas and find out what they know.
Explorify has a huge range of Zoom In Zoom Out activities to choose from. Early Years practitioners recommend: Tiny teeth, White and spiky, Cosy comfort, Curious clown, Prints , Prickly and spiky and Pink and bumpy. PSTT Fellow Jane Catto says, “Explorify is such a wonderful free resource of no-prep engaging science activities - perfect for milk time or any spare five minutes. My Reception class particularly love the 'Wow factor' that the zoom in zoom out activities provide - I hear them express loads of ideas, and vocabulary I didn't know they understood. They also ask to watch the exploding watermelon slow-motion video again and again!”
To get started, click on classroom view which will give you a lovely enlarged image and ask everyone:
- What do they think the image is and why?
- What does the image remind them of and why?
Every time you zoom out, ask:
- Can they describe the colours, shapes and textures?
- What do they think the image is now – have they changed their minds?
All these activities offer an opportunity for young learners' to develop and use new vocabulary, a key aspect of the Communication and Language goals.
What Can You Hear? Is the latest addition to Explorify. Again, the idea it to spark conversation and excitement as well as develop good listening skills. Why not try: When we were young, Prepare for launch , keeping track Sharing is caring and Scrub-a-dub-dub.
Young children need to use all their senses to explore and learn about unfamiliar objects, so all of Explorify’s activities could be seen as a launch pad to hands on activities either in the classroom or outside. You could also look at some of the Odd One Out activities to give ideas for simple comparative group activities with the real objects in the classroom.
Let us know how you get on and share your class's favourite activities using Twitter, Instagram or our Facebook staffroom.
Image Credits: FatCamera via Canva.