Must have resource

Posted by Anna Early Years Coordinator on 21st Jul 2015

The Egg and Spoon Collection is a must-have resource in any Early Years setting. I was positively bursting with excitement as I delved into the bright yellow cloth bag, and this was before I’d even had a chance to let the children have a play! Delightfully coloured eggs, all different shapes and sizes, plus a variety of spoons, encompasses a wealth of activities for a wide range of children of all ages. For the younger children, open up their senses as you explore the eggs – look, feel, touch and hear. What can you tell me about the smooth egg or the ridged shaker? Do you have a favourite? For PSRN explore different weights as the children hold the eggs, place them in scales, talk about the visual differences in size, line them up in height order or carry out an experiment to see which of the eggs float.

Use descriptive language to talk about heavy and light, coloured or plain, rough and smooth. This bag is a great resource for ECAT (Every Childs A Talker) work within the setting. In small groups ask open-ended questions and ask the children to delve into the bag using their hands or feet and describe what they sense from touch; is it rough, smooth, cold or does it shake etc. Invite the children to try and match a spoon to an egg or explore if an egg is too big to fit onto the small spoon? Why not try your own egg and spoon race in the garden (Physical Development) and see if the children find it harder or easier with different spoons; encourage experimentation, trial and error. Move onto Knowledge & Understanding and talk about traditions and the origins of this very old game, making the links to the sports children like to play and the 2012 Olympics. Talk about Easter and cooking, etc... I had great fun with this timeless resource in my setting and the learning has been superb for all children. What’s more, if you get stuck for ideas The Egg and Spoon Collection comes with an activity sheet.