Build your own nest 

Age-appropriate: 3 – 4 years (BBK – Pre-school group)
Early Years Foundation Stage: Understanding the world and expressive arts and design
Skills trained: problem solving, cognitive development, being imaginative

In the Big Ben Kids Pre-school group (ages 3-4), they talked about birds. The teachers prepared a simple activity where each child could build their own bird nest with the use of Kapla blocks, shredded paper and decorate it with an egg.

It seems simple, but did you know that during this activity we can cover most of the early stages development goals? Understanding of the world starts with the knowledge that birds build nests and that they can be built out of different materials. Expressive Arts & Design – children can express their artistic need and make their own design of a nest. They can decide on the size of the nest and its shape and need to find a way to put the blocks together that covers logical thinking and problem solving development. Physical development is very important as well. Manipulating blocks and paper with their hands and fingers, children are exercising their fine motor skills, not to mention working with different materials is a great sensory experience. While sitting together at the workstations children communicate and learn from one another, often they decide to build a bigger nest together and that enriches their personal and social development.

You can easily try to do this at home!