Finn proudly called me out in to the garden, to show me that he had decided to make a bee themed reading tent.

Resources

  • Tent
  • Bee books
  • Yellow blanket and rug
  • Yellow ball pool balls
  • Yellow and black circus scarves
  • Magnifying glasses

Method

He had collected a yellow blanket and rug for the floor of the tent. Finn had also found a yellow box and filled it with bee books, magnifying glasses, circus scarves and yellow ball pool balls.

Finny had tied a bee to the tent tie, so that it was flying. He set out the circus tents in bee stripes, scattering the balls over them. We enjoyed reading our new bee book together. I kept pausing while reading the story, asking Finn to predict what might happen next. At the end, I asked him to explain the story to me.

Finn used the magnifying glasses to make his eyes look like a bees, showing me his handy pocket for storing them in.

DfES Early Learning Goals (2017)

Communication and language

ELG 01 – Listening and attention:

Children listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.

ELG 02 – Understanding:

Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.

ELG 03 – Speaking:

Children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.

Literacy

ELG 09 – Reading:

Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.

Expressive arts and design

ELG 17 – Being imaginative:

Children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role-play and stories.