Independent Learning in the Foundation Stage by Bayley Ros;Featherstone Sally;

Author:Bayley, Ros;Featherstone, Sally;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2002-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

A case study of encouraging independence in role-play

In settings where the staff and children are used to working and planning together, children are involved in decisions about the setting up, location, focus, equipment, the time for change as well as the play itself. Here is a description of a Reception class where children are accustomed to being fully involved in planning what they do.

Mrs Senga, who helps in the classroom, came to school with a new hairstyle. The children were fascinated by her curls and followed her everywhere, intrigued by the new look. Mrs Senga and some of the children went to the school library to look for a book about hairdressing, but they couldn’t find one. At group time, Mrs Senga was asked to describe what had happened at the hairdressers. The children asked some very complex questions, and Mrs Brennigan, their teacher, decided that a visit was indicated and on her way home she called at a local hairdresser to ask if they would be willing to cope with a couple of visits from interested groups of children.

A few days later the first group of children walked along the road to visit. The children had already had opportunities to talk about the hairdresser, so they had some ideas of what they wanted to see and ask. The obliging hairdresser had arranged to do a free cut and blow-dry for a regular customer as a focus of interest for the visit. The children watched this process intently, taking careful note of how the brushes, rollers and drier were used.

Some children made picture lists on clipboards. Mrs Senga had brought the camera and some of the children took photos. The hairdresser gave them each a little sample of shampoo to take home. He also gave them a big bag of rollers, brushes, empty shampoo bottles, some shoulder capes and an appointment book.

Over the next few days, the children brought things from home to complete the preparations – magazines, an old hairdryer (with the plug removed), a mobile phone (with the battery pack removed), empty hairspray and shampoo bottles. They also collected bowls, towels, pens and paper, purses and money. They made a price list, which included children’s haircuts for the dolls. They put up posters and made a style book of pictures from magazines.

The photos from the visit were printed and mounted, including a whole series of the process of a ‘wash and blow-dry’ from the first visit. This really helped with sequencing an unfamiliar event. Chairs, tables, overalls and a booking desk, complete with phone, and the appointment book completed the preparations. The children decided to call their shop ‘Hair Do’, and with Mrs Senga’s help made a big sign to go on the door.

The boys were just as keen to be involved as the girls, both as hairdressers and as clients. Visitors brought dolls from the home play area, members of staff were invited to make appointments, and parents called in to see what was going on. The children took photos of their ‘salon’ to send with letters of thanks for their visits.

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