From the Heart of the City: Woodwork at Highters Heath
From the Heart of the City is a new series sharing practice from across Birmingham.
Are you doing something in your setting that you’d like to share with the community? We’d love to hear about it! Get in touch today.
Woodwork at Highters Heath Nursery School
After attending a woodword course with Pete Moorhouse, Elaine Williams, a teaching assistant at Highters Heath Nursery School, took on responsibility for leading this area of the curriculum.
In this blog, the first in our ‘From the Heart of the City’ series, Elaine shares some of her thoughts and experiences as well as what the children say about woodwork.
“Woodwork is active learning at its best.”
- Bruce, T. (2004)
The value of woodwork
Woodwork is one of those activities that truly engages children and encompasses all areas of learning and development.
Children respond to the challenge and very much enjoy working with wood and real tools. They show satisfaction in learning new skills and take pride in their creations.
We see a visible growth in their self confidence and self-esteem. Children’s hand-eye coordination is enhanced as they gain confidence in using tools.
Children are encouraged to mark make to design and plan their creation and woodwork is such a rich context for learning that children are motivated to talk about their experiences, although they can also be completely engrossed during the making itself!
Woodword offers many opportunities to explore mathematical concepts, 2 and 3D shapes, space, measures, counting and comparing. Problem solving and creativity are central to woodwork and help children to make sense of the world.
Enjoy a walk through some of the learning that woodwork offers our children.
Learning skills and techniques
We offer children the opportunity to handle the woodwork tools and teach them the techniques they will need to use them safely to create their woodwork masterpieces.
We introduce the tools carefully and build up the children’s knowledge and skills about what they can use them for and how to use them.
Most children are highly engaged and involved and demonstrate great focus as they develop their motor skills.
Supporting social and emotional development
Woodwork activities offer opportunities for children to be creative and develop a ‘have a go’ approach to making something using the wood and other materials.
Children show great delight in their achievements and determination to complete the process to their own satisfaction.
There are many opportunities for children to work together in the planning and making as well as taking responsibility for keeping the area organised and tidying up at the end of the session.
Sometimes there are real life repairs to take responsibility for too, like the broom to sweep up in one of the photos!
Opportunities for real life mathematics
We know that mathematical learning opportunities are all around; woodwork provides a great context for meaningful mathematical problem solving as children work out the length of the piece of wood or how many nails are needed.
Adults try to be intentional in the mathematical language and concepts they use and children’s mathematical thinking and understanding develops through these experiences.
Mark making
The need to mark, measure, record, or enhance their work through adding colour creates opportunities for children to make marks, using a range of media.
Designing and making and using books to inspire creations
As children’s skills develop their desire to create more complex creations grows and we support them to work through their thinking, recording, and planning on paper and making their creation.
We have many books available to inspire and support them in their planning, designing, and making.
Reading, and following instructions in the books, as well as adapting them to meet their own needs, provides both challenge and support to children in their woodwork.
Safety – balancing risks and benefits of woodwork
We adhere to strict guidelines, including that children must wear safety glasses at all times, and that sawing is only ever done with 1:1 adult supervision.
Of course, we cannot eliminate all risk (and there may be an occasional bruised thumb!) but part of children's development is that they need to learn to manage risk appropriately and make judgements to protect themselves, so they are better able to make decisions in a variety of life situations.
Celebrating children’s achievements
We enjoy celebrating and sharing with parents and families what the children have created, but the real product is the change that this learning experience bring within the child!
Would you like to see this in practice?
BEYN is delighted to be able to offer a chance for 12 practitioners to visit the nursery to see woodwork in practice and to talk to Elaine about the benefits, and challenges, of woodworking in nursery.
Dates available:
Monday 26 February 2024, 13:00-14:30
Friday 1 March 2024, 13:00-14:30
To apply for a place, please complete the application form.
Resources to explore woodwork further
Read the free ’Woodwork in the Early Years booklet’ from Community Playthings
Explore ‘Irresistible Learning’ - Pete Woodhouse’s website for interesting articles, free resources, and links to courses
Download ‘The Wonder of Woodwork’ pamphlet from the Froebel Trust
Blog author: Elaine Williams, Teaching Assistant at Highters Heath Nursery School
“At Highters Heath Nursery School we believe that the earliest years of a child's life are the most important, and work with families to provide a rich, fulfilling and inspirational learning experience for all our children. We want them to feel that the sky's the limit!
“Our experienced staff team provide engaging and tailored learning opportunities, and nurture children to develop the confidence to become leaders of their own learning. We also work to support families because we know that children thrive when everyone works together towards a goal.”