Communication, Language and Literacy
Carnival provides young children with many opportunities to
enjoy listening to and using spoken and written language
explore and experiment with sounds and texts associated with carnival
listen with enjoyment and respond to stories and poems about carnival, Calypso and steelband music and other music associated with NottingHill carnival.
make up their own stories, share their own experiences of carnival, invent songs
use language in play to create roles for carnival characters and recreate carnival experiences.
use talk to organise their ideas about carnival
interact with others, including with artists from the community, listen and ask questions.
extend their vocabulary to include words about carnival
speak with confidence showing awarness of the listener for example in greeting and thanking visitors to carnival workshops.
linking letters to sounds and learn the letters of the alphabet, for example through sharing Calypso Alphabet by John Agard and through inventing their own carnival alphabet.
understand the main elements of stories about carnival such as the characters and story sequence, and understand how information can be found in non fiction texts about carnival.
use drawing and writing about carnival, including for example lists of materials, recipes for carnival food, instructions on making a carnival headdress, animal costumes.
work collaboratively to produce invitations to carnival, create banner to include name of carnival themes and name of school.
Mathematical development
Carnival provides young children with many opportunities to
use developing mathematical ideas to solve practical problems for example in constructing and fitting costumes.
count everyday objects, for example counting flowers, shapes, ribbons, buttons to stick onto costumes.
inventing number songs involving carnival using models like Twelve Days of Christmas.
use mathematical language in practical carnival activities for example more, smaller, heavy, lighter, longer, bigger, circle, flat in making costumes and measuring size of head, arms, etc.
create simple patterns and use colour, symmetry in creating costumes for example flower petals, butterfly wings.
experiment with two and three dimensional shapes, with space and position and relationships between objects.
play mathematical games and puzzles based on carnival themes.
Creative Development
Carnival provides young children with many opportunities to
explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two and three dimensions.
use their imagination in art and design to create carnival costumes.
express thier ideas using a wide range of materials, tools, in play, in movement and dance and in music.
explore the music and sounds associated with carnival and listen to and sing songs, for example the sounds made by different kinds of drum eg steel pan and African drum, tassa drumming, samba drumming etc and learning simple Calypso tunes/inventing Calypso lyrics.
Personal social and emotional development
Carnival provides young children with many opportunities to
be interested and motivated to learn about carnival in families and communities as well as in educational settings.
be confident to try new activities and initiate ideas about their costumes and mas.
develop respect for ther own cultures and beliefs and those of others.
respond to significant experiences for example the experience of working with carnival artist, storyteller, dancer, parents and members of the local community, the experience of carnival day.
work as part of a group taking turns and sharing for example sharing materials to make mas.
select and use activities and resources independently while preparing for school carnival.
understand that people have different cultures which need to be treated with respect.
understand that they can expect others to treat their cultures with respect.
Physical development
Carnival is an exellent opportunity for children to explore movement and dance and to work with experienced dancers from different cultural heritage. Children will have opportunies to
develop an awareness of their bodies and how they can use their bodies to explore a range of feelings and characters.
move with confidence and imagination individually and with others.
move with increased co-ordination in developing dance to music and rhythm.
use their bodies to explore space both indoors and outdoors.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Carnival provides young children with many opportunities to
explore a variety of materials and use them in imaginative ways to solve practical problems.
use their senses to invetigate materials, objects and events associated with carnival.
select and use a variety of tools and learn new techniques for working with materials.
learn about how materials change and what properties they have, for example in making costumes consider flexibility, strength, weight, resistance to wind, ability to resist rain.
select the tools and techniques and materials they need.
learn about forces and movements for example how to make costume move.
use programmable toys, for example use a roamer as a float for working out a pretend carnival route.
use different cooking techniques to make portable foods to eat at the carnival.
Use simple diagram maps and drawings to illustrate the carnival events taking place in the school area.
