On safari

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What will you pack?

Timing Ten minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentPersonal, Social and Emotional Development

What you needRucksack; two hoops; large box; objects for an African safari, such as binoculars, camera, notebook, sunhat, child-friendly insect repellent, water bottle; unsuitable objects such as a scarf, flippers, dustpan.

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What to do• Tip the objects into a large box.• Invite children to sit around the hoops and ask for their help

with packing a bag for an African safari. Explain that one hoop is for objects you will be packing and the other is for objects you will not need.

• Take turns to choose something from the box and put it into the correct hoop. When the box is empty, remove it along with the unsuitable items and hoop.

• Pass the rucksack around, asking each child to put something from the remaining hoop into it. Talk about how each object will be used.

On safari

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Walking through the jungle

Timing Ten minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentCommunication, Language and Literacy

What you needCushions; toy jungle/safari creatures; box; card; words to the rhyme ‘Walking through the jungle’ (in Walking through the Jungle by Julie Lacome, Walker Books).

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What to do• Put the jungle creatures in the box.• Make a set of laminated cards representing the initial letter sounds

of each creature.• Invite children to stand around a circle of cushions. Explain that they

are going on a jungle safari. Say the rhyme ‘Walking through the jungle’ together while following an imaginary path around the cushions. Create appropriate actions for the creatures spotted.

• Ask children to sit on the cushions and spread the cards in front of them.• Take turns to choose a jungle creature from the box and find its initial

letter sound. Sit the toy and card together in the circle.• Finish with the rhyme, with children carrying their creatures.

On safari

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I spy on safari

TimingTen minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentProblem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy

What you needA different toy safari animal for each child.

What to doAsk children to stand in a circle and say the rhyme:Out on safari what can I see?A big strong lion, right in front of me.

• Show children how to shield their eyes with one hand and point to where they think the lion will be with the other. Where would they point if the lion was behind them?

• Invent verses for different animals, introducing positional language, for example, a cheeky monkey high up in a tree.

• Let children take it in turns to choose a toy animal, hold it up and make up a rhyme to describe what it is and where they spotted it. Invite everyone to point in the direction indicated.

On safari

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Timing Ten minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentKnowledge and Understanding of the World

What you needTwo images each of different safari animals with distinctive coats, such as a lion, leopard, tiger, giraffe or elephant (use the ‘Animal patterns’ poster from Nursery Education PLUS May 2010 issue or download the poster from www.scholastic.co.uk/nurseryedplus), two hoops.

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What to do• Cut out a small circle from each different

animal picture showing just the pattern of the coat. Laminate the circles to make cards. Laminate the remaining images showing the whole animal.

• Put the patterned circles face down in one hoop and the animal cards face down in the other. Invite a child to turn over a circle and a card. Talk about the pattern. Does it match the coat of the animal on the large card? If it does, leave the cards upturned alongside one another, otherwise turn them back over. Take turns until all small cards have been matched with large cards.

• Talk about the importance of camouflage for these animals.

On safari

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TimingTen minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentPhysical Development

What you needImages to represent different modes of safari travel, for example, Jeep, elephant, hot air balloon, boat, on foot.

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What to do• Put the images face down in the centre of the circle.• Ask children how they think they would travel on safari. Talk about

how it is important to be quiet when watching animals and suggest that a hot air balloon might be ideal for this. What might be the advantages/disadvantages of walking, or travelling by boat or Jeep?

• Turn over an image to decide how you will travel on a role-play safari. Move round in a circle, pretending to use this mode of transport. Encourage children to imagine things that they might see and events that could happen, for example, quietly observing black rhino by a river, or avoiding a herd of stampeding elephants.

On safari

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Safari sounds

Timing Ten minutes

Area of Learning and DevelopmentCreative Development

What you needObjects for making sounds such as spoons, pans, sandpaper; percussion instruments; toys or images of appropriate animals such as monkeys, lions, elephants and exotic birds; recording equipment.

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What to do• Invite children to sit in a circle with the images or toys in the centre.

Identify each one and talk about the sort of sounds they might make.• Ask children to close their eyes and imagine that they are travelling

along a bumpy track in Africa on safari. Talk about sounds they might hear such as lions roaring, elephants trumpeting, monkeys screeching, insects buzzing, the wind blowing and birds calling.

• Invite children to open their eyes and try to replicate these sounds using their voices alone.

• Extend the range of sounds they can make by introducing sound-making objects and instruments.

• Suggest creating your own sound recording of an African safari.