Preparation

Some of the Playscope activities require preparation before playing. To aid practitioners, an at a glance clock symbol (see right) indicates the maximum preparation time involved for producing reusable resources, e.g. laminated cards etc. These times would be significantly reduced if making one-off materials instead.

With appropriate encouragement many children will enjoy being involved in the preparation also. Wherever possible try to involve children in this stage to increase children’s ownership and interest in the resources and reduce your preparation too. If skillfully facilitated, the preparation stage can satisfy many learning objectives and be fun too.

In the future it is hoped to be able to provide downloadable templates and resources to further speed up this preparation stage.

The key card also explains the colour-coding associated with the key areas of Learning and Development in the EYFS.

 If you have developed any Playscope resources that you would like to share with other practitioners by posting them on the website, please email resources@playtoz.co.uk

Safety Advice

• Before playing first make sure that you are happy with the Treasure Basket contents. Remove any items that concern you.
• The games and Treasure Basket are designed to be used by children with adult supervision. Never leave a child unattended when playing.
• Check with parents about potential allergies e.g. if using bubbles, scent, colouring or eggs. (If using junk modelling resources with any children who have a potential nut allergy, avoid using cereal packets or other packaging that may have come into contact with nuts.)
• Frequently check that the objects are clean and in good condition. Remove and replace any if needed.