This week we learnt what whittling was. We collected sticks and used potato peelers to take off the top layer of bark and spoke about the difference this made to the look and feel of the sticks. The children really persevered at this task and had to think about how best to hold the stick in place and move the peeler to have the desired effect. Despite it being a risky activity the children used the tools safely and with control.
Once the children had whittled their sticks they used natural and unnatural materials to decorate and add detail to them. The children used a wide range of fine motor stills to curl, twist and tie things to their sticks. We spoke about how to make sure the items were secure and one of the children even tied their very first knot! Such a sense of pride and achievement!
The decorated sticks inspired creative thinking in the children and their imaginations ran free as their sticks became babies, swords, people, flying objects, animals and wands to name just a few. The children couldn’t wait to take their creations home to share with their family.
