Learn how to make a forest small world using loose parts and natural materials plus find out how you can get a set of forest animal model printables to play with. We’ll talk about how to use small worlds as a science activity, and how small world play develops language skills.
Make forest small world play scene
A small world is a mini playland which children can create themselves, using characters, props and sensory play materials.
Let’s build a forest small world, using the printable forest animal cut-out models in our Nature Explorers: Forest kit and invite our children to explore science, language and storytelling.
This is a great project to include as part of your forest school activities.
In this activity, your children can:
:: use loose parts and natural materials to create their own forest small world
:: use the forest animals included in our Nature Explorers: Forest kit as animals to live in their small world
:: re-cap and consolidate their learning about the forest biome
:: use new vocabulary in their play
:: use their imagination to narrate stories and create conversations between the animals
:: enjoy independent play or co-operate within a small group
Download your complete Nature Journal kit
This activity is taken from our Nature Explorers: Forest nature journal kit. This is the perfect nature curriculum for children who have a special interest in animals, love drawing, being outdoors, and being active.
Every page of the Nature Explorers journal gives your children something interesting to read, draw, colour, write or make. You can use the whole book in the given order or mix-and-match to suit you alongside your time outdoors. You’ll know your children are developing their reading and writing fluency and their science knowledge, while still spending a childhood outdoors in the fresh air.
The journal is full of special animal feature pages, activity ideas, and art projects to try in the forest, plus quizzes and questions to consolidate their learning. And your kids will love the two sets of animal cut-out models that are included: forest animals and bugs! They can colour them in, cut them out, and easily assemble them for play or to create model forest dioramas.
See more and get your copy of Nature Explorers: Forest here.
Materials needed for forest small world activity
:: space to build a small world: an area on the floor (indoors or outdoors), on a table, a tray, in a shallow cardboard box
:: ‘loose parts’ natural materials such as leaves, twigs, pine cones, flowers, bark, moss, stones
:: the forest animal cut-out puppets from our Nature Explorers: Forest kit or other woodland toy animals
How to make a forest small world using loose parts
Your small world can be as simple or elaborate as you like. It can use natural materials gathered from your forest or other loose parts and bits and bobs from around the house.
It can be useful to define the area of the small world by creating it on a table, cloth, large piece of paper or designated area of the floor. This gives the small world its own zone, so it doesn’t get damaged and can stay out for several days of in-depth play.
There are no strict rules about how to build your small world but often it starts with a container/area, sensory materials, and a few props.
Loose parts are always a wonderful addition to imaginative play. Loose parts are small moveable materials that children can use in their play. They might be bought materials, or upcycled from the recycling bin or found natural objects.
By offering your children some extra loose parts you’re giving their small world play a creative boost. Not only from an artistic point of view but the opportunity for creative play that encourages brain development, scientific experimenting, mathematical thought, risk taking, and trial and error learning.
The printable forest animal cut-out puppets from the Nature Explorers: Forest kit make a great addition to this forest small world. Your children can colour in the animals, cut them out, and use them as models to play with in their forest small world. The set includes a fox, bear, deer, woodpecker, owl, squirrel and wolf – plus there’s a set of forest insects too. Print as many sets as you like to populate your forest.
Talk about the forest you know, and what you have been learning about the forest biome in our Nature Explorers: Forest kit. Then use your natural materials and loose parts to build a forest small world. You might include the forest floor, a canopy of trees, a stream and other plants.
How to use small worlds as a science activity
Building a small world is a great hands-on way to recap, consolidate and ‘make real’ what you have been learning about the forest biome. It lets children turn all the new information and facts they have gathered about the woodland into a model.
They can put into play:
:: what they know about how to forest environment looks
:: what animals live there
:: how these animals build homes and find food
:: how different animals interact with each other
How small worlds develop language skills
Small world play is an excelent activity to develop language skills.
As they play, listen in and you will hear your children using the new vocabulary you have been learning through the Nature Explorers: Forest activities.
They can narrate the building of their forest play land.
Bring in the printable forest animal cut-out puppets from the Nature Explorers: Forest kit and your children can tell the story of how these animals live in the forest. What adventures will they have? What conversations will they have with each other?
Keep your forest small world out for several days / weeks and give your children time to develop their play narratives.
You can gather extra natural materials next time you go on a nature walk and add them into the play scene.
Perhaps add a new animal for them to discover, or set out some new loose parts to spark new play ideas.
More small world ideas to try
Extend your small world play using these ideas:
Download the Play Academy’s ready-made Small Worlds thematic unit and you’ll be ready to lead a week of activities that boost your children’s play, imagination, language and storytelling skills.
Here’s a great idea for some pretend play with ice – make an Antarctica small world! It’s lots of fun, and an excellent way to enrich learning.
Some homemade play dough and a few loose parts, together with a child’s imagination, soon make a fabulous jungle small world.
This small world play idea combines sensory play and loose parts to explore the frog life cycle. Come and take a look at our pond small world!
Download your complete Nature Journal kit
This activity is taken from our Nature Explorers: Forest nature journal kit. This is the perfect nature curriculum for children who have a special interest in animals, love drawing, being outdoors, and being active.
Every page of the Nature Explorers journal gives your children something interesting to read, draw, colour, write or make. You can use the whole book in the given order or mix-and-match to suit you alongside your time outdoors. You’ll know your children are developing their reading and writing fluency and their science knowledge, while still spending a childhood outdoors in the fresh air.
The journal is full of special animal feature pages, activity ideas, and art projects to try in the forest, plus quizzes and questions to consolidate their learning. And your kids will love the two sets of animal cut-out models that are included: forest animals and bugs! They can colour them in, cut them out, and easily assemble them for play in their small world or to create model forest dioramas.
See more and get your copy of Nature Explorers: Forest here.
Leave a Reply