{"id":260,"date":"2020-03-19T16:04:01","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T16:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/?p=260"},"modified":"2025-07-08T15:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T15:09:06","slug":"learning-beyond-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning beyond the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is surprising sometimes how\nsignificance can mushroom from quite small projects. My family are lucky enough\nto own and run a small private nursery and I\u2019m frequently asked to create\nresources by our staff. One such recent request came from our pre-school room\nleader who asked if I could make a robot for the children. Now, I am no\nengineer, so mechanics were out of the question\u2026 but junk modelling? \u2013 that is\nanother matter, so the germ of an idea was born. Pet food boxes, Pringles\ncannisters and other likely raw materials were accumulated over a couple of\nweeks, till I had enough to start building. Armed with my trusty glue gun my\nrobot began to take shape over a weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I have created resources for the nursery before I prefer there to be a \u2018back story\u2019 rather than a new resource simply \u2018arriving\u2019, so when we did some work in our \u2018secret garden\u2019 one weekend, I took pictures and printed them into a little book showing the adventure \u2018Daisy\u2019 had been having and setting the children a bit of a treasure hunt (Daisy was actually a straw scarecrow bought for 50p from the local garden centre \u2018end of stock\u2019 bin). I therefore decided the robot had to have come from somewhere and there had to be a rationale for him\/her to be here. Thus, alongside the construction, the back story began to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I suppose my childhood diet of sci-fi\nand outer space during the 50s and 60s fuelled my imagination, so that\u2019s where\nhe came from\u2026 a planet where robots worked hard, but no-one ever thanked them\nfor their endeavours. Because of this, robots never learned to experience\nemotions. I\u2019d found the key for the robot resource!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the construction developed, I\ncoincidentally discovered that there is such a thing as magnetic paint, and\nthis is where the masterplan came together. I gave the robot a magnetic face\nand made interchangeable facial features so that his\/her expression could be\naltered. I also wrote the accompanying story to get the children thinking about\nshowing care and gratitude, practicing good manners, thinking and talking about\nemotions and showing empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An informal follow up evaluation\na couple of weeks after the robot arrived showed the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Children loved changing the robot\u2019s face and trying to copy his\/her expressions.<\/li>
  • Boys were particularly animated and engaged<\/li>
  • Key workers were able to incorporate number work with the resource<\/li>
  • The children talked about the different shapes making up his\/her body<\/li>
  • They walked like robots at music time and talked in ways they thought robots might talk<\/li>
  • Children were heard encouraging each other to say please and thank you and generally be aware of their manners<\/li>
  • It captured their imagination and follow-on activities included using tin foil to make and decorate their own robots.<\/li>
  • With the teacher they built their own giant model of a robot they could climb inside<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I have now had a request to develop a sequel linking into the theme of recycling \u2013 this may just become the reason s\/he stays on Earth rather than returning to his\/her own planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ian
    Ian Currie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It is surprising sometimes how significance can mushroom from quite small projects. My family are lucky enough to own and run a small private nursery and I\u2019m frequently asked to create resources by our staff. One such recent request came from our pre-school room leader who asked if I could make a robot for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1918,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134601],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practitioners"],"yoast_head":"\nLearning beyond the classroom - Early Years<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning beyond the classroom - Early Years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is surprising sometimes how significance can mushroom from quite small projects. My family are lucky enough to own and run a small private nursery and I\u2019m frequently asked to create resources by our staff. One such recent request came from our pre-school room leader who asked if I could make a robot for the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Early Years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-19T16:04:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-08T15:09:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/files\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ian\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\",\"name\":\"Learning beyond the classroom - Early Years\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-19T16:04:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-08T15:09:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/25a06f520eae0ec1fae7d4c74f701030\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learning beyond the classroom\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/\",\"name\":\"Early Years\",\"description\":\"Assessment overload \u2013 play depravation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/25a06f520eae0ec1fae7d4c74f701030\",\"name\":\"Ian\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/afeefeabe8bd65c005041983d8ec636a55587df359707444f5c2f5a82a71d89e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/afeefeabe8bd65c005041983d8ec636a55587df359707444f5c2f5a82a71d89e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ian\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/author\/curriei\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Learning beyond the classroom - Early Years","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learning beyond the classroom - Early Years","og_description":"It is surprising sometimes how significance can mushroom from quite small projects. My family are lucky enough to own and run a small private nursery and I\u2019m frequently asked to create resources by our staff. One such recent request came from our pre-school room leader who asked if I could make a robot for the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/","og_site_name":"Early Years","article_published_time":"2020-03-19T16:04:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-08T15:09:06+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/files\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg"}],"author":"Ian","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ian","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/","name":"Learning beyond the classroom - Early Years","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg","datePublished":"2020-03-19T16:04:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-08T15:09:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/25a06f520eae0ec1fae7d4c74f701030"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2020\/03\/IMG_5682-rotated.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/learning-beyond-the-classroom\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learning beyond the classroom"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/","name":"Early Years","description":"Assessment overload \u2013 play depravation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/25a06f520eae0ec1fae7d4c74f701030","name":"Ian","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/afeefeabe8bd65c005041983d8ec636a55587df359707444f5c2f5a82a71d89e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/afeefeabe8bd65c005041983d8ec636a55587df359707444f5c2f5a82a71d89e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ian"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/author\/curriei\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1918"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/earlyyears\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}