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Busy Things hosts over 1600 curriculum-linked activities and games for early years and primary aged children. A school subscription also includes lots of features and tools for teachers that promise to save planning time.  Take a free trial to have a proper play or book a demo here. 

Pretty Things: Pretty patterns

Select the pattern you want to work with before you begin. Experiment with layering and combining different marks. Use the buttons in the top left to save, load and print your images.

You can use this activity with the other Pretty Things activities for even more amazing results! In the left-hand margin are other works you have made during the session. Select one to open it in the canvas area and work on top of it. NOTE: These will not be saved automatically when you finish your session on Busy Things.



Discussion points

Age 3-4, Age 4, Age 5, Age 5-6, Age 6-7Age 7-9, Age 9-11

  • Can you see which parts look the same as each other?
  • What shapes and colours can you see?
  • What have you created?
  • If you were to give your creation a title, what would it be? Why?
  • If you could improve or change anything, what would it be? Why?


Teaching tips:

Age 3-4, Age 4, Age 5, Age 5-6, Age 6-7Age 7-9, Age 9-11

Use with ‘Mirror magic’ ‘Snowflakes’ or ‘Colour a bug’ for more early experimentation with symmetry. Encourage children to analyse their creation and say what they like about it.
This could be used with ‘Are these shapes symmetrical?’ or ‘Symmetrical or not? Classification’ from the shape section in mathematics.

Alternatively, use in conjunction with ‘Rangoli patterns’ or ‘Make a piece of Islamic art’ to see how symmetry is used in art.
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Nursery

 £110+VAT yr

  Unlimited children in a single nursery

  Single shared login

  xx games for independent play

  Areas of Learning?

  Printable worksheets

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FREE TRIAL

Your free trial includes

  • access to 1600+ of fun educational activities and games
  • Create an area just for your class (school version)
  • Track activities and send feedback (school version)
  • Customisable games and activities targeting core maths, literacy and phonics skills
  • Creative activities working with colours, shapes and sounds
  • Busy Code - a whole suite of activities and guides for teaching children how to code
  • A custom phonics and maths worksheet maker
  • Curriculum-links and activity search
  • Pupil timelines - see what your pupils have been doing
  • Set assignments and collate results
  • Play on desktop computers, laptops and tablets

 

Schools

Schools have no limit on the number of pupils that can use Busy Things simultaneously. 

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Families 

The family version allows up to 5 children to play at once.

 

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