North Somerset Council do provide training ... but sometimes we just need some higher level thinking. I've signed up for 9 sessions over the next 10 days [and may be even more tired than usual] x
Black Lives Matter in Early Years; Dr Mine Conkbayir (really like this lady - watched some of her stuff about Trauma Informed Approach - passionate and interesting) - Being Planet Positive: how building self-regulation in early years supports understanding of sustainability issues; Matt Arnerich - the end of EYFS tracking: thinking beyond the tick-box; Dr Rose Drury - Supporting children's home languages and their learning of English; drawing on their "Funds of Knowledge". Dr Alison Moore - Family portraits: how to create a more open-listening climate in early years settings. Dr Louise Kay - Young children as makers, tinkerers and creators. Dr Kathryn Peckham - Nurturing early childhoods for all our tomorrows; thinking beyond learning goals to nurture happy and secure children, equipped with the skills of lifelong learning; Dr Catherine Gripton & Prof Emily Farran - Supporting spatial play in maths. Prof Cathy Nutbrown - Spiders sunshine and bicycle wheels; Looking closely at young children's learning.
0 Comments
[Pronounced Hoo-gah]– March 2022 The Magic of Outdoor Play, delivered by Hygge in the Early Years. Why does the default setting for childcare provision seem to be inside? Aren’t our best days spent outdoors? This rang true for me, and is why as a setting here, we try and get outside every day; woods, beach, park, gardens, for a walk, with binoculars, watching boats, watching trains. Hygge in the Early Years seems to be about slowing everything down. Looking after yourself first; becoming a love practitioner (sharing the wonder and joy); living life well and tuning into simple pleasures. I needed to consider how much time I spend outside with the children? Lots! We are generally out in the morning, and then in the garden for the afternoon. Do they all have appropriate clothes? Think about toes especially – I need to invest in some extra socks I think. Do we do barefoot learning? Perhaps a stream? Different textures? This is something I can look at for Spring/Summer. Sometimes we can be outside without the need for fancy resources and “extras”.
I need to share my knowledge of being outside with parents. Be obvious with benefits – share their child’s leaning on being outside. Study: Sondseter et al (2011) Over protection can cause children to become more anxious. Risk taking in play can reduce anxiety problems in children. Peter Gray (a Boston Child Psychologist) (2014) We deprive children of free, risky play, ostensibly to protect them from danger, but in the process we set them up for mental breakdown. Children are designed by nature to teach themselves emotion-inducing ways (ie, there’s a dinosaur!) In the long run, we endanger them far more by preventing such play than allowing it. We deprive them of fun. RISK is uncertainty. RISK is opportunity. RISK is MISUNDERSTOOD. Without freedom to play – they’ll never grow up. Allow children to self-risk assess from an early age. But “DUTY OF CARE” I hear you cry! Yes, to keep children as safe as necessary and does not mean keep them as safe as possible. I need to make sure I’m not harming their natural development. Don’t take away the fun and the challenge. Consider a balance (benefits / risks) ; supervise as necessary. Make an informed decision. Most importantly – do not wear my catastrophic thinking hat. :D I need to nurture and support parents, share Risk Assessments, include benefits, include the child’s own voice. “Play is when adults stop telling us what to do!” Study: David Elkind, The Power of Play (2007) Play is not a luxury but rather a crucial dynamic of healthy physical, intellectual and social emotional development at all ages. The more rules I make – the more boundaries there are for them to push against. Why do I have them? Most are linked to: Try not to hurt yourself / others / my stuff / environment. 2. Niki Buchan – Adult Role in Nature Based Practice Intention or interfering? Co-finder of a mystery and wonder. Am I excited to share it? Be: Fun ~ curious ~ Adventurous ~ Risk taker ~ a good nature pedagogue. Piaget – When you teach a child something, you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself. Loris Malaguzzi: Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning. Observe carefully what children do and then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before. Recognise spontaneous teachable moments as they occur, and use them to build on a child’s learning. [I do this anyway] – Tree climbing … well you managed to get up… how are you going to get down? [With some support if necessary]. MATHS – I need to look at what they’re doing, and linking it to maths – not interfering with their play. Every teacher/parent/carer holds in his or her hands the power to shape a child’s entire future. BE BRAVE ~ TAKE A RISK ~ Be an advocate for the children. 3. Outdoor Play for Wellbeing, Sarah Watkins Report: State of Play (funded by Ikea, Lego, National Geographic and Unilever). Play is the rocket-fuel of child development. What’s stopping play? Over scheduled lives, access to play space, parental concerns and parental distractions. 4. How connection with nature and risky play helps children maintain and develop a long term capacity for wellbeing. Marina Robb. Nature spaces: Once a month / Regular experiences / daily experiences / fully immersed? Being outdoors regularly and frequently is in itself important for young children, meeting life and every day nature on their doorstep. Emphasising locality and community (rather than going further afield), a CONTINUUM of suitable spaces exists that are sufficiently contained to enable children to freely engage, explore and play, and sufficiently malleable for children to be able to act on their own. Wellbeing includes [Manning & Morton, 2014] Emotional – regulation, attachment, relationships and resilience Personal – self-awareness, self-esteem and autonomy Social – friendships, sense of belonging and community Physical – movement, play, good health and nutrition Intellectual – growth mindset, curiosity, problem solving Spiritual – in touch with themselves and natural world. Interdependent and place attached, there has been a paradigm shift of hierarchical mode to interdependent. Think triangle with human at the top; compared to spiral with all creatures placed somewhere within the spiral frame. Behaviour is communication, what is the child’s level of tolerance? Red zone – fight or flight. Green zone – comfortable Blue zone absence of sensation Nature play continuum Being / Child Lead Doing / Adult Lead Unstructured Right/wrong structured Swedish research from 1997: When it comes to concentration capacity, the children [of outdoor pre-schools] are more than twice as focused as children within normal pre-schools. Their motor skills are better; they are less frustrated, restless and sick. Wells, 2003. Nature is a buffer of life stress. David Sobel: If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. |
NickyMum to 3, have been providing Early Years care for over 20 years. Let's not sweat the small stuff - hoping to support and inspire others <3 Archives
June 2022
Categories
All
|