Embracing Childhood; Nurturing Early Years

Happy bank holiday 💖

Wow, what an inspiration. A very talented girl who has demonstrated a desire to express her creativity through art. No templates, access to more than a few colours, and clearly enjoying the process of painting rather than just the end product. Ditch the stencils, ditch the templates and inspire the children through positive experiences. Allow children to express their own ideas. They see things through a child’s eye where imagination and creativity comes alive 💖

Wow! I want a go 😂

EYFS courses coming up this month at Acorn. For a full range of courses and workshops, including Safeguarding and SEND, please visit http://acornchildcare.co.uk/…/02/2018-T raining-Booklet-1.pdf
Our new programme will be available soon.

Great idea!

Are you Reggio inspired? I share the same values and believe this approach to be one that equips children with valuable skills for life. Children are capable and need environments to feed their natural curiosity. Environments that foster opportunities for investigation and discovery. Rich learning experiences offered whereby adults and children can extend and share ideas, thoughts, and discoveries together.

Promoting independence builds confidence and is an important contributor to learning.
Through observational learning, providing time and space to practice, at just 17 months, the skill of putting on her own coat was achieved.
Do you allow time to practice independent skill during transitional periods, such as outdoor play?

Creating inviting play spaces captures the interest of children. If spaces are well organised and resources easily accessible, children will develop self confidence and independence as they engage in self directed play. When facilitating play - an invitation to mark making, for example - it is important to consider and plan resources. As you can see in the picture below, there is a chalk board with chalks and a wet cloth. A white board with dry wipe markers and a dry cloth.... Pencils with sharpeners, rubbers and scissors. Various pens with flip top and removable lids. Different size and thickness of paper, scissors and envelopes. Providing such resources enables children to develop;
Physical skill Creative skill Imagination Express feelings Critical thinking Recall and represent past experiences Create and share a story
I organised this play space ready for when my children arrived home from school. My 4, 5 and 10 year old were all drawn to the table and 2 hours later my 10 year old had created this.....
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Yesterday I introduced a new item for my children to explore. They were both immediately drawn to a new, unusual item, left on a side for them to explore.....
Children are natural explorers, born with curious minds engineered to learn about objects of their world. Invitations for exploratory play in an environment where children have space and time to learn, through trial and error, is an enabling one. One with provocations to draw interest to discover through open ended play. PLAY that enables children to LEARN at their own pace. A pace that provides opportunity for high level engagement.

How many children/adults would benefit from this as their school/office chair?