Blog

Today on the blog we are joined by our wonderful guest blogger Jaime Bruce(Follow on Instagram here at https://www.instagram.com/jaybruce/. Jaime is an early years teacher from Australia who works in London. Her setting is play based, with a strong focus on sustained shared thinking, child-lead activities, and following individual interests.  Jaime 's guest blog today focuses on the joy of art. 

Walk inside the Early Years at my school, and the first thing you do is duck under the paintings and mobiles that hang from washing lines and “make-shift galleries” hanging everywhere. Head outside, and the chalk is in full use, the water colour paints are being liberally thrown at the prepared paper, and leaves and sticks are carefully lined up into patterns in the mud kitchen. The real joy of art in the Early Years, is that there is absolutely no definition of what really constitutes “art”. It permeates through every aspect of a child’s day: from a casual mark-make on the whiteboard of the...

This difficult time really makes us reconsider the actual purpose of education. It just shows that at the end of the day we shouldn’t be just preparing for a test that may never happen. This is the test for this generation.

Child led learning is our way of not teaching something just for Ofsted but a way to build problem solvers, support those who wonder and chase the impossible and it gives them a sense of empowerment. Allowing our children to not just survive but be extraordinary  in any situation.

I remember Christmas as a trainee teacher working in a reception class. I thought to myself where is the fun, the enjoyment.. the magic?!

We were just in a conveyor belt of Christmas making activities! I wasn’t even sure that the children understood what they were making and why?!

We missed opportunities to discuss with the children the wonderful experiences they had at home of putting their tree up, family celebrations and going to visit Father Christmas in his grotto.

It's easy when there's a special day or time of year to dress all your provision around that particular theme. In my first year of teaching when it was bonfire night I would dress all my areas of provision around this particular theme for the week. Enhancing each area with things like;

-Firework themed play dough mats

-Adding red and yellow cellophane and kitchen roll tubes to the junk modelling table

-Putting black sugar paper up on the art easel and luminous paint colours.

Taking this approach to learning each week meant that there was always something in each area of the provision that the adult had decided the children should make often with the adults own example. Or maybe it would have been a tick sheet activity that everyone would have been called to take part in. Getting everything ready the week before was exhausting and I would often feel disheartened when I had set an activity up and the children used it in a different way.

This type of approach can leave very little...

The Art of Letting Go by Cornisheyfsteacher

I was often told that it takes a certain type of person to become a teacher – even more specifically; an early years teacher. Passionate, caring, organised, dedicated, inspired, motivated, resourceful, thoughtful… the list is endless. The responsibility and privilege that comes with the job, having a chance to make a difference and be a part of, arguably, the most important stage of a child’s development, is an honour to say the least. I love my job, I enjoy my job, but I completely understand why it is one of the most challenging professions to be in. The workload, the expectations, the weekends lost to ‘I just need to catch up on…’, the last minute scrutinties, lesson observations, it is never-ending. I am at the start of my career. Now approaching my third year of teaching in a Reception class. I want to share the start of my journey, some of my biggest revelations and the sense I have made of a sector that is continuously evolving.

Well hello there!

Many of you were be thinking about going back to work and how you can effectively support the transition into the school or setting for new children. So in this weeks blog I'm going to give you three ideas to try.

1. Create a Sense of Belonging

Here one of my fabulous members of the Hygge in Early Years Accreditation has reflected on ways she can create that sense of belonging during self registration. Look at these individual peg dolls that can be moved to show "I'm here!"

2. Why not recommend to parents reading this wonderful book 'A Kissing Hand for Chester Raccoon.' This is a beautiful story that's sure to help with separation anxiety. Can't wait to get your hands on the book? Head to this You Tube link (Turn the volume on mute) and read the book together. 

3. Ask your children to bring in a family photo or drawing that you can display in a frame or on the wall.

4. Why not record a video of you and your team telling the children how excited you are to se...