Autumn Eggs with Onion Skins…

I used to do this with my Great Granny Long when I was a little boy, only ours weren't quite as fancy.... Now that Autumn is really upon us in the UK you will be talking about all of the gorgeous colours you can see and textures you can crunch. This is a nice adult focus that involves lots of processes and opportunities for talk, change, cause and effect and lots more. I have done it loads of times and I never cease to be amazed by the results at the end of the process! You will need A few of pairs of tights - (you only need the legs and feet so you can do something else the gussets)! The skin...

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Filed under: ABC Does A Blog, Creativity, Messy Play

Supporting Child Bereavement – When Children Suffer Loss.

One of the stand out stories from Series Two of Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds is that of Scarlet, whose mother died of cancer not long before the filming began, and the relationship that she formed with Lark Hill resident Beryl. It was a great pleasure to get to know both Scarlet and Beryl and watch that relationship develop throughout the experiment. Scarlet's dad, Tim, said that he wanted her to take part in the experiment as it would give her (and her family) something else to focus on other than their grief. We also hoped that the relationships that Scarlet made with her peers and the older adults would give her lots of opportunities to process and...

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Filed under: ABC Does A Blog, Bereavement

When Enhancements Become Provision – Painting with Squeegees

Good Continuous Provision will not only support adults in observing and interacting with children, it will also help to support and extend children's learning when they are in play. How our children are making progress through the Areas of Learning can help us in deciding on the Areas of Provision that we are going to introduce into our learning space. With all of the settings that I work alongside, I ask them to talk me through why they have decided on a particular Area of Provision and how they envisage it will support their children's development. Constant reflection like this means that your learning space will evolve over time in response to the changing needs of your children. Once we...

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Filed under: ABC Does A Blog, Child Initiated Learning, Continuous Provision, Creativity, Environment