The Awe and Wonder of Light (and Dark).We talk a lot in the Early Years about the concept of Awe and Wonder. Two fairly small words that promote some huge emotional responses. When words are used a lot, they can sometimes come to lose their meaning and be used in situations that don’t do them justice. But true moments of awe and wonder can have significant impact on children’s engagement with their environment and their potential for learning. Although awe and wonder are similar, they are not the same. We will often talk about being ‘in awe’ of something which means that we recognise its grandeur and see it as greater than us. We might be in awe of someone’s … Read More
Wordless Stories, Transient Tales and Text as a Loose Part
This week the blog has been written for me by Clare Thompson. Clare is an illustrator and visual story teller, and like me, is based up here in the North West of England. She uses a mixture of handmade techniques and digital media to create pieces of art that also translate into picture books for children. You might have seen Clare’s work on my Facebook and Instagram pages as from 2016 she has been working with Naturally Creative Early Years Consultancy and has created books like Junk DNA that I often see popping up in people’s Loose Parts and Transient Art Areas. I have made the images nice and big in the blog this week so that we can really … Read More
Autumn Make – Apple Shrunken Heads!
I first made these a couple of years ago and they were a HUGE hit with the children. There is lots of opportunity for talk as well as observing how the apples change in size and colour. As I say later in the instructions, the process takes about 2 weeks from start to finish so it is worth getting going on them early. The process of the initial making and then the ensuing decay is fascinating. Not to mention the end results. I love them! They are dead easy to make (excuse the pun)! You need Apples (any sort will do) Apple peeler Play dough utenstils Blunt wooden skewers or sticks Lemon juice (optional) Water (optional) My boys loved making … Read More
Books to Encourage Conversation in the Early Years
This week on my Facebook Page I posted some books that I’ve found useful when talking to younger children about identity. In my view children are never too young to have these (age appropriate) conversations. As Early Years educators we are in the privileged position of working with children right at the beginning of their journey through education. We can encourage an open mindset, foster a culture of acceptance and show children how to celebrate difference. We can have a HUGE impact. It’s vitally important that children see themselves and their familiar culture reflected in books but equally important that they read (and listen to) stories that broaden their knowledge of identity, providing them with an informed, rich view of … Read More