A guest post by Connor – a Nature Premium youth ambassador. Tiptoeing out of a pandemic, we all know now just how valuable time in nature is for our physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Although we now have a greater sense of freedom, access to nature and playing outdoors is still limited and not equally accessible. This inaccessibility is especially true for our children and those of disadvantaged and marginalised communities. However, a Nature Premium could see this change. I was lucky to have somewhat of a nature premium growing up. My mum and grandparents passed on old wildlife and natural history books, I would watch documentaries and go to zoos, aquariums, farms, and green and blue spaces in and … Read More
Forest Kindergarten – by Marina Robb
Forest Kindergarten Children are by nature curious and playful. There is a reason for that. Self-directed exploration and play are how they learn. Children were designed by nature to educate themselves by playing and exploring. The launch of the new Forest Kindergarten Level 3 Training is a welcomed and exciting moment. Although there are many opportunities to learn how to bring the benefits of the outdoors to the early years, this training has been crafted by early years professionals, with a vast range of nature-based experience. It is aimed to provide inclusive and accessible results so that children from urban or more rural settings can explore and enjoy local nature play in their communities. This Level 3 training … Read More
Developing Parent Collaboration in SEN Support
‘If a community values its children, it must cherish its parents.’ (John Bowlby) Take a look at the below statements. Do you find them helpful or harmful when speaking about children to parents? ‘It’s such a shame; she is so beautiful!’ ‘You must be so worried!’ ‘Your child is still the same, even with the diagnosis.’ ‘Boys are slower to talk, don’t worry.’ ‘Oh my God, how do you cope? It must be so hard!’ ‘It’s such a shame because it’s not just his life but all of you.’ ‘It’s so sad that his sister won’t have a normal life!’ ‘Don’t worry, in my opinion, everyone’s a bit autistic.’ ‘It must be like grieving the loss of the child you thought you … Read More
Play and Neurodiversity
This is part three in Kerry’s series around Neurodiversity. You can find parts one and two below. “Play must be the right of every child. Not a privilege. After all, when regarded as a privilege, it is granted to some and denied to others, creating further inequities. Play as a right is what is fair and just. Although children will engage in play differently, play is a child’s right” (Souto-Manning, 2017) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states in Article 31 that play is the right of all children, yet if we think about it, play is something that we continually have to defend. Through self-directed play, children gain many things, including joy, learning, … Read More