Last week I found myself at the TTS ‘Time for Two’s’ Conference in Manchester. I was delivering a Keynote and a couple of workshops alongside Alice Sharpe amongst others. It was a great day with some brilliant ideas and resources for those working with two year olds (not to mention plenty of great food!). I am sure TTS will be doing more conferences, so keep an eye out for them. During her keynote Alice talked about the amazing things that happen when you mixed cornflour with hair conditioner. What she didn’t do was tell the delegates what actually happens! So, for any of you who were there and were left wondering and those who are now wondering…It makes a really … Read More
Granny’s Teeth and a Tooth Fairy Problem Solved!
Granny’s Teeth and a Tooth Fairy Problem Solved! Some children in FS2 at Summerside School recently lost some milk teeth. We talked about how important it is to look after your teeth. The children were shown how to brush their teeth. We had fun making our own toothpaste and everyone tried it out with a new toothbrush. Try this toothpaste recipe: 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon peppermint essential oil A few drops of water We talked about what happens when you lose a tooth. We had a discussion about what happens in different cultures. Did you know that in Mali children put their lost tooth under a gourd to find a chicken in its place the … Read More
Continuous Provision Planning
Planning for Continuous Provision can be very time consuming and what gets written on paper often doesn’t translate into actual practice. I have been working with a number of schools and settings looking at how they can make their Continuous Provision planning less of a chore and more effective so, I thought I would share what we have been doing in the hope that it might be helpful. I would always start with the question ‘What is Continuous Provision?’ It is not just provision that is continually accessible. It is a selection of resources that have been placed in areas by practitioners that continue the provision for learning in the absence of an adult. Differentiated prompt cards for children to … Read More
Scorpions In Your Sand Tray and other Outdoor Play!
This February half term I was lucky enough to be invited to go out to Brunei and work with the team at Hornbill School. The school caters for both Nepali children of Gurkha soldiers and children of serving British military and civilian MOD personnel. It has over 480 children from 3 – 11 years of age. Usually the school has around 85-90% of children with English as an additional language (EAL), with high mobility as a result of unit moves and redeployment. So not without it’s challenges! Having said that they were judged ‘Outstanding’ at their last inspection. I was working with the Senior Management Team and the Early Years Department doing a mixture of observation, action planning, data analysis, … Read More