Now the Lord God had planted a garden in Eden, in the East; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8 The importance of the learning environment is very widely acknowledged. The influential ECERS programme is explicit: it is the Early Childhood Environmental Review which prompts our reflection on all that surrounds the young, from the…
A glimpse into the classroom of Elise Hopkins When early years educators speak of the field in a comprehensive context, it is impossible to ignore the trends and accomplishments of settings in the global south. New Zealand, a gem in Oceania, gently leads the way with their quiet insistence to connect, support and develop the family unit. New Zealand’s Ministry…
Observing Young Children The role of observation and assessment in early childhood settings S Smidt, (2015). Abingdon: Routledge. Smidt offers us in the short compass of 90 small pages an introduction to the subject which makes reference to almost everything. The important names are all there: Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner and so on. There is reference to sustained shared thinking, scaffolding…
O Lord. You have searched me and you known me! You know when I sit down; and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139: 1-3 In Psalm 139 we find a beautiful description of the Father’s detailed knowledge of…
Monitoring well-being and involvement by Rev Peter Michell In the UK the most immediate association made with assessment is the Early Years Foundation Stage and the ‘outcomes’. We also think of endless laborious record keeping. This first association has to be called into question because it is not the only kind of assessment and it is not the most important either. If…
We know that each of the children in our care is uniquely created by our loving God and Father and that He has a plan and a purpose for each of their lives. We know that their needs and interests and learning styles will be different. Psalm 139 says: “For You shaped me, inside and out. I am Your unique…
Play therapy provides a place for children to express and explore their thoughts , fears and emotions in a safe child-friendly way. Instead of merely relying on words (which children can find very difficult ), the therapy uses play and creative expression as a form of communication. It is a multicultural tool that enables children to strengthen their self esteem and…
Definitions Let us start with a definition of ‘spirituality ‘ as I use it. When the 1944 Education Act was drawn up they used the word spirituality because they claimed that no one knew what it meant and therefore it could not be disputed. Many definitions have been given since. I think the simplest definition is: an experience of awe…
The reviews on this website are strictly speaking not just for book reviews but resource reviews. The theme of play might suggest all sorts of ‘toys’, but actually the best resources in all the world are natural ones: sticks, sand, insects, mud. We might well add unit blocks, but we probably shouldn’t spend much on resources for children’s play because they…
Principal stakeholders in education, after the children themselves , are the parents. The Bible makes the assumption that responsibility for the nurture of children belongs to parents, referring to fathers in particular. For example: It is to fathers that these words are addressed: …bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4, Authorised Version) or …bring them up in…
