Tag

Play

Monitoring well-being and involvement

By | Creativity, Education, Family, Learning, Play | No Comments

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…

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Play Therapy with Refugee Children

By | Education, Family, Learning, Love, Play

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…

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The Part Parents Play

By | Creativity, Education, Family, Joy, Learning, Love, Play, Prayer, Spirituality | No Comments

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…

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Imagination and Outside Play

By | Creativity, Education, Family, Joy, Learning, Love, Outdoors, Play | No Comments

A childminder’s perspective We have always had a big emphasis on imaginative play in our setting. I love to see the children’s imagination running free. Imagination is such a vital part of faith. God asks us to use our imagination. He told Abraham to go outside at night and count the stars – that’s how many grandchildren and great grandchildren…

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Transient Art

By | Creativity, Education, Family, Joy, Learning, Love, Music, Outdoors, Play, Prayer, Spirituality | No Comments

It’s great fun to make art that can be moved or changed; by children, adults or even the wind and rain! Transient art is non-permanent, constantly changing and focused on the process of creativity in action. When children work on transient art projects they manipulate, explore and experiment as they work individually or collaboratively, on either large- or small- scale artworks….

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Story telling – Playing with Parables

By | Creativity, Education, Family, Joy, Learning, Love, Play, Prayer, Spirituality | No Comments

We are all born storytellers. Story defines our identity both as individuals as well as a society. It comes so naturally to invent stories. We may altogether ignore the propensity in children or we may provoke, support, record and celebrate children’s stories. Provocations can be immensely effective and one example is the use of a suitcase containing suggestive items (A…

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