The Foundation Stage Forum Community
Welcome to the FSF – a community for early years professionals. Engage in conversations, offer and receive advice and support, make connections. Discover our library of education articles and podcast episodes to enhance your reflective practice. Working together to achieve high-quality early childhood education.
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Posts:470,609
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Members:52,645
Promoting Positive Starts in Early Childhood Education and Care Settin…
by Jayne Garcia
Senior Lecturer Jayne Garcia looks at some of the theory related to transition between home and early years setting, and shares advice on how to make sure your setting is ready for each child.
Podcast: The role of a nanny
Stephen and Jules are joined by expert nanny Shada Lambert to discuss how nannies become part of the ‘parenting team’, supporting families to develop routines, and the importance of a knowledge of child development in a child-centred approach.
If yo…
Warda Farah explains the Pathology of Agency and reflects on the impac…
Warda Farah explains Pathology of Agency, and reflects on the impact it has on children in the early years, as well as what we can do to combat it.
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nursery catering
Hi does anyone have outside caterers in for nursery school meals. We would like to provide hot meals for lunch time but can't afford to hire a cook/chef. We are in the Oxfordshire area but don't seem able to find anyone who offers this service. What does everybody else do? If you are open 8-6 do they bring packed lunches in for lunch and afternoon tea. Please help -
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PLAYING WITH MATHS
Did you know there was an International Day of Maths? I must admit, I had no idea. It is on 14th March every year and invites schools and children to celebrate maths around a particular theme. This year the theme is PLAYING WITH MATH. This is so relevant to teaching Maths in the early years, where, as we know and celebrate, the emphasis is on learning through play. Children are exploring mathematical concepts as they line things up, collect things in baskets, role play shopping, make their own playdough, fit things into other things, thread wooden beads, balance on a seesaw, weigh ingredients, fill and pour – I could go on but the list is so long there really isn’t room. And that’s before we even mention numbers and counting! Maths is everywhere: The endless possibilities, the excitement, the intricate patterns, the accessibility of Maths is within reach of every very small child. How much does this wonder continue as they grow? At some point, and in England this is pretty early on, children begin to learn more formal mathematical concepts. They begin to see Maths as having a right or wrong answer. Does Maths lose its magic then? Do some children become anxious about Maths around this time? ‘Maths Anxiety’ is a recognised and worrying issue. According to an Ipsos MORI poll commissioned by Shirley Conran of The Maths Anxiety Trust in 2018, 23% of parents of children aged between 5-15 report that their eldest child often feels anxious when attempting to solve a maths problem. The Maths Anxiety Trust says the key is to make sure children understand one concept before they move onto another. They need to explore, experiment, play with a mathematical idea before it becomes embedded and they are ready to move onto the next one, whatever age they are: Maths knowledge is built like a skyscraper; each new brick is built on the last brick. If one brick is left out at the bottom, the skyscraper might wobble or crash… So make sure your child understands one new idea, before moving on to the next new idea. (Maths Anxiety Trust). In England, the Maths curriculum moves fast. It gallops along. And the challenge for every teacher is to cover the curriculum while giving children that all-important space to really understand each concept. Do the children in your early years or key stage class have time to embed their maths skills? As Shirley Conran says: Whatever you plan to do … you will need to use Everyday maths EVERY DAY. Because Maths is Everywhere, whether you are 6 or 60. By Jules FSF and Tapestry Education Group -
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Free Global Story Session with Laura Henry-Allian MBE - 7th March 2024
What a fantastic FREE opportunity to join Laura Herny-Allain on World Book Day this year (7th March 2024) To reserve your space, email admin@LauraHenryAllain.com. -
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Android/Fire update 5.1
A new Android app update is now out (version 5.1). This is for those of you using the Tapestry app on Android and Amazon Fire devices. There's nothing terribly exciting in this update, but it does fix a few minor bugs and does include some prep work for the next release - which will include new functionality! -
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A fundraising event for the CultureCraft Programme
If you are in Oxford, you may be interested in going along to a fundraiser event for the CultureCraft School Readiness Programme in Malawi. The project aims to provide young children with learning opportunities that are grounded in their traditions, and developed by those in their communities. You can find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-readiness-in-malawi-culturecraft-fundraiser-tickets-845820892057 -
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Why do we celebrate Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day is coming up, March 10th and in settings and schools there may be a focus on Mummies. Perhaps cards will be made, or paper flowers, and perhaps there will be lots of conversations about what our Mummies do for us and why we love them. As part of our reflective practice, we often think about why we’re doing what we’re doing. Why do we store the wooden blocks next to the small world animals? Why do we have a rolling snack time? Why do we do register time like this? Asking ‘why’ helps us to focus – is this supporting children’s learning and development, are we providing for every child, do we need to do it this way, can we do it differently (and better)? So, why do we celebrate Mother’s Day? As with so many things that we do, the answer might be ‘because we always have’. Or perhaps ‘because it helps children to learn about love and saying thank you to their Mummies who look after them’? Let’s dig a little deeper. Thinking about being loved, and loving, helps children remember they are kept in mind, they have people who care about them, and to learn ways to show their own love. For many children, this will include their Mummy. But we can, and do, support children to recognise love and kindness in others and in themselves all the time. In those small, meaningful moments in their day, when we and they can be responsive to a feeling or thought. Perhaps in one of those moments they may choose to make a card, or something else, or use their words, body language, or actions. When this experience has been prompted by the child, or led by a book you are reading together, or by a question you ask, on any day of the year, the learning will be deeper. Because for many children, Mother’s Day may be a trigger. There are so many different versions of family and so many family stories. A child may live with their single Dad or have two Daddies. There may be a child who is living with their foster family. Or a child’s Mummy may have died, or perhaps their Mummy’s Mum – their Granny – has passed away and this is a painful time for the whole family. Perhaps an older sibling is a child carer, looking after everyone in the home. Or there may not be the caring relationships at home that we would hope every child would experience, but we know do not. These are only a few of the reasons why Mother’s Day is not relevant to every child, and why it might trigger feelings, and perhaps behaviour. There are also the families at home, who might find Mother’s Day particularly challenging. I know from the experience in my own family, and that of my friends’, that the death of a child can be part of a family story. And we might not always know – for example if a baby was still born or a baby has been lost through a miscarriage. Mother’s Day can be a very sad time for Mummies. For all these reasons, and more, perhaps we can recognise that Mother’s Day doesn’t provide for and support the learning and development of every child, and that we can learn together about giving and receiving love and kindness and being grateful in so many other meaningful ways, every day. Written by Jules Mickelburgh -
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Podcast episode: There is no one way to be a family
In this podcast conversation Ben and Jules chatted with teacher and trainer Caprice Fox about talking with children about LGBTQIA+, the importance of belonging, and the language and resources to support you to create an inclusive learning community. Useful resources mentioned in this episode are linked here: https://www.popnolly.com/ https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/445987/my-magic-family-by-jeffs-lotte/9780241560518
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