Take a moment to imagine what it would be like to look at the words on this page and not be able to comprehend the meaning these words have collectively. Perhaps you do not have to imagine. According to the 2016 Census, 21 per cent of Australians speak a language other than English within the […]
Have you made sparkly rainbow fish or is your early childhood service using glitter this Christmas? According to scientists researching the environmental impacts of microplastics, it’s time to think again. Microplastics are generally defined as minute pieces of plastic with a diameter of less than 5mm, and mostly not visible to the naked eye. They […]
Trauma can be split into two categories: simple and complex. When a singular traumatic incident occurs in a child’s life (for instance a car accident), this is considered a simple trauma. But when trauma becomes repetitive and pervasive, particularly where a primary carer is the perpetrator, it is referred to as complex trauma and the […]
Routines are a big part of our lives. They give us order and stability and the reassurance that comes from reliable, consistent patterns of activity. They support us to regulate our lives in a world that is often fast-paced and busy. And they provide a framework for ensuring the important ingredients for staying healthy, for […]
In January 2017 I travelled to Reggio Emilia, Italy, to participate in the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE) intensive study tour. The focus of the week in Reggio Emilia was on documentation and progettazione. The word ‘progettazione’ was used during the course of the week to explain that curriculum design is a strategy of […]
Do you take away your teenager’s phone to manage their behaviour? Maybe when they arrive home late from a party or receive a bad report card? Confiscating, time-limiting or permitting additional access to technology has become a popular parenting strategy. Surveys show that 65% of American parents with teenagers confiscate phones or remove internet privileges as a […]
‘Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. It should encourage children to respect others, human rights and their own and other cultures’ (Article 29, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). Years ago, Children’s Week used to look a particular way in all of our early childhood […]
Play. We think we all agree on what it is when we talk about it. But it has no agreed definition (Burghardt, 2011; Sutton-Smith, 1997), and unless we can describe what play is—and is not—we will struggle to describe how it leads to learning. We struggle to justify why it’s the basis of what we […]
The age old debate in children’s services about the time available for the completion of documentation versus time spent with children has been long standing in our sector. This often divides the sector as some view that you must either choose to document learning or spend time with children. The alternative to this is when […]
As an educator and a people watcher I have such mixed emotions about technology. I love that I have so much information at my fingertips and I love that I can capture a quick photo, or see what is happening in my social and professional networks any time I need. However, I also wonder about […]
