Supporting Learning in the Early Years

Mud Station, Mud Lab or Mud Kitchen?

1st February

Mud Station, Mud Lab or Mud Kitchen? How do these slightly different titles open up our thinking to so many more possibilities than a fixed notion that the Mud Kitchen is for only cooking and playing with recipes and potio ...

Are schools ready for their new children?

29th December 2022

Rather than discuss ‘children’s readiness for school’, we should consider whether schools are ready for their new children. How prepared is your school for its new intake of Reception or Year 1 children? Are you aware and mindful ...

Exploring Feelings & Emotions through Creativity

21st July 2022

What to do in your class:1. Invite children to take photos of each other making all sorts of emotional faces (try not to over direct the children - watch how IT savvy they are!)2. Discuss the many faces captured by the children3. ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors - Literacy

19th June 2020

Children develop speech, language and communication at different rates. They need to learn the skills of listening, turn taking and articulating thoughts and actions. Learning the art of conversation and communication takes time ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors - The World Around Us

12th June 2020

Young children spend lots of time trying to make sense of the immediate world around them. They are naturally curious about what happens throughout the different seasons. They ask questions about the people around them. The ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors - Mathematics

4th June 2020

Mathematical concepts are important for everyday life. They develop slowly and over time in young children. Children need lots of opportunities to experience mathematics in a variety of different contexts. The outdoor en ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors - Social & Emotional Development

28th May 2020

Social and emotional development is all about how individuals make sense of and learn about who they are. Young children experience many emotions and have to learn how to manage and express these emotions appropriately. They be ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors (Physical Development - Fine Motor)

18th May 2020

Fine motor skills are used to make small intricate movements such as writing, drawing, scissor work, threading, buttoning, zipping, handling cutlery and much more. Most of these complex fine motor skills become easier for chi ...

Providing the Curriculum Outdoors (Physical Development - Gross Motor)

14th May 2020

The best way to plan for learning outdoors is by looking firstly at the what children seek to do naturally, and then look at what skills your curriculum is directing you to develop. No curriculum framework requires you to dev ...

Mud Glorious Mud!

15th April 2019

Mud kitchens, as we know them today, are a fairly new introduction to our outdoor spaces, but the concept is very much an age old favourite thing to do outdoors. Jan White, an independent consultant supporting high quality outdo ...