Spring has truly arrived – bringing sunshine along with wind and showers.
Our April issue covers all the learning opportunities, indoors and out, that this exciting month presents. Check out our brand-new series ‘early years on a shoestring’ which has ideas for recycling and up cycling your own resources and don’t forget to dip into our regular Outdoor Calendar – packed with creative ideas for natural play. It includes a look at that perennial favourite, puddles!
Best practice features:
- Keys to outdoors – making it easy for children to flow in and out is one of the most important keys to maximising outdoor learning. Jan White provides tips and insights.
- All about...observing children’s progress. Di Chilvers suggests practical ways to approach this without resorting to tick-lists or excessive data.
- Inclusion – find out how Nursery World Award winner Footprints for Learning deploys its staff and provides ‘detailed and precise care planning’ to ensure that every child thrives in its setting.
- Essential resources – connecting schemes whereby children join, link or thread objects are not just about fine motor skills but about forming relationships as well. Nicole Weinstein suggests resources to support this.
- Health and nutrition – with growing concerns about the long-term impact of successive lockdowns on children’s physical development, Meredith Jones Russell takes a look at what can be done to re-dress this.
- Eating well – the Early Years Nutrition Partnership provides advice on talking to children about food and their bodies in a positive way.
- Nurture spaces – how children with additional needs are supported at one setting in south London in a dedicated nurture space, which includes a sensory classroom.
- Men in early years – despite the well-documented problems of attracting men into early years roles, the barriers persist. Mark Moloney takes stock of why this is and what more can be done.
Activities
This month’s We’ve explored project delivers a biology lesson for children when they have the opportunity to dissect fish. In education for sustainability, Diane Boyd takes a timely look at how we help children to understand right from wrong and introduce themes of peace and justice. Supporting SEND outlines activities to increase and decrease body alertness. It’s time to embrace wild, wet and windy April by tapping into Julie Mountain’s creative ideas in her outdoor calendar. Plus a brand new series ‘Early years on a shoestring’ with a wealth of thrifty ideas for open-ended resources.
Webinar
Join Christie & Co along with a panel of nursery owners and managers to discuss current trends in the market.
Special report
Ideas for outdoor equipment and resources which can give children the risk and challenge they have missed in the last two years due to Covid.
Management
- Business challenges – new series kicks off taking a look at how to manage cashflow and financial planning amid uncertainty around staffing, occupancy and funding.
- Anti-racist leadership – Liz Pemberton concludes her series with practical advice on how you can embed a culture of anti-racism and ensure that all staff and children feel they belong. Plus management buyouts explained by the Childcare Counsel.
- Manager’s problem page – what to do to when parents feedback and engagement falls wide of the mark.
Analysis
The nursery sector has reacted strongly to the conflict in Ukraine. Catherine Gaunt finds out what individual settings and groups are doing to support refugees and children and families still in the country – through fundraising, donations and even providing accommodation. Meanwhile expert Tamsin Grimmer outlines appropriate ways to allay children’s fears and talk to them about the war.
Poster
Start collecting our A2 series People who help us. April’s poster covers people who help us in an emergency.