Category Archives: Early Years

What more can you do to create an exciting and dynamic learning environment for the children of today?

 

What more can you do to create an exciting and dynamic learning environment for the children of today?

It could be argued that it is harder than ever to create an exciting and dynamic learning environment which will enhance children’s creativity, imagination and academic knowledge – not least because education is perhaps more structured now than it has ever been with regard to the curriculum and inspections from Ofsted.

And so it is for this reason that all our resources have been carefully selected, so that you can deliver the curriculum in exciting and innovative ways. Our extensive array of product categories range from arts and crafts, classroom furniture and outdoor learning, to EYFS, KS1 and KS2 curriculum based resources.

Early Years Resources has over 24 years of experience providing educational resources to schools and supply over 6000 resources selected by our expert team of teachers and specialists. Our catalogue of resources also includes a selection of innovative and exclusive products designed and developed by members of the team.

Furthermore, we pride ourselves on our customer service, price matching and the multiple channels for ordering that we offer – online, over the phone, via fax, post or email.

To view our range of products visit our website or request a catalogue online. For any other information, feel free to contact us on 0161 865 3355.

 

 

What do nursery schools do in Leavers’ Week?

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In June 2016 the website Preparing for Leavers’ Week asked nursery schools, primary schools and secondary schools around the UK if they became engaged in any Leavers’ Week activities.  And if so, what they did, who took charge, and when they planned it.

All the answers are now in, and those of us conducting the research were really quite surprised by the responses.

Our biggest surprise came from the level of enthusiasm for Leavers’ Week activities in nurseries – it seems to us that this was far, far greater in nursery schools and nursery units than in primary schools.

We were also taken aback by the high level of responses which came in both from nursery schools and nursery units attached to primary schools.

98% of the nursery schools and units said that they did indeed engage in Leavers’ Week activities and gave us a lot of detail as to what they did.

Our questions also involved issues of who took charge of the arrangements and when they started making arrangements.

You can read our full report on Leavers’ Week in Nursery Schools on the “Preparing for Leavers’ Week” website, which also carries our results from surveys of primary and secondary schools.

I do hope you find the information useful. My colleagues and I will be in touch again next term as we develop the site further.  It is, I think, the first time anyone has ever gathered together information on Leavers’ Week from schools around the UK.

Tony Attwood
The “Preparing for Leavers Week” team.

Early Years and Infant Budget Busters

Do you want to make that book budget go further with an excellent choice plus a clear idea of what you’re buying?

Then please see all the wonderful offers on our “Favourites and Phonics” brochure. Including amazing value offers on:

Story Cards – move over big books!
Ladybird
I’m Ready For Phonics
Sparklers
award winning early years non-fiction
Usborne Young readers
And many wonderful picture books at amazing prices

If you’re looking for end of term presents (or even shopping early for Xmas!) then you will find something here for you.

Please view the brochure at: www.mms-publishing.com/nursery or we can email a PDF brochure directly to you.  No need to open an account to order, all orders supplied on 30 day credit period, and all orders over £50 supplied carriage free.

For any further information please contact: Tel: 020 8898 5211  Email: info@mms-publishing.com Fax: 01536 399012

MMS

Address: 50 Godfrey Avenue, Twickenham, TW2 7PF

selling excellent children’s books and digital

Practical and accessible resource for Early Years

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Index for inclusion: developing play, learning and participation in early years and childcare

Written by Denise Kingston, Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow

  • Accessible, flexible and practical resource for self-evaluation and improvement
  • Encourages staff, young children and families to work together collaboratively
  • User-friendly materials, organised around sets of indicators and questions
  • Index materials support a detailed review of cultures, policies and practices in early years settings.
  • Essential for settings committed to putting inclusive values into action
  • Includes CD
  • CSIE price: £28.00 + £5.50 p&p
  • November offer: buy one get one half price

The Early Years Index can help settings to:

  • clarify their own values and put them into action;
  • create a detailed self-review and development strategy;
  • sustain the changes that are made;
  • empower adults and children to voice their ideas;
  • improve the setting for staff as well as for children and families;
  • minimise barriers to play, learning and participation;
  • articulate a clear rationale for development.

Staff who have used the Index materials have found them useful as:

  • a tool for self evaluation
  • a means of engaging the whole school community
  • a resource for meeting the requirements of the Equality Act and the new Ofsted Framework.

Order now to take advantage of the November offer:

To order your copy, please email the following information to admin@csie.org.uk

Priority order code HHIfIEY Index for inclusion: developing play, learning and participation in early years and childcare
Number of copies required:
Your Name:
Contact telephone no:
Email address:
School Name:
School Address :

Invoice Address:

(if different from above)

Purchase order no:

(if applicable)

CSIE price: £28.00 + £5.50 p&p for up to 2 copies
Total cost:

 

The most important factor in developing childhood happiness, confidence, and a positive attitude.

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The notion that there is one simple thing that really can make a powerful difference to the way children live their future lives is a notion that sounds very attractive.

But such a notion may leave you sceptical.  Life is, after all, by its nature very complicated.

And yet there is something that really can and does make a difference to large numbers of children: it is positive play. It has the ability to make young people happier, more outgoing, more confident, and friendlier, while also transforming the way in which they live their lives from here on.

However, although the phrase “Positive Play” is widely used, my colleagues and I have felt that positive play is something that is sometimes not always fully understood.  So we’ve decided to do something about that.

We’ve launched Positive Play Week.

It takes place on 9 to 13 May, and is an opportunity for you to focus on positive play in your nursery, engaging with your colleagues and talking with the children’s parents at nursery on the subject of positive play, engagement, and the benefits of both.

With this in mind I do hope you will take a look at our Positive Play Week website. There is a link to the website here.  But you may prefer to go straight to the nursery section here.

It contains a huge amount of information about positive play, including policies and briefing documents, ideas for activities, and a detailed review of why positive play is so beneficial for children.

There are also some ideas for the sort of equipment that nurseries can use in order to help children explore and learn about positive play.

I do hope you will have a moment to look at and explore the Positive Play Week website and then, if you wish, do let us know about the activities you and your nursery are engaging in to support positive play.

If you want to send us photographs of your positive play activities that would be wonderful. And if you have any questions or thoughts you can get in touch with us:

Finally I must thank our sponsor, Edventure, without whom Positive Play Week would never have come to be. You can find more details of the equipment they supply which supports positive play on their website.

Jenny Burrows

Positive Play Week Co-ordinator

The Little Box of BIG Questions

Philosophical and meaningful conversations with children and young people

Professor Irvine Gersch & Dr Anna Lipscomb

Children/young people need time, space and kindness to speak openly about the things most important to them and listening can help facilitators understand better the root of children’s thinking and behaviour, and can give an insight into how to better support them to reach their potential. Use these cards to provide prompts for a meaningful, stimulating and positive conversation about the ‘bigger picture’ in life. They will help children and young people understand their views about life, school and people important to them, which is enlightening for the facilitators too.

There are four areas for discussion:

Identity – allows the child to consider what is special about them as individuals & includes: How would you describe the person you are?

Important people – children are encouraged to consider who is important to them through questions such as: Who is special to you?

Meaning & Purpose – questions covering our mission and purpose in life, for example: Do you think that people’s lives are set out for them?

Thinking & Planning – the final set of questions allows individuals to think about how they reflect and make big decisions, for instance: How do you calm your mind, relax and think best? Have you ever experienced a big change in your life?

Contents: 17 A5-size cards, includes instruction booklet with ideas for use

LITTLE BOX OF BIG QUESTIONS ref. 400H £24.99

TO ORDER:
Post: Small World, 9 Burnham Place, Syresham, Northants, NN13 5HT
Tel: 01280 850 305
Fax: 01280 830022

Email: orders@smlworld.co.uk
http://www.smlworld.co.uk/little-box-of-big-questions-order-form-hh.html

To obtain a 5% discount on your order, please quote HH14 on your purchase order form or add the discount code whilst purchasing online.

 

We’ve sent it to you, but you might find someone will want to borrow it.

We have just sent you the new catalogue of positive playtime equipment from Edventure. This should be with you by the 6th or 7th January.

But there is always a chance that it won’t be there because

a) somehow it got lost in the post.

b) one of your colleagues spotted it and removed it for a quick perusal of the products.

c) the fact that there is a new article in the catalogue from positive playtime expert Therese Hoyle attracted the attention of a colleague who borrowed the catalogue to read the article, and then quite possibly passed it on to someone else.

Now if b) or c) is the case I would like to apologise sincerely on behalf of your colleague. You see, the catalogue is something that teachers do like to meander through, not least because of the many new ideas in it in relation to enhancing positive play, stopping bullying before it starts, and encouraging creative experimentation.

So if your copy is missing (for whatever reason) please do click here, complete your details and we’ll get another in the post to you right away. Alternatively, you can view our online catalogue by clicking here.

I do hope you will find the article and the range of ideas within the catalogue to be of interest. You can place an order in a variety of different ways including:

  • on the website www.edventure.co.uk  
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk   
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

What’s more, if you quote HH0515 on your order delivery will be free. Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95.

Facilitating learning with more than one sense

Multi-sensory learning is a highly effective notion that is habitually adopted to support the development of young children. Yet it is a technique which often gets phased out as children age and progress, despite childhood (in its entirety) being a vital stage for development.

It is a teaching and learning technique which should be used routinely to support children’s academic development throughout their educational careers – particularly for children with SEN or for children who are falling behind in their learning.

It is for this reason that Edventure has produced a Multi Sensory Pack which can be used to support the multi-sensory learning approach which has proven time and time again to be highly beneficial to children’s academic progress and thus overall attainment levels.

By incorporating the content of the Multi Sensory Pack into your pupils’ learning, not only will you achieve higher levels of engagement among your pupils, but your pupils will also gain a greater understanding of the areas of learning where this approach is imposed.

Our Multi Sensory Pack comes in a drawstring bag consists of the following:

  • 2 x Bean Bag
  • 2 x Bean Ball
  • 2 x Bump Ball
  • 2 x Coated Foam Ball 7cm
  • 2 x Easy Grip Ball 16cm
  • 2 x Koosh Ball 7cm
  • 2 x Rainbow Ball
  • 2 x Ring Quoits
  • 2 x Soft Small Football

You can order the Multi Sensory Pack in a variety of ways, including:

  • on our website – www.edventure.co.uk
  • by fax to 01323 50 10 41
  • by phone on 01323 50 10 40
  • by email at sales@edventure.co.uk
  • or by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

And if you quote HH0515 on your order delivery will be free. Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95 if ordered online or £6.95 if ordered by fax, phone or post.