Jules

Are you sitting comfortably? Depending on your age those words either take you back to ‘Listen with Mother’ or more recently, cBeebies. I make no apology for the fact that should you choose to read on, it is highly likely that your comfort will turn to discomfort. I have come to terms with this now, none of us are immune, we are all on a learning journey. For too long we have been comfortable in society and in the education sector regarding matters of race. For too long the status quo has remained. After all we are good people, we care about children, we are certainly not racists, and we want to improve lives. We are the good ones… aren’t we? However, as Nova Reid writes in her 2021 book ‘The Good Ally’: ‘Society has become really good at dehumanising: ‘racists’... racism has got nothing to do with being a good or bad person. It means facing up to the fact that what we’ve been taught to believe about ‘racists’ – being exclusively abhorrent, probably unintelligent and definitely violent individuals – is false.’ In summary, people who want to intentionally cause harm are in the minority. Well intentioned, kind-hearted, well-meaning people are in the powerful majority. People like you. Right from the outset it is important that I make it clear that it is my belief that if we are committed to positive action and change, then we must become accustomed to being comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, are you sitting uncomfortably? Then I’ll begin. Since the 2015 ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign there has been a growing Decolonisation of the Curriculum (DTC) movement. The caught-on camera murder of George Floyd in the US sparked mass support into an already growing Black Lives Matter movement and opened people’s eyes to the racial inequalities that are entrenched in Western society. As is all too familiar, there was a British exceptionalism viewpoint, watching on in horror at our cousins over the pond struggling with systemic racism. I say exceptionalism as only a matter of weeks ago in December 2021, West Mercia Police Force issued an apology, yes, an apology, for killing former footballer and Black man Dalian Atkinson after tasering him and kicking him in the head at the time of his arrest outside his father’s home when suffering a mental breakdown. The officer in question, found guilty of the unlawful killing, is currently serving a jail sentence for manslaughter. The killing took place in 2016, the apology offered in 2021. ‘I can’t breathe.’ Systemic and structural racism is entrenched in British society. The kind of systemic racism and inequality that results in it taking 19 years to convict Stephen Lawrence’s murderers. The kind of systemic racism that means you are 40 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police as a Black or Brown person (Townsend, 2019). The kind of systemic racism that means you are four to five times more likely to die in childbirth as a Black or Brown mother (Summers, 2021). The kind of systemic racism that means sending 80-90 per cent more job applications to get a positive response from an employer because of your ethnic background (Siddique, 2019). Race is a social construct, it is not real, but the impact of racism is very real. Education, and in particular early childhood education has a crucial role to play in addressing this inequality, but in order to make a change, we must also change, we have to be open to learning and here is where the journeys starts. Let’s deal with the elephant in the room. We are all, regardless of ethnicity and heritage, a product of a colonial past. As a result of this we all harbour both conscious and unconscious biases. On my own learning journey, I have come face to face with the uncomfortable truth that as someone of dual heritage, I harbour anti-blackness. As upsetting as this was to become aware of (I’ve always been and remain immensely proud of my Nigerian ancestry) it is perhaps not exactly surprising when looking back at history. From the enslavement and sale of human cattle to the colour coding caste system, it has always been a consistent message - white good, Black bad. It is innate. It is embedded in our everyday lives, when we consider: what is beautiful, whom to fear and who to trust, even in our language; ‘blacklist, blackmail, black market’, to name but a few. In fact, research from Houghton and Houghton (2018), found that this kind of terminology not only reflects racist attitudes but also serves to reinforce and perpetuate them. Their study demonstrated the word ‘Whiteness’ has 134 synonyms, 44 of which are favourable and only 10 appear to have mild negative implications. However, the word ‘Blackness’ has 120 synonyms, 60 of which are negative, and none are positive. None of us are immune from this. Not even young children. In 1940’s America, during a time of segregation and the Civil Rights movement, Kenneth and Mammi Clarke developed a psychological test, now referred to as the ‘Doll Test’. They found that given a choice between Black dolls and white dolls, most Black children had a bias towards the white doll. They associated positive characteristics to the white dolls but negative characteristics to the Black ones. In the final question, children are asked to identify which doll most looks like them. Having watched this play out thousands of times, like in the link in the reference list, I still find it impossible to not become upset. The learning from this? We are all a product of colonisation. None of us are immune. ‘Whiteness positions itself as the norm, it refuses to recognise itself for what it is, it’s so-called objectivity and reason is its most potent and insidious tool for maintaining power… it is a problem as we consider humanity through the prism of whiteness’. Eddo-Lodge, 2019 It is likely most of us have a single-story narrative in many aspects of our lives. We may have now finally said our last ‘Happy New Year’ greetings and our thoughts have likely turned to losing the excess Christmas pounds (maybe that’s just me) but the festive period still brings about a blatant example of our colonial past. How about the first record I ever bought, the one that is still played on our air waves year after year - Band Aid. Where we all sing along on our Christmas nights out, asking if ‘they’ (important word to remember) know it’s Christmas? That’s the continent of Africa, home to 54 countries, a population of 1.3 billion and 700 million Christians being asked if they know about the birth of Christ. Keeping with a chart theme, the top 10 Christian countries, as in largest number of Christians has three African countries in it, one of which being Ethiopia, the country whose famine made Bob and Midge recruit the pop stars of the time, so yes, I am going to stick my neck out and confirm ‘THEY’ know it’s Christmas. I could go on and unpick the whole song, ‘where nothing ever grows’, except tea, coffee, cocoa, countless fruits and vegetables we export constantly, but you see my point. It would be foolish to think that the damage that images and words from this song and the Western aid industry have done to stigmatise an entire continent are not felt today. When I say Africa, what is the first image that springs to mind? Decolonise or diversify? Shall we start with doing that on our radio waves? Or what about the national treasure that is the antiques roadshow, as Dan Hicks pointed out in his Tweet here: This ring ‘somehow found its way to the charity shop’. A bit like the tens of thousands of items sat in our museums found their way there? Aka stolen from Benin for example after a violent invasion. So, decolonise or diversify? Shall we start with our TV programmes? The wonderful writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009) describes the effects that labels can have on how we think about ourselves and others in her Ted Talk entitled ‘The Danger of The Single Story’. To decolonise or diversify? First, we need to learn and unlearn. ‘Usualising diversity has significant power in relation to all forms of diversity issues. For example, teachers need not create ‘shrines to people’ in the corners of their classrooms but rather to ensure all people are represented alongside others; integrated; ever-present. The same applies to the Black Scientists posters… This attempt at promoting diversity can actually just reinforce the othering effect. Diversity isn’t something you stick a label on and make room for on special occasions: here comes a dose of diversity…. now, back to normal. No. Instead, you usualise it. It’s always there, woven into the fabric. In so-doing, we educate children about people who are different to them; we tackle ignorance, break down barriers and prejudices. The gallery of ordinary people, families, characters, rulers, authors, scientists, politicians, heroes and villains, artists and professors that children encounter consists of a diverse array of people representing different ethnicities, genders, LGBTQ identities. Embedded, everyday, usual.’ Kara (2020) This is a process, and the first part of that process is acknowledging that we are likely going to need to unlearn some of what we thought we knew. It begins with a journey of self-education. We would not enter our settings ready to facilitate learning and play opportunities about early language, number or indeed any area without knowing about it ourselves. Decolonising and diversifying is no different. It is not a question of which, it is a question of being open to learn. Thankfully there is help at hand. I am proud to be part of a working group for MixEd who are looking at how we can support both the decolonisation and diversification of the curriculum movements at a practical level. The aim is working towards ‘usualisation’. We have developed a free resource to help navigate the journey. There are a wealth of excellent texts which help us come face to face with our own implicit biases, however in my opinion and that of my MixEd colleagues, there is no better place to start than Nova Reid’s ‘The Good Ally’, more essential than recommended in my opinion. When it comes to making practical change support comes from Dr Pragya Agarwal and her book ‘Wish We Knew What to Say; a toolkit for talking to young children about race’ and Bennie Kara’s ‘A Little Guide for Teachers: Diversity in Schools’. To be part of the change we must move beyond performative allyship. We have all been accustomed to seeing the world through the prism of whiteness (Eddo-Lodge, 2017). To change that will take a commitment that goes further than what has gone before. Dr Martin Luther King said ‘I have almost reached the conclusion that the stumbling block toward freedom is the white moderate… who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of action”…’ It is time that we take action.

Mathematics should come easily to us. Mathematical thinking developed from human brains as our ancestors sought to make sense of their world. Hard-wired mathematicians, we’re able in infancy to differentiate between groups of different sizes; to subitise and identify errors of addition and subtraction in small numbers of objects; and to make connections between a number of sounds and the same number of objects. And yet maths is often thought of as being a hard subject. This is in part because it is a highly abstract area of learning – the moment you talk of two or five, you’re in the realm of abstract thought. It is also widely considered hard by a large proportion of the population of this country because of the way mathematics has been taught. Even in the early years, mathematics is often mistakenly thought of as an area of learning that must be learnt and taught through direct instruction, in a particular order, and according to a fixed set of rules. While of course there is a place for instruction, as a general rule of thumb the younger the child the less effective it is to rely on it as a teaching tool. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) CLT was initially developed in the 1980s. Its starting point is that since our working memory is limited in both time and capacity, in order to maximise learning, new information must be transferred to long term memory as efficiently as possible. That is best achieved, the theory argues, by avoiding any potentially confusing or non-essential information (reducing extraneous load); presenting information that aligns with the learners’ prior knowledge or understanding (managing the intrinsic load); and building on processes which are believed to aid conceptual development such as practice and memorisation (maximizing the germane load). Ofsted suggests that CLT has an important contribution to make to our understanding of learning processes. However, the theory is not without critics and Ofsted is careful to point out that in developing pedagogy, it is important to draw on a wide range of evidence bases and approaches. This is particularly important in early childhood education. Considering extraneous and intrinsic cognitive loads when supporting young children’s mathematical development Minimising distractions (or extraneous load) is not unfamiliar to early childhood practitioners. Young children have in-built mechanisms for ignoring anything that gets in the way of what they are currently engaged in. No chance of counting steps or flowers if there’s a snail on the path. Similarly, an adult’s clumsy attempts to count red cars can result in the child simply wandering away or zooming off with a blue one. Successful early childhood educators know that to avoid becoming the distraction, they must start from each child’s own focus and level of understanding. Interesting research from Sussex University shows a link between extraneous and intrinsic load since over-simplified and under-stimulating materials may themselves act as a distraction. In the absence of an engaging or stimulating focus, the learner’s attention may move away from the intended focus towards other things of greater interest. Across much of the curriculum, early childhood specialists intuitively reduce intrinsic overload by keeping things simple. Evidence drawn from decades of work on language development shows that adults (and older children) instinctively simplify what they say to babies and toddlers – raising the pitch of the voice, stressing key words and keeping utterances short. In relation to maths however, there may be a tendency to underestimate children’s competence. Lucy, not yet two years old and with an unreliable hold on the order of numbers (counting for example 1, 2, 9, 4, 3) was asked if she wanted one or two small spoonfuls of ice cream quickly replied three! Matching learning opportunities to learners’ needs can be difficult in the early years. By definition, young children’s experience is limited and specific to their way of life. Some for example will have a lot of experience in dealing with money because it’s often discussed and carefully counted at home. Others may have a strong conceptual grasp of weight because they enjoy cooking but never go shopping because food is delivered and paid for by direct debit. In any group of young children there will be novices and experts in many different aspects of mathematics. What are needed are open-ended materials and planned activities that allow children to build on what they already know. Careful observation of children engaged in such open-ended play and activities can provide adults planning future learning opportunities with vital information. Balance the cognitive load – focus on the germane Within CLT, the function of the germane load is to make learning more effective. The teaching strategies employed will be designed to make strong links between existing knowledge and new learning. One of the strategies indicated is dual-coding, using both oral and visual stimuli. This is important in the early years but may be more effectively thought of as multi-modal learning. At this stage learning relies on sensory stimulation. In order to build a mathematical brain, children need physical action and exploration, untold opportunities to touch and smell, as well as seeing and hearing, the world around them. Their ability to master the abstract subject that maths is relies on handling concrete materials, exploring physical space, talking about mathematical characteristics and symbolising concepts such as quantity, dimension, similarities and differences through mark-making, construction and movement. Much of the CLT literature refers to ‘worked examples’ – redolent of days in front of a blackboard. It may be more appropriate in early years practice to think of modelling. Ofsted suggests that worked examples are most useful for novice learners – and that experienced learners require opportunities for exploration. There is a danger that this could be interpreted as meaning that modelling is only for the least experienced and exploration for the more experienced. In fact, for young children these two aspects must go hand in hand. They must see adults modelling sharing fruit fairly but also have opportunities to find out what happens when that doesn’t work out. CLT argues that teachers should avoid including overly complex or unnecessary information. However, to take the snack-time example further, when working with young children, deliberately adding what are sometimes called ‘provocations’ can strengthen learning. For example, making sure that there are not enough pieces of fruit to give everyone the same amount can promote important mathematical discussion as children explore the problem. Similarly, it is sometimes suggested that to provide different arrangements of groups of five dots or different types of triangles may confuse children. Provoking thinking by challenging expectations promotes learning. Maths is not about one right way – but about solving problems. Rehearsal (or practice) is recommended as part of the germane load. For older children this often means worksheets – but for young children it should mean time and space. Given that, young children will practise endlessly and even build in their own challenges. In her efforts to perfect her walking skills 13-month-old Maria pushes and pulls her buggy around the garden. She tries the same route at first, up and down the path but then attempts pushing it on the grass. Over a matter of days, she gets increasingly adept at that but then begins adding loads to the buggy – at first a doll or two, then a ball that intriguingly rolls off, then a hoop that’s too big and restricts the wheels. This process enables her to develop understanding of distance and weight, of comparison, sequence and pattern. Every day, on arrival, four-year-old Amin goes to the block area. The challenge he sets himself is to build a series of towers, of increasing complexity and using increasing numbers of blocks. With his teacher’s encouragement he begins to draw his structures, exploring in these processes a range of concepts including number, addition and shape and space. Visualisation is a key element of CLT strategies but it is also an increasingly foundational element of maths education. In the past there was a feeling that initially mathematical thinking had to be concrete before young children could move on to more abstract thinking. Better understanding of mathematics and of learning development now suggests that the two things must go hand in hand. There has been a strong move towards using story to teach mathematics, towards actively encouraging very young children to imagine objects and events and towards drawing mathematical ideas in order to clarify thinking. In conclusion Although the terminology (and starting point) adopted in CLT may be unfamiliar (and in some cases uncomfortable) for early childhood practitioners there are aspects that can lead us to reflect on theories common within mainstream early childhood pedagogy. It is important to recognise that CLT is but one of many theories of learning. It’s a theory that links human learning to that of computers and may lead us to think of children’s brains as empty buckets to be filled with knowledge drawn from a content heavy curriculum. This conflicts with the young learner portrayed in the 2021 EYFS handbook - powerful, playful, active and creative. Let’s not lose sight of that! You can read another of Linda's articles, Counting on Strong Foundations!.

Millie (4) has a satisfied radiant glow. She is admiring her work after spending two hours in the woodwork area where she has been engrossed constructing a bed for a princess. It was a complex process, first designing then making, adapting and resolving problems as she went. She used creative and critical thinking skills throughout and applied her mathematical thinking skills, such as when getting the legs the same length. Millie finished by elaborately decorating the bed with beads and buttons. Yes, Millie made a wonderful bed, but what was really ‘made’ was within Millie. Personal development is at the heart of woodwork. Seeing her sense of agency flourish as she puts her ideas into action, and seeing her confidence grow as she mastered the tools were both clearly visible. We also know by applying a multitude of creative and critical thinking skills involved in the making, new neural connections and pathways will have been established. This is the wonder of woodwork. These are exciting times. In recent years there has been a surge of interest in woodworking in Early Years education. In some cases this will be settings starting from scratch, in others, it’s a case of dusting down the workbench and digging out the tools after many years of neglect. This is very welcome as the benefits of woodwork for children's learning and development run deep across all areas of learning. Teachers who provide woodwork regularly observe exceptional levels of sustained engagement, with deep focus and concentration accompanied with persistence and perseverance with challenging tasks – especially with complex problem solving. It is not unusual for children to spend all morning at the woodwork bench. Woodwork really engages hands, minds and hearts. The rise in the popularity of woodwork is not surprising given the levels of children’s enjoyment and the fact that it provides such a profound learning experience. The renewed interest is perhaps in part a reaction our increasingly digital world, where children currently in nursery schools have learnt to swipe before they can walk, and the fact that now ‘making’ is back in fashion, with a renewed interest in craft and upcycling, perhaps a reaction to our overly homogenised world. Woodwork also gives children the experience of making and repairing, countering the prevalent culture today of consuming and disposing. The rise of Forest School movement has also been encouraging and advocating working with tools in a woodland environment. Perhaps the biggest factor though, has been the shifting attitudes moving away from risk aversion and over-zealous health and safety measures. Following on from Lord Young's review of Health and Safety 2010: Common Sense Common Safety, and subsequent guidance from the Health and Safety Executive(2012), the DoE (2013) and recently from Ofsted (2017), schools have felt encouraged to take a more balanced attitude towards risk, with many settings feeling more confident to embrace woodwork once again. This is a significant culture shift and whilst still in its infancy, should be wholeheartedly celebrated. There is something really special about woodwork. It is so different from other activities. The smell and feel of wood, using real tools, working with a natural material, the sounds of hammering and sawing, hands and minds working together to express their imagination and to solve problems, the use of strength and coordination: all go together to captivate young children’s interest. We observe children working with their hands, tinkering, constructing models, and working on projects, but in fact the real transformation is inside the child – personal development is at the heart of woodwork. Woodwork is a powerful medium for building self-esteem and confidence. This is for a combination of reasons. Children feel empowered and valued by being trusted and given responsibility to work with real tools. They accomplish tasks that they initially perceive to be difficult, and they problem-solve and persevere with challenging tasks. They show satisfaction in their mastery of new skills and take immense pride in their creations. This sense of empowerment and achievement provides a visible boost to their self-esteem and self-confidence. Children have a natural desire to construct and build. They learn how things work and discover that they can shape the world around them by making. This imparts a can-do attitude and imbues children with a strong sense of agency – having a proactive disposition towards the world – a belief they can shape their world. When we analyse a woodworking session it is extraordinary to see just how much learning is involved. It encompasses all areas of learning and development and invites connections between different aspects of learning. It supports current thinking on how children learn best, embracing all the characteristics of effective learning and thus fostering confident, creative children with passion for life-long learning. Woodwork really can be central to curriculum. It incorporates mathematical thinking, scientific investigation, developing knowledge of technology, a deepening understanding of the world, as well as physical development and coordination, communication and language, and personal and social development. Woodwork provides another media through which children can express themselves. Creative and critical thinking skills are central both in terms of imagination and problem-solving as children make choices, find solutions, learn through trial and error and reflect on their work. Children are drawn in as they explore possibilities, rise to challenges and find solutions. Woodwork is really unrivalled in terms of providing children with problem solving opportunities and challenge. I know no other activity that promotes creativity and critical thinking in quite the same way that woodwork does and I believe this is really at the heart of woodwork’s appeal and success. Some children particularly flourish when working with wood, enjoying working three-dimensionally and working with their hands. It is hard to predict who will respond particularly positively as the skills are so different from those usually used in early years. The experience of woodwork can really be the key that unlocks some children’s learning. The confidence to work with tools provides a skill set for life. Many children will need practical skills for their future work and woodwork in the early years could well be children's only experience of working with tools. Fortunately working with tools leaves a deep memory – so even if early childhood education is their only experience of working with wood it will leave a long lasting impression. Many adults recount that experiencing woodwork as a child is one of the memories from early childhood that still really stands out. With woodwork children can develop their learning at their own pace and find their own challenges. Once they have mastered basic skills, they move into open-ended exploration - tinkering, exploring possibilities and then start making unique creations. Their imagination, creative thinking and problem-solving skills really flourish as they meet and conquer new challenges. Some teachers and parents are surprised that we introduce woodwork to children as young as three, but it must be emphasised that it is a low risk activity when introduced and monitored correctly. We have been successfully woodworking with pre-school children for many years with no significant incidents. As children make with wood they are learning skills that will empower them to shape their world. Woodwork is certainly a very popular activity and incorporates so much learning – a real win-win. It would be wonderful for all children to have this opportunity to flourish at the woodwork bench. Pete’s new book ‘Learning Through Woodwork: Creative woodwork in the Early Years – Routledge 2018 – goes into considerable depth and makes for a wonderful resource for any school. “Every so often a book is written that helps practitioners to develop their work in deep and far reaching ways. This is that sort of book.” Tina Bruce CBE, Professor – Roehampton University

Many of you may have noticed the way children interact in front of mirrors in your setting with mirrors placed in the home corner or in children’s bathrooms. My interest in children’s mirror play came from my own Nursery children’s interest in selfies and their play in front of a mirror, including different expressions they tried out. Seeing this, as well as how children often find the camera function on iPads and posed with their friends and with other adults in the setting, inspired my MA research. I found that children’s interest in mirrors, or ‘mirror play’ was a consistent part of children’s everyday lives, however there was very little research available looking at mirror play as a way for children to develop their sense of self. Much of the previous research looked particularly at self-recognition and self-awareness stages through a one-dimensional psychoanalytical lens. My research looked at mirror play through the development of identity and holistic development of oneself through indicators of self-regulation and metacognition. Current practice alludes to the use of mirrors for physical purposes - light, space and interior design of classrooms. Mirrors are often placed in the home corner with the intention to support role play and imaginative play, but little attention may have been paid to the idea of what exactly children might be thinking as they look in the mirror when they are dressed up. Who do they see? Who are they becoming? What are they ‘trying out’? Identity plays an extremely important role in this context, encouraging me to consider the various identities in my classroom and how children are represented in this space. Mirrors can feel like they reflect what we see in ourselves, and often conversations about eye colour, skin colour and hair were brought up. To ensure you are able to have these conversations about racial identities with children that are respectful and leave children feeling beautiful and valued you may wish to explore other articles to support you - for example Liz Pemberton's article here on the FSF How do I talk about race with children in the Early Years setting? or watch the recording from the Tapestry Education Conference: Reflecting on Anti-racism in the Early Years. The reflection that children see in the mirror is, however, not a true reflection of themselves; it is how the world perceives them. Muller (1985) writes about the mirror showing a ‘documented self’ and possibly providing a deeper understanding of self-awareness. We might see children talking to themselves and making faces which can be identified as ‘private speech’ a characteristic of self-regulation and metacognition. To explore this topic, I set the following research questions: - In what ways do children use mirrors in my setting to explore their sense of self? - What do children think of their mirror play? I answered these questions by observing children interacting with a mirror and videoing the interaction. I then shared with children their video of their interaction and recorded their response to their play and asked further questions about their mirror play – this method is described as a Reflective Dialogue (RD). RDs have been used in various areas of practice with adults and with children to reflect on pedagogy and practice. These RDs give insights into what children are thinking and provide opportunities for reflection and to understand their metacognition. To encourage you to apply my research in your settings, I have formulated my findings into 3 possibilities for practice. Mirrors are often not commonly used to explore identity, however reframing and highlighting the possibilities of a mirror may present an alternative view for the children to explore and of your perception of the children you work with. Possibilities of a mirror: Place a mirror in the home corner Many settings will have a mirror in the home corner to support dressing up and role play, however I hope to bring to the forefront of practitioner’s minds the careful observation that can enlighten us in understanding our children. By having props and a mirror we encourage the ‘trying out’ of identities, acting out different family members, and re-enacting experiences. Through this symbolic play, children use imitation or de-centring skills to understand other perspectives. By introducing the mirror into this space, we look to connect the idea of ‘self’ and ‘other’ to children. This then would support their role play and secondary representation in their play, demonstrating the interrelation of pretend play and the development of children’s understanding of oneself. Possibilities of a mirror: Notice self-regulatory aspects of mirror ‘talk’ When observing children engage in mirror play you may notice characteristics of self-regulation and metacognition, such as children talking to themselves; this is described as ‘private speech’. The idea comes from Vygotsky’s idea of internalisation and what adults would call our consciousness or internal monologue. The theory suggests that children’s private speech are children’s inner thoughts and support them in self-regulation and are eventually internalised. Incidences of private speech are increased when children are role playing, or completing challenging tasks such as puzzles. By understanding the characteristics of self-regulation we may be able to apply this to the new area of the new Early Learning Goals which are introduced in September 2021. Possibilities of a mirror: Use Reflective Dialogues in everyday practice Many settings use video recordings for observation and assessment of children. In my setting, this is an embedded part of our practice and the children are very familiar with it. When completing this research, I showed the children the videos of their mirror play, and recorded their responses to my questions. The children used metacognitive language such as ‘thinking, learning and knowing’ about their own play and gave deeper insights to their play and understanding. Often I assumed what children were playing, learning or thinking however following the RDs, the children clarified and surprised me with their deep understanding and knowledge. RDs can be a tool for listening to children’s perspectives. By revisiting video observations children are given the opportunity to engage in higher level thinking and articulate their metacognitive language that may not have been so explicit before. This research comes at a turbulent time in the Early Years with Covid-19, the introduction of baseline testing and the Early Learning Goal reforms. I hope to redirect to what is important and refocus on the child and how we can support in developing the essence of oneself. Mirror play refocuses the narrative towards the child and understanding the individual child in the setting, in that moment in time. I hope to encourage moments of reflection, time to stop and consider what is occurring when children are looking in a mirror and engaging with themselves and others and how does this impact of their identity, or developing their identity of sense of self. By bringing the holistic child to the forefront, we centre ourselves towards the child that is at the core of early childhood education. This piece provides an overview of research I did as part of my Masters at the University of Roehampton in 2020, and may not provide as much detail; there are 1,500 words here and 10,000 in my dissertation! I’m happy to continue the conversation and go into details – feel free to reach out via social media or the comments section. Thank you to Early Years Direct, who currently have mirrors available to purchase. You can get 10% off anything on the website using the code FSF10.

“He wouldn’t comment on their lovely smiles if they were guys,” rebuked my friend during the Women’s US Open tennis final. Emma Raducanu and Laylah Fernandez were playing nail-biting tennis, yet the male commentator drew our attention to their appearances. Whilst gender is not explicitly stated in the compliment, as with a comment like ‘good girl’, it is nonetheless gendered. Despite agreeing with my friend, I also felt a certain uneasiness. Who am I to call out gendered compliments when, surely, I’m not immune to making them? The majority of us are party to such remarks, wittingly or not: gendered language is deeply engrained. Behaviours that happen unknowingly are especially worthy of examination. Presumably the smiles comments were meant well. This points us to the question, does it matter if compliments are gendered as long as they are positive and well-meant? This is a significant topic for all those who work with young children. The power of gendered language Professor Averil MacDonald is emeritus professor of science engagement at the University of Reading. She has done a lot of her work on getting girls into science. Averil says, “We create gender identity pre-birth and the expectations that go along with it. The most powerful way this happens is through language.” Pre-birth gendering is a fascinating notion, though not unfamiliar to us. How many of us have never seen the bedroom of a forthcoming baby decorated according to their assigned sex? Who has never heard the future dad of a son to say, “I’ll have someone to go to the football with!” Averil elaborates this theme, “If we look at the English language there are certain words that are associated with feminine and masculine.” It is not difficult to ascertain which of the following lists of words are associated with masculine and feminine: · Cheerful, committed, considerate, co-operative, dependable, empathic, honest, kind, loyal, modest, nurturing, people-focused, pleasant, polite, quiet, responsible, sensitive, supporting, trustworthy, understanding, warm. · Adventurous, analytical, autonomous, challenging, confident, courageous, decisive, determined, forceful, impulsive, independent, individual, intellectual, logical, objective, outspoken, persistent, principled, superior, self-confident, self-sufficient. Averil continues, “These words appear in job applications and affect whether the person applying feels alienated or that they belong there. Careers in science and engineering will use very different language from those in the early years or nursing.” This clearly makes the case for the power of gendered language per se. Gendered compliments Gendered words and attitudes are part of our everyday language and habits. As such, they are implicit to how we praise and compliment young people and will have a potentially significant impact on them. Terri Coles’s article, The 10 Best Compliments for Kids That Aren't 'Pretty' Or 'Handsome (HuffPost 28 /06/2017) looks at compliments that are non-appearance focussed. Coles says, “Kids are pretty cute ­- and it's hard not to let them know it. And most of the time, we mean well when we tell our children how beautiful they are. But when our compliments to our kids focus too much on appearance, they can backfire”. This is endorsed by parent Laurie Turner, “When you focus on how they look, what does that say to them if they ever have a disfiguring accident or develop severe acne as a teenager?" Laurie makes compliments to her children based on what they do as opposed to what they look like. Coles argues that it is more beneficial to the child’s self-worth to focus compliments on process and effort. Commenting, for instance, on the kindness a child shows to their friend or the effort they put into a painting, helps to reinforce their positive qualities and boost their self-confidence. These, too, are things the child has some control over, unlike their amazingly curly hair or long legs. It is important to consider: · what is it we want to draw attention to when complimenting a child? · how will it serve them? Challenging gendered practice. Gender Action is a programme all about challenging gender stereotypes. Its vision is to transform school and nursery environments. “There are no inherent differences between the genders that should limit anyone’s interests, capabilities or ambitions. Nurseries, schools and colleges can encourage young people to be individuals and can be places where choices are free; not edited through a gender filter.” Georgina Phillips, representing Gender Action, points out, “Some problematic compliments are obvious, such as complimenting young girls’ appearances and the importance of their looks. Some are more innocuous. Research indicates that girls are disproportionately praised for neatness. This can encourage them to value their neatness over creativity and exploration”. She adds, “We work with many early years practitioners who indicate that they don’t think they compliment children in different or gendered ways. However, once they (or their colleagues) start to note the compliments, they are shocked to see just how often they do.” Making a start Gender identity is a growing discourse, and a complex one. People can get nervous about causing offence where ‘issue-based’ topics are concerned, especially if they say things inadvertently. This is, of course, understandable in an era of vicious social media. However, if we want to implement change, we need to start by developing an awareness of our personal habits and predilections. This does not mean being self-critical, or judgemental of oneself and others. Rather, there needs to be a space where staff can be open and honest: exploring their biases in a way that will be helpful and progressive. It is then that learning can happen, and change be affected. Georgina Phillips spoke about the change one EYFS teacher made, “He noted how young girls would often seek compliments for their clothes or appearance. He encouraged his team to acknowledge them without giving praise: “Look at my wellies!” “Yes, they are wellies”. He admitted that it initially felt strange!” Georgina went on to point out that, using different terms of endearment for boys and girls, is one of the ways we can unintentionally reinforce difference, and that difference is important. The BBC 2 documentary, No More Boys and Girls: can our kids go gender free?, focusses on trying to make a school gender-neutral. One of the teachers asked his Year 2 pupils to point out when he called the boys ‘mate’ and the girls ‘sweetheart’. Taking these seemingly small steps will make a difference. The prevalence of the binary Fundamental to any discussion about gender is the binary model where gender is assumed to align with one’s genetic or assigned sex at birth. So, if a baby is born with two X chromosomes they will be assumed to grow up female with female characteristics and traits. Basically, binary is the classification of two distinct forms – in the case of gender this is feminine and masculine. Most gendered words are binary in that they apply to two genders: girl/woman and boy/man. This can lead to misgendering - that is, referring to a person using a word that does not reflect their gender. In other words, it makes assumptions about them, and their gender identification. Using more inclusive language, on the other hand, does not pressure children to fit into certain stereotypes. Fifi Benham, says on her blog, ‘Regardless of individual experience, we as practitioners must acknowledge the gender binary, and the way it attempts to dictate different aspects of life.” (Gender Inclusive Practice 27/10/2020) It is quite simply a fact that we no longer live in the age of gender binary. This is something we have to get our heads round. Yes, it will turn much of our embedded thinking and attitudes upside down, but necessarily so if we are to do justice to ourselves and those around us. Finally, … I remember on my tenth birthday I wore my new yellow flowery dress to school. My teacher smiled, ‘What a pretty dress for your birthday.” This compliment worked for me. In fact, it made my day. The same comment may, however, have been a sore point or very troubling for another child. Maybe they didn’t want to wear a pretty dress on their birthday, let alone have it highlighted. Over the years, many of us will have taken gendered compliments positively, and many quite the opposite. We cannot know how a compliment might be received. Good intentions are not always enough. This is precisely why it matters and is an area worthy of our exploration. Finally, I want to end with something my mother, who has four daughters, said, “I only wanted girls because I wouldn’t know how to talk to little boys.” A minefield …

Early childhood settings and schools are becoming increasingly diverse due to children from different ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds accessing childcare provision. This is a result of global movement of families with young children to move from war zone areas to safety and sometimes for better job prospects. Early childhood settings and practitioners are responsible for meeting the unique and individual needs of all children. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness of diversity and develop knowledge and understanding, acknowledge and respect differences across various racial, ethnic and religious groups in the society. They must be provided with opportunities to share knowledge between practitioners and families. This article will illustrate two models discussed in the book – Promoting diversity and inclusion in early years settings – the wheel of inclusion and the model of awareness of diversity. This will enable practitioners to provide better experiences for all children, thereby providing the best opportunities to develop. The practitioners supporting the children must be aware of the individual needs of children and acknowledge them. It is important for these needs to be met and identify all the needs of the children, considering the visible and invisible diversity rather than homogenising the child’s needs under the visible category. Diversity is visible due to the obvious physical characteristics such as facial features, skin colour that may be different to the majority population. Bias and prejudice can be avoided by being open and engaging in dialogue to be able to relate to invisible diversity. Considering the wide range of backgrounds of visible and invisible diversity it is important to be aware of both visible and invisible forms of diversity. Some people are visibly different to the majority population by their external appearance and characteristics. Based on the differences, these children are easily labelled, and therefore stereotyped and prejudiced and their needs may not be met. However, some children who may appear to be like other children, such as skin colour and facial features, may be believed to have similar needs, but there may be invisible diversity where some of the categories may not be obvious and that might also mask the individual needs of the child. Invisible forms of diversity include attributes or characteristics related to cultural diversity, religious beliefs, poor socio-economic backgrounds and educational levels that may not be explicit initially to the practitioner and may lead to stereotyping. The adults supporting the child must collaborate with the families to know more about the child and be aware of visible and invisible diversity rather than homogenising under the child’s needs. Bias and prejudice can be avoided by being open and engaging in dialogue to be able to relate to invisible diversity. The needs of children may be overlooked due to ‘invisibility’ from limited information on children’s background, ability and skills, inadequately prepared and trained practitioners; and thus impacting on teachers’ perceptions of diversity. Wheel of Inclusion – strengths-based model Inclusion as a concept has been evolving in the last few decades - emphasising weaknesses influenced by the labels. Perceptions relating to inclusion in early childhood contexts have changed, especially concerning those from diverse backgrounds. The wheel of inclusion helps to illustrate this concept. The wheel must be on the move constantly ensuring everyone in the community – i.e. children and their families, teachers, administrators, policy makers, researchers – is included. In order for the wheel to be moving constantly and ensuring inclusion of everyone, the focus must be on strengths rather than weaknesses. It is important for the wheel of inclusion to move forward consistently. The symbolic wheel consisting of spokes holding the wheel together are the major influences. The spokes represent the attitudes of people towards inclusion, commitment, knowledge and understanding relating to the needs of the child, resources available, as well as training and skills to teach children from a wide range of backgrounds. It is important to focus on strengths and build on them to overcome the weaknesses. But there is a tendency to highlight the weaknesses of an individual and overlook the strengths. For example, when a child is looked at through the lens of the medical model of disability, a child with a disability is unable to perform routine activities on a daily basis and needs support. The strengths of the child might be overlooked. This child may also have strengths that may not have been tapped. Who drives the wheel of inclusion? A wide range of people are involved (active or passive) in the process of inclusion and thus would be responsible for ensuring the wheel of inclusion is moving forward. Some of them are active at the grassroots level in early childhood settings while others at different levels such as politicians and policy makers are indirectly responsible by developing policies and legislation influencing inclusion. The wheel of inclusion might gain momentum with involvement of stakeholders at different levels, resulting in positive and effective inclusion. It will be crucial to ensure everyone has a key role in moving the wheel of inclusion forward by including children, parents, practitioners/teachers and support professionals and administrators at all levels. The commitment and positive attitudes of people involved at different levels towards inclusion will drive the wheel forward. Further, consistent updating of knowledge and understanding and regular training and skills relevant to the changing face of diversity is needed. Lack of the right attitude and commitment might result in tokenistic inclusion. This will impact on the wheel, causing it to lose its momentum short term or even long term. This will lead to a breakdown of the momentum in the process of inclusion, impacting on the child’s holistic development. Model of Awareness of Diversity The Model of Awareness of Diversity will enable teachers, practitioners and professionals working with children and their families from diverse contexts and backgrounds in raising awareness about diversity. This model was developed by adapting the model of Johari Window, which focuses on emphasising and acknowledging the heterogeneous nature of diversity and identifying the differences in the individuals. This model will also help to identify and confront one’s own stereotypes and prejudices. The model contains four quadrants. You can see these in the image below, but to emphasise: Known by others and Known by self on the left side top box - open and free (stereotypes and prejudices) – what we do know is open and flexible to adapt to new information. Visible diversity – what is politically correct, attitudes to diverse population. In the top right box, Unknown by self but Known by others – refers to the Blind Spot – you are prejudiced and do not necessarily believe you are prejudiced, for example towards religious diversity, ethnic minorities, EAL, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families. This is perceived by others – especially the members of diverse communities. Known by self and Unknown by others in the bottom left box shows a façade or mask (so hidden) – you are prejudiced, but do not like to admit to your prejudices because they are not acceptable in society. Attitudes towards specific diverse groups – Gypsy, Roma and traveller families, ethnic minority groups, specific religions. Finally, Unknown by self and Unknown to others in the right-side bottom square is where you do not know that you hold some stereotypes because it is unconscious. Invisible diversity – ingrained by society, lack of awareness. This is perceived by others – especially the members of diverse communities. This model can be used by individuals or organisations to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding of diversity prevalent in society and may also enable them to identify their own stereotypes and prejudices. It can inform training, discussions and workshops in unlearning, relearning and raised awareness of diversity among practitioners and teachers in early childhood settings. Adapted Johari Window model to develop an understanding of challenges to relate to the perspectives of diversity. Figure I.3: Model of awareness of diversity Adapted from Luft, J., Ingham, H. (1955) ‘The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness.’ Proceedings of the Western Training Laboratory in Group Development. Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles. Children are the foundation of every community. In the current context, all early childhood settings have a huge responsibility to provide best care and education to all children to support their holistic development irrespective of their diverse backgrounds and unique needs. Good inclusive practice in early childhood settings will enable young children to perform to the best of their potential. The wheel of inclusion and the model of awareness of diversity will enable settings to identify challenges and the barriers to good practice, resulting in inclusion and holistic development of children, positive communication and links with families, and development of the community. You can listen to Chandrika talking about the Wheel of Inclusion and the Model of Awareness of Diversity in one of our podcast episodes.

The phrase ‘leadership and management’ can seem daunting. I have no doubt that simply hearing those words is enough for some educators to decide against progressing up the career ladder. Whether you are considering taking on a leadership role for the first time or are already a leader or manager, it is a constant learning process. It is vital to reflect regularly on your experiences, positive or negative. Anyone who works in Early Years is aware of the power of reflections for staff, children and their families. It is a word I use a lot, reflect. It is a thread throughout this article and throughout my practice. Reflection is a skill. On a personal level this is a hugely important part of my character, to reflect and be the best version of myself in everything I do. This includes my professional role. I have been a manager for nearly 6 years and part of a management team for over 8, across age ranges from 0-11 including nursery, pre-school, and wraparound provision. I have opened new settings and closed settings too, but I am still evolving. Each role is different, the structure of the staff team, the cohort of children and the socioeconomics of the area may all differ but irrespective of this I believe there are some basic guiding principles that remain the same. First and foremost, you HAVE to spend time in the room regularly. Whether this is in ratio or not. I prefer a mixture of both - time in the room in ratio (then you can't get distracted and dragged elsewhere) and time in the room out of ratio. But regardless of whether it's in ratio or not, spending time with your colleagues and children and their families is what matters the most. Why is time in the room important? As with the majority of key decisions in Early Years over recent months, this in part links directly to the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021 reforms. I suspect most people reading this will already know that as part of the reforms it is down to individual settings to design their curriculum - what they want children to learn and when in addition to the emphasis continuing to be on the setting to decide their pedagogy - how they are going to educate children and deliver their curriculum. Whilst it is important that the development of both the curriculum and pedagogy is a whole team approach, it's also important to remember leaders and managers are part of this team too. The curriculum is an ongoing evolution. The intent, the way it is implemented and the impact will need to be constantly reviewed and adapted. The curriculum in your setting will directly influence your provision, the layout, the resources included within it. To analyse the effectiveness of your provision, how the children engage with it and whether it supports the children to build the skills you have laid out in your curriculum then you need to be on the ground, witnessing this first-hand. Leaders and managers also make decisions daily which have a direct impact on the day-to-day experiences of the staff, children and their families. It can be easy to make changes based upon the intent of your ethos and attempt to evaluate the implementation and impact of these changes from afar, but I would argue you can't get a true understanding if you haven't seen it in action. We acknowledge that children engage in the most meaningful learning when it involves first-hand experiences so why, as adults would that be any different? Without those first-hand experiences of the changes you have planned you can quickly become disengaged from the process and your team. When reflecting on anything in life it is preferable to try and see things from the view of others. This applies to Early Years too. Being an effective leader requires the ability to consider the experiences of others in comparison to your own. With this in mind, ask yourself these questions: what is it like to be a child / member of staff in the setting? How does your daily routine impact their experience? Another reason for leaders to be involved in the day-to-day practice within in the room is to help ensure the needs of all children are being met. Especially children with learning differences. Enhancing and adapting your provision, routines and practice to best support all children is a collective effort. When evaluating the impact of support provided to children with learning differences, it is usually the role of the child's key person and the settings SENCO, however I would also say to all leaders / managers that if neither of those roles are yours that you should be involved too. I ensure I am involved in all such evaluations. There are a couple of reasons for this but the main one is accountability. What do I mean by accountability? The role of a leader / manager in any industry comes with great responsibility and with that also there's accountability. You are ultimately accountable for the safety of both your colleagues and children and ensuring the children are properly supported and make developmentally appropriate progress. Therefore, it is only natural to want a first-hand understanding of this. What about supporting your colleagues’ well-being and development? Leaders / managers are not just responsible for progressing the development of the children and supporting their well-being, they also support the well-being of the whole team. This can take many forms and as with every aspect of Early Years there is no blanket approach that will fit every setting and every team. On social media there are so many wonderful and calming staff spaces and ideas to support staff well-being in addition to so many CPD opportunities beyond the usual mainstream providers. Unfortunately, some settings, like mine (privately-owned but based in a school) do not have the space available which we can use to create our own calming staff area but that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to support their well-being and professional development. In my setting I try to instil a calming and natural aesthetic. As many inspirational leaders point out, staff often spend the majority of their lives in work, so it is essential to ensure your environment is comfortable and meets the needs of your colleagues too. Despite not having a staff space we can call our own in our setting, I have created a CPD library for staff in an area of the room too high for the children to access (it is on Instagram if you want inspiration.) Even simple ideas such as having a coffee machine, a treat box or a sharing library for books that aren't related to CPD are just some ways to help staff feel valued and unwind. Furthermore, as a leader / manager you must always be ready to listen. Your team must feel you are approachable. I understand that staff are given the opportunity to speak to managers in private roughly every half term during supervisions when their well-being and training needs etc are discussed. I do, however, consider this to not be enough. If a colleague is struggling with their mental health, personally, professionally or both, would you really want them to wait weeks before sharing this with you? I certainly wouldn't. Instead, I would want my colleagues to feel they can ask for a chat any time they want. Whether they want this to be during the working day or even before or after it. We are here for them as well as the children. It is also crucial that we as leaders and managers also look after ourselves. I do admit that this is a flaw of mine, I am terrible at prioritising my own mental health and well-being. It can be hard to take time for yourself, especially when you are so focused on improving the outcomes and experiences for your colleagues, children and their families. But you are just as important, even though there might not be a leader above you in your setting who is able to look out for your well-being. How can you help to embed the ethos in your setting? The answer to this question links directly to the purpose of this article. Spend time with your staff and children. This is the most powerful way to embed your ethos. By choosing to do this you can model how you envisage it will work in practice. To help further you should observe the interactions in your setting, the interactions between staff members, between staff and the children and how the children interact with their peers. These interactions will enable you to understand how successful you are being at creating the desired experience for your colleagues and children. They will also clearly demonstrate if your ethos is building on your children's knowledge and skills and if they are making progress. The other critical impact that spending time in the room can have on how effectively you are able to embed your ethos is the opportunities for immediate analysis and discussion it provides. It is becoming more widely accepted that for children, the most powerful learning takes place 'in the moment', when engagement is highest and learning is scaffolded and built on there and then, not planned for a week’s time. I firmly believe that is exactly the same for adults. With this in mind, observing practice and being in the room means leaders / managers can reflect and have those discussions as a critical friend 'in the moment' when it is most relevant. I hope over the course of this piece I have provided some useful tips on why I believe spending time in the room on a regular basis is absolutely essential for all leaders and managers and that I have highlighted the huge scope of the role we undertake. Reflecting on our practice and the impact of it is so important - for every aspect of Early Years and we as leaders and managers are no different. But finally, I hope I haven't put any future leaders / managers off accepting the role. While the responsibility is vast, the rewards it brings are far greater.

In the last 18-month period, our lives, our work, family life and routines have all changed. We have all been shaken in some way or another. We have been united, however in our love for the outdoors. From pensioners to pupils, our green space has been invaluable. It is a place where we have found comfort, joy and safety. The science has said we are safer outside and this has been the guidance for schools too. This lends itself to taking the learning outside for the whole day and using science to engage our pupils. Whether it is to learn about habitats, animals, life cycles, plants or seasonal change, the outdoors can provide bountiful resources, that are free, and on our doorstops, quite literally. Teaching science outdoors is a great way to learn. It is also fun and memorable We could be investigating who lives in our local space, by closely observing a specific space for an amount of time. Making short notes as Darwin would have done in his notebook, we can then try to identify the minibeast, birds or other animals we see. Figure 1: Children with learning differences observing closely and being aware of a range of habitats We could also go on a nature walk and collect seeds, leaves, and twigs. These could be sorted based on a criterion. They could also be used to make a piece of artwork or collated as a journey stick. These cross curricular links are a way to add more science to your week, with as little stress as possible. Using one hour to teach two subject areas. Children often do not feel that they are working and learning when we are outside, as they are so used to the classroom environment. The freedom of taking the learning outside is something we can all relate too. Figure 2: Creating a piece of artwork as you walk through a green space The school timetable is bursting at the seams, it has been for years and now there is the added weight of ‘recovery planning’ and ‘catching up’. Cross curricular planning helps to add in some of the subjects in case they are being neglected or to teach them for a bit longer. It also allows for more time to be spent on subjects. Take for example, burying a broken plant pot or plate and then asking the children to be archaeologists and take part in a school dig. They can then explore patterns, shape, materials, touching upon history, geography science, and be working outdoors. Creating links between subjects deepens our knowledge of the learning. That is the idea of immersing yourself in a topic for a period of time. Consider any period of history, there were usually inventions and progress that was made. Sometimes the progress or regression can lead to a great discussion: for example, believing that the world was flat. This leads to a debate and then learning about the earth tilting on an axis, Why is there day and night?, and the science around this. The same can be said for discussions around Evolution, Gravity, and other forces. Sometimes cross curricular links can be as simple as growing vegetables from seed and then cooking with them. Here the nurturing, caring and responsibility for one plant, one growing space, can be beneficial to many or to a small group. Those skills around growing, nurturing, caring and feeding are very much based around our PHSE curriculum. Owning a plant, a space, allotment, windowsill, albeit shared, is a huge deal for young and old. Having a space to call yours has been vital these past two summers. It helped us with our sanity through the first National Covid lockdown in 2020. Those key skills of having a responsibility, communicating, working together, sharing, pride and teamwork are all key when growing as well as personal skills for life. Figure 3: A gardening club working together at lunch time. Once you start growing, children begin to consider other fruits and seeds, for example, what would happen if we planted the seeds from a pepper? Can I grow a tomato plant from the seeds? Lots of investigations, data, observation over time - so lots of science. Couple that with the harvested produce and then what to do with it - using the produce for food technology. Part of the design and technology curriculum teaches pupils life skills which can be shared at home and at any age. Making a simple salad or a pumpkin pie, using fresh produce you have grown - how fab! And it’s schoolwork! It is learning, and it is based in the English national curriculum. Figure 4: Harvesting produce- happy faces Science is a core subject. Not news for some people but it is worth remembering. Our children should be aware of the nature around them in the form of trees, plants, habitats, materials and animals. Taking in a science trail around the playground, the perimeter of the school grounds or along the road outside of school, is a way of focusing in on a specific area of science - be it light, materials, sounds, plants or animals. Encouraging children to use their senses, really look and listen. Make notes or try to retain as much as they can. Discussions around why a specific material is used for a bench, for flooring, for the lamppost, for the shed? All these are very valuable conversations and make the pupils aware of their surroundings. There is overlap here with geography and drawing out key features of their locality. Mapping skills and learning about directions and why certain trees and animals live where they live. The learning is very connected. Learning outdoors is not a new idea. There are numerous websites and lesson plans dedicated to this and even annual Outdoor Classroom days, the next of which is on 4th Nov 2021. Looking at the structure of trees, leaves, taking bark rubbings and creating pieces of art whilst sat outdoors - bliss. Through the art lesson, you can reinforce, revisit and sometimes extend science learning by discussing leaf patterns, trunk sizes, measure tree heights, or the width and age of a tree. Textures and colours can all help create a story or poem and also help with describing the nature around them. Pausing and reflecting on what is around us is a great activity for all ages. Listening to birdsong and seeing different birds and being able to identify them based on their distinguishing features is both great science learning and very good for our wellbeing. Figure 5: Adults listening to birdsong Climate change is very much in the news at the moment, with the COP24 summit in Glasgow. In terms of the primary curriculum, climate change does not fall neatly into one subject. It is very much a part of science, geography and PHSE as well. Measuring pollution, whether in sound, air, or water quality can be done using data loggers, water testing kits and diffusion tubes. The collecting and analysing of data also involve mathematical skills. A simple activity like placing sticky back tape in various parts of the school environment and then observing them after a period, allows us to see what pollutants have stuck to it. This is a simple way of showing young children how particles can be carried in the air, and we breathe in that air too. Links can also be made here to recent events reported in the news, like changes in weather patterns in terms of temperature, rainfall, and also variations in the lengths of seasons. Social media and often the news are now more frequently sharing videos of whales, dolphins and other sea life, losing their way and swimming into shallow waters. Where are the whales meant to be going? Where do they live? Why are we seeing more beached whales? Using research from secondary sources or by interviewing zoologists and marine biologists, pupils may want to find the answers to these questions or others of their own. Figure 6: Measuring PH levels in the river water In recent times, the world has had a huge focus on science. It has raised the subject to the forefront. It is our job now to keep it at the forefront of our teaching and ensure pupils are exposed to science regularly, making links with other subjects, everyday life, and their local area. Science is about connecting us with the world around us, and it is a very relevant subject because it is happening all the time. As you read this, your heart is pumping around your body, and you are using one of your senses to read. Many schools will tell you that they lack resources or have no resources, but the biggest science resource that we have, that is readily available, is the outdoors, and we could be using it weekly if not daily in our teaching and as human beings in our daily life. All our primary articles have been moved to Tapestry.info. You can read them and lots of other articles there.