Findings

Gender – As the project progressed and different enhancements were added, more children engaged with sewing and the number of both boys and girls increased. Although girls continued to be in the overall majority, more boys than previously observed were using the sewing and neither gender showed a preference for a particular enhancement. What this reveals perhaps is that the provision became more interesting to the children, increasing their curiosity to explore and revisit, igniting their intrinsic motivation (Bruce 2021).

Environment – The decision to move the indoor provision to a busier area of the nursery where children passed through on route to other spaces, and where adults spent more time, quickly resulted in more children engaging and more adults taking time to observe and support children sewing. During the third week a sewing basket was created for outdoor use and many children were keen to come and sit on a blanket, some choosing to thread natural materials or watch what was happening. Perhaps the unlimited space encouraged more participation and the curiosity of those children who prefer to be outdoors was sparked by something different going on. These observations highlight how spaces should be responsive to the needs and interests of the children, a view advocated in our most recent practice guidance Realising The Ambition (Education Scotland 2020) and what we assume the children need in terms of a space for certain activities, in this case quiet and calm, is not always the case.

Role of the adult & Relationships – When a familiar adult was present, the number of children engaging increased as did the duration of their engagement, highlighting the significance of the adult, “the people with whom a child interacts with are of central importance” (Bruce 2021, p142). Froebel recognised that those working with other people’s children should be well trained, knowledgeable and nurturing. When such adults are available to be with children, observing, interacting and building on interests, children’s confidence and autonomy increases. During the project some new children joined the setting and some of them chose to spend time sewing, sitting close to the adult and returning to the provision during their initial visits when an adult was present – the adult was providing a safe and secure base for these children and relationships were being established.

Schematic Play – Our two-year olds’ level of engagement with the sewing provision increased during the project, revisiting the provision throughout the day to feel the fabrics and yarns, emptying, refilling and transporting materials and spending sustained periods of time winding thread onto empty spools. The sewing provision for these children supported schematic play, it was like a treasure basket and emphasised the importance of heuristic play for this age group.

First Hand Experiences – Through conversations with the children around the purpose of sewing it became apparent that not all children had an awareness of the process of sewing and that clothes were made before they were available to buy at the shops. A tailor was a word they had not heard before and the idea of replacing a missing button or mending a hole was a new thought to ponder. This highlighted not only the importance of first hand experiences for children but also how items could be fixed or altered rather than thrown away, encouraging a more sustainable approach to counteract the disposable culture which exists in today’s society.

Conclusion

Is sewing a gender equal play occupation within our setting? I would say yes, it is. Our children did not refer to it as something that was girl or boy specific and both genders are engaging with sewing at nursery. Perhaps this is because our children’s experience of sewing outwith nursery is low and therefore gender stereotypes in relation to sewing do not exist or have not yet been established. Although the initial focus for this project was about gender it has opened up conversations within the staff team about many other features of practice and provision along with the opportunity to revisit the Froebelian principles which navigate our setting. On a personal level as a practitioner, it has encouraged me to trust children to lead their own learning without a preconceived outcome, allowing me to be spontaneous, flexible and in the moment.