Beginnings
– How I view my practice at the start of my current training –
This practitioner has not chosen to share this information at this time.
When working with children, everyday is different. They can show you a little bit of wonder in the world and I feel privileged to be a part of helping them understand and develop their learning through play.
As a Senior Early Years Officer my role is to support my staff team and ensure that they share our vision, values and aims for our children and provide an environment for play and learning. The children in my care can expect love and respect first and foremost.
For me this is when I share songs and stories with the children within their play. They are eager to express their thoughts and ideas and this gives me a great opportunity to tune into their interests and feelings. I also feel that when the children invite me into their social space, such as mealtimes, that this gives me an opportunity to talk to them and find out what matters to them.
My setting offers the children free play in an environment that provides them with the opportunity to develop their skills and learning through play and real experiences.
This is all facilitated by my skilled team who take the lead from the children and shape the environment to ensure the children’s interests are always followed.
The environment is fluid, heavily dependent on the children’s input. I love that it allows for a cycle of learning such as buying apples for snack, the children finding the seeds, asking about these and wanting to plant them, the anticipation of whether they will grow and the first shoot beginning to emerge.
My setting is child led, the child’s voice is heard and this consistently shapes the environment, the interactions and observations made. Our strong relationships with our families also provides an extra level of participation through our home links and wider community.
Since becoming an SEYO I have used Froebelian principles to shape the environment and experiences on offer to our children. For me, Froebelian thinking just makes sense and gives me the freedom to let children play and develop at a pace that is right for them, while exploring the wonders of the world around them.
I think it is important to establish with the children what a want and a need are first to allow them to fully understand what their rights are. I strive to promote equality and work with partnerships to identify methods of attaining this through awareness of cultures, genders and economic factors that may impact upon this.
For me it is all about continuing to inspire my staff and colleagues to embed Froebelian practice within my setting but more importantly to gain the experience to enable me to facilitate the transition to primary school and ensure that the teaching staff continue to provide the children with a Froebelian Future.
I respect the support and cooperation from my team to put the nurture of our children and families first. I value the same level of support from the Senior Management Team to commit to the training and resources required. My team and our children are more like an extended family to me, with love and nurture at the heart and we grow and develop together as we share our experiences and skills.