Scéalta – The Early Childhood Ireland Blog

By Dr. Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir

Tuesday 06 April 2021

Spring 2019 saw the introduction of Early Childhood Ireland’s ‘Early Pedagogy’ Magazine. It is fitting that our first edition celebrated some of the most inspiring women from Ireland and beyond who have helped to shape and develop our Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare settings with the ‘child-centred’ approach it demonstrates today. […]

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Using Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub to support a safe environment

By Greg Merrin

Monday 29 March 2021

Some readers may know me from my work, but if we haven’t spoken before, my name is Greg and I work with the Early Years Employer Service team in Early Childhood Ireland. I assist and support many of our members in implementing the Early Years regulations within their settings. One of the main regulations we […]

child safeguarding COVID development Fire Safety learning hub presentation skills QRF Regulation 23 Return to Work Skillnet timekeeping skills Training TUSLA upskilling

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COVID-19 Impacts & Findings –ELC Iceland

Monday 22 March 2021

In Iceland, preschool is the first level of schooling even though it is neither compulsory nor free of charge. The preschools are for children between the ages of one to six years old and most children at this age attend preschools up to 9 hours per day. Iceland is one of the Nordic countries which […]

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Closures & Re-openings – Early Years UK

By Nathan Archer

Monday 15 March 2021

COVID-19 closures Over the last year in England, schools and early years settings have been through various stages of closure and reopening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Noticeably, there have been different policies and guidance issued for primary schools and other early childhood settings. In the current lockdown, from 4 January, childminders, state […]

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Play under quarantine – Croatia

By Adrijana Visnjic-Jevtic

Monday 08 March 2021

We all know now that 2020 was a year like no other, and its effects have been felt by every country in the world. While we look forward with hope to the future and getting back to what we considered ‘normal’…to mark a year since COVID-19 entered our lives, we take a brief glimpse into […]

blog Children COVID COVID-19 Croatia Europe play quarantine quarantine kids Scéalta Blog Unesco

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Book Magic

Thursday 25 February 2021

Over the past year I have found it interesting that during these strange times it is the power of stories and reading that are being used most as settings connect remotely with children and families. We have seen, heard of and shared so many creative approaches that settings have used to stay in touch […]

books Children's Book Club Learning through Storytelling reading Reading Time Storytelling World book day worldbookday

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Development Learning Research

Don’t let the research journey end

By Laura Maher

Monday 22 February 2021

‘Research is a tool, and when you learn what it does, how it is used and why we use it, it becomes invaluable to our professional practice’ (MacNaughton, et al 2010). This description of research has stayed with me throughout my years studying early childhood education. It is a constant reminder of how important it […]

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Ramblings of a Home-schooling Mum

By Anne Marie Morrin and Dr Maeve Liston

Friday 12 February 2021

As I sat down to write this blog post, I decided I would give it a witty title then could not think of one so googled home-schooling. That was two hours ago. I foolishly clicked into something called “easy home-schooling ideas”. None of them seemed that easy and now I think I’ve been doing it […]

Children Children and families Covid pandemic COVID-19 homeschool

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STEAM Education and playing outdoors.

Tuesday 09 February 2021

When devising learning experiences, the most interesting conversations often revolve around the children’s immediate environments. The outdoors and natural environment can foster children’s curiosity and imagination as well as encouraging observation, experimentation, manipulating of materials, and testing skills. Outdoor play and explorations in open spaces (natural and built environments such as schools’ playgrounds, parks, gardens, […]

built environments Growing up Outdoors natural environment outdoor play scientific and artistic processes STEAM

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The Beauty of Partnership in a Challenging Time

By Racheal Govan

Monday 01 February 2021

Partnership with parents and families in the early years is at the foundations of all aspects, the philosophy, ethos and curricular approach to name a few. These are all informed by how we develop an inclusive and engaging educational setting for both the children and their parents/guardians. This year and last year have proved challenging […]

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Quarantine Children – Learning to adapt during lockdown

By Yvonne O'Keeffe

Monday 25 January 2021

Learning to adapt while maintaining positive child & family interactions during the lockdown During the first lockdown from March through to the end of June 2020, the team at Cottage Childcare, Killavullen designed a unique weekly template as a means of staying connected with the children and families of our service. This template was filled […]

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Carol Duffy, master of the outdoors

By Lilian Joyce

Monday 18 January 2021

Last month we said a fond farewell to our colleague Carol Duffy, who retired from Early Childhood Ireland after nearly 40 years of working in the early years. Back in the 1980s, there were no childcare regulations, no accredited training for early year educators and no funding for Early Learning and Care services. There were, […]

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Kindness Elves

By Eilish Balfe

Friday 08 January 2021

Happy Days Childcare, Ratoath winning the Inspired Practice Award has been a tremendous boost to everyone involved in our service and most especially in this difficult Covid dominated year. It is personally a huge boost as it gives recognition to all my team’s and my own hard work over these past 7 years in establishing […]

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Looking back and looking forward

Tuesday 22 December 2020

As we approach the end of another year, we traditionally tend to take stock of the year that has passed and look forward to the new year in anticipation. We reflect on what we want to change perhaps and what we want to continue into the new year to come. But if this year has […]

Aistear blog COVID-19 Looking Back Looking Forward scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Christmas connections through social media!

Tuesday 15 December 2020

Now that Christmas is just around the corner you might be thinking of ways to share the end of year celebrations with families of children attending your ELC setting. With this in mind, we wanted to remind you all of the many ways of connecting and how important it is to have some procedures in […]

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Happy Creativity!

Tuesday 08 December 2020

I recently spoke with Milica Atanackovic for Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast. She believes creativity is at the heart of childhood and learning and our role as educators is to support children as they make meaning of the world around them through enquiry and shared learning. Aistear supports and encourages us to see creativity in that […]

Aistear blog Creativity Early Childhood Education Early Childhood Ireland Primary School scéalta Síolta

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Celebrating Quality in Early Learning and Care Practice

Tuesday 01 December 2020

This year we were unable to host our annual national award celebrations in person. Therefore, we made the decision to celebrate the shortlisted entries and winners through short online videos. Our aim was to show examples of the love, laughter, passion, and adventures facilitated by educators in quality Early Learning and Care services. The […]

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The beauty of ‘being’

Tuesday 24 November 2020

“I can’t wait until….” Here is a simple quote that personally passes through my lips numerous times a day. It has become apparent to me in recent times that looking for the ‘what next’ in my future has almost overcome me to an extent where the ‘now’ is overlooked. There is such beauty in the ‘now’. A glistening feeling […]

Aistear blog Covid response COVID-19 Mindfulness scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Democratic practice

Monday 16 November 2020

As the dust settles on the US presidential election, in Scéalta this week Marlene Mc Cormack reflects on how we can ensure democratic practice in early childhood education and care settings and reminds us that the Reggio philosophy grew out of the devastation of World War 2. If we want adults who are brave and who will stand up for justice, this must be supported from early childhood.

Aistear blog democracy democratic citizens Reggio Emilia Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Relationships and Interactions

By Lilian Joyce

Monday 09 November 2020

In this week’s Scealta, Lilian Joyce discusses how “Relationships are at the very heart of early learning and development” – ‘this has always been my favourite quote from Aistear’, (Learning and developing through interactions, Aistear, Guidelines for good practice [NCCA, 2009, p.27]). The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic has shown just how much relationships between children and their families, and the early years educators, matter.

COVID-19 European Early Childhood Education Research Association inspiring interactions Inspiring Practice Interactions Loving Relationships relationships

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EECERA – virtual!

Tuesday 03 November 2020

The European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EERECRA) conference each August/ September is a calendar fixture for many in the Early Learning and Care world. It is held in various locations around Europe; indeed, it has taken place in Dublin twice and attracts delegates, who share a passion for the education and care of […]

Aistear blog EECERA European Early Childhood Education Research Association International Narratives scéalta

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Coming of Age

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Last Tuesday night, October 20 Professor Anne Looney, Dean of Education at Dublin City University launched the Proceedings of the Early Childhood Ireland National Research Conference, held in Dublin in April 2019. The launch of this publication came during Early Childhood Ireland’s very first online Research Symposium, which was due to be held last April, […]

Aistear blog National Research Conference 2019 Online Research Symposium Proceedings Journal scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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There is more to maths than counting!

By Sandra O'Neill

Monday 19 October 2020

I’m not great at maths. My other half thinks it hilarious that I teach mathematics in a university, when I have no understanding of basic math concepts like distance (the two metre COVID restriction is a real struggle for me). The type of maths I teach is maths that can be seen in young children’s […]

Aistear blog Counting Maths Scéalta Blog Shapes Síolta

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Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub

By Margaret Garland

Monday 12 October 2020

You have seen by now about the launch last week of Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub. This new member benefit has the potential to save members hundreds of euros, as it provides up to €850 worth of high-quality online training, at no additional cost to members. For courses with a practical component, such as Manual […]

Covid pandemic COVID-19 Early Childhood Ireland Early Years Education learning hub online training Return to Work Training

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Celebrating Scéalta 200

By Dr Emer Ring

Monday 05 October 2020

Painting a picture of a dynamic, innovative, responsive and committed sector I was delighted and indeed honoured to receive an invitation from Early Childhood Ireland to write a guest Scéalta edition to mark the 200th edition of the blog and this significant milestone for early childhood in Ireland. For me, the invitation coincided with two significant […]

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Tell me a story!

Tuesday 29 September 2020

I am wondering if I have the hang of blogging. A blog, I think, is meant not only to tell but to engage – maybe to share a story! Sir Ken Robinson, who died recently, was a great storyteller. Make no mistake about it, he had a perspective on education, one that many subscribed to […]

blog Learning through Storytelling scéalta Seanchaí Síolta Story Storytelling

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Reopening – Silver Linings – Mixed Age Pods

By Sarah Twohig

Monday 21 September 2020

Since I began my studies in the Early Years, I have often wondered how mixed age groups worked in practice. The Montessori method stresses that multi-age groups can be of benefit to all children. Our curriculum has always been tailored to the individual child anyway and so we became quite excited by the possibilities presented […]

Aistear blog COVID-19 Mixed age groups peer group play pods scéalta Síolta

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Reopening – Compromises and Silver Linings

By Sarah Twohig

Monday 14 September 2020

“Dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people.” I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes and Facebook memes because sometimes they just hit the right note. In our service, we like to dream big which includes a collaborative dream of a “perfect” creche. This idea forms the centre or ethos of […]

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Finding creativity inside of yourself!

Monday 07 September 2020

The recent death of Sir Ken Robinson got me thinking again about creativity. I went back and leafed through his book ‘The Element: How finding your passion changes everything’, which I had read at a time when I was reflecting on what drives me in life. Then I re-watched his famous TED talk on […]

blog children’s learning Creativity early childhood education system Pedagogy scéalta Síolta

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Play Talk

By Patricia Curtis

Tuesday 01 September 2020

David Crystal describes learning a first language as “…… the most complex skill anyone ever learns. And this task needs to be virtually complete by the time a child reaches school age.” Learning a language is hard work but made easier by the fact that we have so much fun doing it – it is […]

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Loving Relationships

By Dee Finn

Monday 24 August 2020

In response to the question “how would you describe love?” my darling friend Biel said “it feels like everything. Love the people and love the trees, love everything. It’s a really happy feeling of your heart, the heart which you feel in your body”. Biel, at five years of age, has true wisdom of the […]

blog emotional well-being Love Loving Relationships scéalta Síolta

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Stay Safe. Stay Outdoors!

By Edel Graham

Monday 17 August 2020

In 2009, I opened Corrig Kids Playschool, a huge one-acre facility, which I have developed over the course of the subsequent years. When COVID-19 hit on the 12th March, and over the following months and with emerging guidelines, I took time to consider how I could best serve the needs of my staff, pupils and […]

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Because You Matter

Tuesday 11 August 2020

Anthony Semann from Australia was booked to be the keynote speaker at the Early Childhood Ireland conference last April. I had heard great things about Anthony’s insights and was looking forward to both his keynote and masterclass. Then of course Coronavirus hit and the Conference, along with so much else, fell victim to the Covid […]

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Reopening: We were ready!

By Anne Macken

Tuesday 28 July 2020

Looking back on the past few weeks since reopening, and if I had the gift of hindsight, my mental health and wellbeing might not have had to suffer as much as it has over the past six weeks. When we had our date for reopening my mind started working overtime with so many ‘what about….’, […]

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Trauma Sensitive Early Childhood Care and Education

By Dr. Judith Butler

Monday 20 July 2020

Early childhood adversity is a topic that is widely covered in the literature and in initial practitioner education.However, until recently the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has been less well covered.The World Health Organisation’s recognition of ACEs as a major public health challenge has raised awareness and as a result, societal change is happening […]

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Being Nice is not Enough!

By Colette Murray

Tuesday 14 July 2020

In this week’s Scealta Colette Murray discusses ‘Becoming more aware of our unconscious and conscious bias both personally and professionally means we are in a better position to support children and families in our services. None of us think of ourselves as racist, sexist, ableist, classist or homophobic but how sure are we about that? Most of us are confident we are not discriminating against others but is it enough to think that and say that?’

Aistear blog Early Childhood Ireland Equality racism scéalta Síolta

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Lockdown Effects – ‘Not the Same Child At All’

By Dr. Suzanne Egan

Wednesday 08 July 2020

In this week’s Scealta – Dr Suzanne Egan shares preliminary findings from PLEY Survey which measured the play activities of children aged 1 – 10 years at home due to COVID-19 crisis. Findings show that Children’s lives have changed dramatically, suggesting that some children will need a lot of additional support in the coming months. With the closure of schools, creches, playgrounds and restrictions on physical movement and interactions, a number of effects on many aspects of children’s lives, including on their play, their social relationships and emotional development were found.

blog COVID-19 crisis Effect of Lockdown scéalta Síolta The Play and Learning in the Early Years

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Reopening – ‘Seeing Joyful Faces’

By Sharon Skehill

Monday 29 June 2020

In this week’s Scealta, Sharon Skehill talks about reopening and says that ‘The children are at the centre of everything we do. Am I nervous about re-opening this week? I don’t think I am. I know that we have done everything we can to minimise risk to children, their families and the staff. I also know that those children coming back to us this week will be greeted with joyful faces and huge hearts. We will be grand!’

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Reopening Childcare – Reimagining it as it Could be

By Lee Herlihy

Tuesday 23 June 2020

As many settings approach the final days of preparation for reopening on June 29th Lee Herlihy takes a look at what really matters most for the children. She says ‘I didn’t want the children to see worried, stressed, anxious adults. I wanted them to see familiar, welcoming happy and relaxed adults, excited to show them how this space, their own space, still belongs to them

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Your Place

Tuesday 16 June 2020

As we count down the weeks to the reopening of many full day care settings, Máire Corbett discusses some considerations for changes to our environments and keeping the child central to those considerations. She mentions the excitement, as well as the apprehension we may feel about having personal connections to children and families after months of virtual contact.

blog Early Childhood Ireland Hand Hygiene scéalta Síolta Universal Design Guidelines Your place

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Pedagogical Leadership

Tuesday 09 June 2020

In the Scéalta this week Kathleen Tuite outlines why she feels that pedagogical leadership is a key aspect of the reopening of our settings. She says that Having to carve out new pathways to cope and come up with innovative ways to ensure that our children, families and communities are safe, nurtured and supported requires rethinking the old ways of doing things and effective leadership is needed to do that.

Aistear blog Pedagogical leaders Pedagogy play pods scéalta Síolta

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Pod Talk

Wednesday 03 June 2020

Since early March, the way we live our lives has been changed by COVID-19. This has been the same for children. As researchers learn more about COVID-19 and as more definitive answers emerge on how to manage the virus, we need to continually balance the health guidance and practicality, keeping loving relationships at the heart of our work in pods. In Scéalta this week, Milica Atanackovic teases out the how of this.

Aistear child-centric COVID-19 play pod Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Together while apart

By Veronique Didi

Monday 25 May 2020

Early Learning and Care settings all over the country have been so creative and innovative in how they are keeping connected with children and families. Veronique Didi from Co. Wicklow tells us how she has responded to the children interests and maintains an emergent curriculum on line!

Aistear blog Covid19 crisis GoToMeeting app keep in touch scéalta show and tell staying connected

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Connecting and Documenting Through a Virtual Platform

By Samantha Hallows

Tuesday 19 May 2020

Samantha Hallows from Giddy-ups pre-school through her connecting with children and families ‘Super Shed Stories’ has been receiving photos from children and their families of drawings the children have been doing after they listen to the Stories from Super Shed Stories. Samantha has decided to document these drawings from the children (with their permission) and share them through a Super Shed Gallery, virtual platform.

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What the Children Say – SAC

By Deirdre Horgan

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Deirdre Horgan discusses School Aged Childcare from the child’s perspective and highlights what children want, is play, home-from-home environments, and to be able to relax and feel comfortable after school. They highlighted how important Relationships with family, extended family, friends, childminders and other carers were to them.

childcare services National Childcare Scheme play play stories Scéalta Blog UNCRC

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Play Research Well-being

Play Therapy

By Mary Barry

Wednesday 06 May 2020

In this weeks’ Scealta, Mary Barry, a long-time practitioner, discusses play therapy. Mary shares her passion for working with children in a supportive, facilitative manner, enabling them to use the curiosity, drive, fun and spontaneous traits that support their optimum learning and development.

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Trust, Opportunity, and Time

By Dr. Claire Regan and Dr. Leah OToole

Tuesday 28 April 2020

Aldo Fortunati from Tuscany has spoken at a few Early Childhood Ireland events, most recently in Carlow last September. I am always taken by his mantra of Trust, Opportunity and Time. He says children need to be trusted to lead their own learning and experiences, must be given the opportunities to do this and have […]

Aistear Siolta in Action Covid pandemic COVID-19 family time Opportunities Scéalta Blog trust

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Placing the Child at the Centre of Quality in Early Childhood and Primary Education

Monday 20 April 2020

In Scéalta this week Dr. Claire Regan and Dr. Leah O’Toole outline the THRIECE (Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education) project. This is an innovative, multidisciplinary Erasmus+ research project, coordinated by Marino Institute of Education, with partner institutions in Ireland, Poland and Portugal working together to try to answer questions around what quality is in Early Education.

Early Childhood Care and Education early childhood educator Early Childhood Ireland early life ECEC Setting primary education

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My Early Childhood Degree at Maynooth University

By Sylwia O’Rourke

Wednesday 15 April 2020

As the extended CAO Deadline gets closer, Sylwia O’Rourke looks back on her experience of completing her BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning at Maynooth University.

Learning Journal Maynooth University Scéalta Blog Siolta blog

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Structure Supports Uncertainty

By Fiona Ferris

Wednesday 01 April 2020

The introduction of COVID-19 into our lives at the end of February brought with it uncertainty, disruption to routine and perhaps most difficultly, unpredictability. These are discomforts that many of us will find incredibly difficult to process, and that is with us being kept fully informed by the news and online sources. This has been […]

AsIAm Autism Childcare COVID-19 Routines structure

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Staying connected through Super Shed Stories

By Samantha Hallows

Monday 23 March 2020

Over the past week we have been hearing about the trojan efforts that Early Childhood Ireland members are making and finding innovative ways to stay connected to their children while all early learning and care settings are closed. In this week’s Scealta blog we hear from our member Samantha who describes how she uses stories […]

COVID-19 Reading Time Scéalta Blog Storytelling Super Shed Stories Youtube Series

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Young children’s use of apps

By Sandra O'Neill

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Increasingly, children are seen using wi-fi enabled devices out and about, on public transport, in cafes or restaurants and in their own homes. On average, children under five are using tablets and other screen media for up to 2.5 hours per day (Australian Child Health Poll, 2017; Rideout, 2017; Marsh et al., 2015). Many children […]

Aistear aistear blog apps for children bloom app imotion iOS keezy learners pablo phone apps Síolta Siolta blog youdoodle

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Professional Practice

Tuesday 03 March 2020

Síolta Standard 11 relates to the area of professional practice, saying ‘Practising in a professional manner requires that individuals have skills, knowledge, values and attitudes appropriate to their role and responsibility within the setting. In addition, it requires regular reflection upon practice and engagement in supported, ongoing professional development’. Dr. Mary Moloney’s recent Scéalta post […]

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What are we doing to our boys?

Tuesday 25 February 2020

In Scéalta this week Máire Corbett reflects on how gender stereotypes can be damaging to children, following the online reaction to the winning project in the BT Young Scientist competition and a conversation she overheard in a supermarket.

Aistear behavioural science early years learning gender bias gender stereotype learning bias man up scéalta social science

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A night to celebrate the work of Early Years Educators

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 18 February 2020

Early Childhood Ireland National Awards celebrate and highlight the exceptional contributions that individuals, teams and settings make in early learning and care settings all over Ireland. The impact these contributions have in improving the experiences of children and their families in early years settings across Ireland is immense. This year we will be celebrating our […]

awards 2020 Awards Night Early Childhood Ireland National Awards First 5 transitions for children award Inspired Practice Awards Learning Story Awards LINC Award for Leadership in Inclusion Partnership with Families Innovation Award

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‘The Couch’

By Jane Jackson

Tuesday 11 February 2020

Against the backdrop of a wonderfully diverse modern Ireland, we are challenged to consider how we can ensure the meaningful participation of all parents and families in our ECEC settings. As the manager of a small sessional setting in a thriving multicultural and societally diverse Dublin suburb, I am acutely aware of the importance of […]

Early Years Educators ECCE ECEC Setting Educators parents preschool preschool settings Scéalta Blog Sessional service

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Sharing and dialogue for professional practice

By Liz Kerrins

Tuesday 04 February 2020

In this week's Scéalta blog, Liz Kerrins discusses the Early Childhood Ireland Annual Research Day 2020.

aistear blog early years research National Early Childhood Research Conference research submissions

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Professional Behaviour in Early Childhood Education and Care

By Dr. Mary Moloney

Wednesday 29 January 2020

Ask any early childhood educator what it is they most want and, the answer invariably entails professional salaries (rightly so), to feel valued, respected and treated as and, seen as a professional in their own right. They want to enjoy the status afforded to and enjoyed by other professions. In short, they want to see the professionalisation of the Early Childhood Education and Care sector. Ensuring that this happens rests primarily with Government who are responsible for creating the conditions that enable a profession to emerge and flourish.

Aistear aistear blog code of ethics code of professional responsibility ECEC Scéalta Blog Siolta blog

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Capturing Children’s Voices at Story Time!

Wednesday 22 January 2020

Reading and storytelling with children promotes brain development and imagination, teaches children about language and emotions, and strengthens relationships. Dr Mary Roche in her blog ‘Books and stories are important in the early years‘, also wrote about the importance of storytelling and its effect on children’s development. In this blog we want to highlight the […]

Aistear Children Síolta Siolta blog story time Storytelling

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Technology in Early Years Settings

By Sandra O'Neill

Wednesday 08 January 2020

We hear a lot about the fact that screen time is bad for babies and should be limited for children over two years. But this is only one aspect of technology and it is important that we realise that technology is a fact of life now. This week’s Scéalta post comes from Sandra O’Neill from DCU and she looks at how we can use technology to support play.

Aistear Digital Digital Devices Document Learning Engineering learning Maths Síolta STEM Technology

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So, this is Christmas!

Tuesday 17 December 2019

Over the past few weeks we have been looking back at seasonal posts from the past few years of Scéalta. In this final post of 2019 Máire Corbett reflects on the popularity of one particular post, Performing….for Who?, both 2 years ago when it was first published and on Facebook this past week.

Aistear Children christmas Scéalta Blog Síolta Siolta blog

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Documentation – trace of your professional life

Tuesday 10 December 2019

“Documentation is the trace of your professional life”. This was a quote from Wendy Lee during her visit to Ireland last September. This quote resonated with me. It’s true. It’s the trace of our presence, our love, our care, our compassion for children and families, our willingness to constantly learn with children, and it’s a […]

DES Inspection documentation Inspections Learning Journal Learning Stories Rich Documentation Wendy Lee

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Play is a Child’s Right

By June O'Sullivan MBE

Wednesday 04 December 2019

Not so long ago, Lego commented about a worrying shift in parents’ attitude to play. They noted that parents seem to be squeezing free and spontaneous play and replacing it with playdates, play programmes and organised activities where adults are present. Many of us working with children recognise this pattern which is infiltrating early childhood […]

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I say OOH, you say AAH – Book Review

By Anne Comerford

Wednesday 27 November 2019

We love books and reading in Early Childhood Ireland….and we know you do too. Recently Dr. Mary Roche in her Scéalta reminded us why story reading and storytelling are so important for children. We are delighted to introduce our first Scéalta book review from the lovely pre-schoolers in Spraoi Playschool, in Tipperary.

Book Review learning Participation Scéalta Blog Scéalta Book Review Storytelling

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Well-being

Let’s talk about dying!

By Mary Daly

Wednesday 20 November 2019

Mary Daly reflects on her own experience of bereavement when she was a child. She outlines the impact bereavement has on children and how we need to give time and space to understand and how we can support this process. We have included some books that might be useful.

Aistear Bereavement Death scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Dining

Sorrow and Progress

By Dr. Jennifer Pope

Monday 11 November 2019

Jennifer Pope, Lecturer in Child Health at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, reflects on the tragic happenings of 111 years ago, that took place in the building where her office is located. She reminds us how fortunate we are with the medical advances that have evolved over the past century but emphasises that we should not be complacent

Children's Voice E.coli Hand Hygiene Health Infection Control Infectious diseases Well-Being

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Montessori and Intergenerational Care

Tuesday 05 November 2019

In this week's Scelta blog Máire Corbett discusses her experience at at the Montessori Europe Congress last month. Máire heard about intergenerational initiatives in the USA and how some settings provide residential care for older people using Montessori Principles to enhance the lives of the Elders in those settings.

Elders Inter-generational Inter-generational learning life long learning Montessori relationships scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Learning

Aistear is ten years old!

By Mary Daly

Monday 14 October 2019

In this weeks’ Scealta ‘Aistear’s Celebrates its 10th Birthday and reflects on how many practitioners around Ireland started to dip their toe in the water and saw that the framework wasn’t something to be feared. Instead, it was something to be embraced. It reflected very well what they were trying to do every day – helping children to learn and develop through play within the context of loving relationships.

Aistear Children and families Department of Education and Skills learning NCCA play relationships

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Advocacy

Budget 2020: Lacking Ambition, Lacking Direction

By Ronan Kennedy

Wednesday 09 October 2019

The Minister for Finance delivered Budget 2020 yesterday and the general consensus seems to be a national shoulder shrug. The Policy, Advocacy, and Campaigning (PAC) team had been monitoring the leaks emanating from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs over the past few weeks and to a very large degree, we had an idea […]

Budget 2020 Investment Scéalta Blog School Age Childcare

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Development Relationship Building Well-being

Are you feeling heard?

By Dr. Jennifer Pope

Wednesday 02 October 2019

Have you ever been in a situation where it feels like you are not being listened to? Ever been waiting at the end of a customer service helpline listening to… ‘you are a valued customer, but all our lines are busy so please hold…you are in a queue, all our operators are busy, you are […]

Children's Rights Learning Stories scéalta Scéalta Blog Well-Being

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Development Learning

Books and stories are important in the early years

By Dr. Mary Roche

Tuesday 24 September 2019

If you were told that you could improve your child’s imagination, thinking ability, vocabulary, oral language, literacy skills, interpersonal relationships, empathy, attachment, and have great fun at the same time, you would rush to sign up for such an amazing programme. Imagine if you were told that you can do it yourself and it’s free? […]

reading scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Well-being Workplace relations

Together we can do so much

By Kathleen Cash

Tuesday 17 September 2019

“Decisions made about staff are decisions made about quality”- Síolta Standard 11, Professional Practice. I have so many fond memories from my years in Tir na nÓg. I have to say, one of the best feelings is sitting around with my family and team after a big event such as graduation or the Christmas show […]

collaboration HR Leaders in Practice Leadership Providing Leadership to the First 5 Quality relationships Scéalta Blog Síolta Staff Motivation supportive environments Well-Being

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Relationship Building

Whole Group Circle Time in Early Years

By Jan Dubiel

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Whole group Circle time in Early Years: vital context for teaching and learning or purposeless and inefficient convention? Scealta Blog| Early Childhood Ireland. Jan Dubiel, an Early Years Consultant and trainer, discusses one of the aspects that is always central to his message that ensuring that educators are clear about and can articulate why they do what they do.

Aistear Early Years Educators Engagement Identity Identity and Belonging Intention Participation purpose Reflective Practice Scéalta Blog Síolta value Whole Group

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Development Play Relationship Building Transitions

Where did the summer go!

By Arlene Forster

Tuesday 03 September 2019

Where did the summer go! Hard to believe another ‘year’ is starting. She’s off to preschool this September… these are some of the familiar statements we hear at this time of the year when thousands of children all over Ireland return or move on to the next exciting stage in their educational journey. A new […]

Aistear play Settling in Síolta Summer

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Learning Transitions

Our Week in Iceland

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 27 August 2019

Early Childhood Ireland is delighted to be part of a European Project called TRAP – Enhancing Transition Practices in Early Childhood Education. The countries involved are Croatia, Iceland, Sweden and Ireland. The project aims to enhance and extend understandings of the practice required for transitions from ECEC contexts to primary schools. This project aims to […]

Aistear European Project Iceland Scéalta Blog Síolta Study Trip transitions TRAP

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Development Relationship Building

Relationships Matter

By Anne Macken

Tuesday 20 August 2019

As a manager of a full day care setting, I have come to place a huge value on the relationships we have with our families and community. This value is something that is echoed by all the staff in Happy Days because we have to share our ethos, otherwise it just doesn’t work. I do […]

Aistear Interactions relationships Settling in Síolta Sleep

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Environments Well-being Workplace relations

Without trust, what is left?

Tuesday 06 August 2019

There has been much debate in recent days about whether mandatory CCTV in all early learning and care services is needed. For me, both as a parent and as a HR Practitioner, this begs the question; where is the trust gone? Is this the legacy we want to leave our children with, that at all […]

CCTV Confidence Human Resources Scéalta Blog Support trust

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Development Relationship Building Well-being

A Caring Presence

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Throughout my career, I have worked with babies. I fully understand the challenging nature of meeting the diverse and individual needs of babies. It is not an easy job. It is physically and mentally demanding. Too often, we do not discuss the complexities of the role. Every day wasn’t perfect; we can’t strive for perfection […]

Aistear babies relationships respect RTE Investigates Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Allow me to introduce myself!

By Liz Kerrins

Wednesday 17 July 2019

I’m delighted to have recently been appointed Early Childhood Ireland’s Director of Research and Professional Learning. I am really looking forward to meeting with members over the coming year, and to collaborating with you in learning programmes to enhance your professional practice. Here’s a little bit of information about me. My academic background is in […]

Liz Kerrins New Appointments research Research and Professional Learning Scéalta Blog

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Environments Transitions Well-being

Settling Babies

Tuesday 09 July 2019

Sometimes we hear of people describing childcare as ‘leaving a baby with strangers.’ This always makes me sad. By the time a baby is spending a full day in the setting, ideally, the relationship between the baby, the educator and the parent should be well past being strangers. The process of settling in, in my […]

Aistear babies community Environment relationships Scéalta Blog Settling in Síolta

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Development Relationship Building

Speaking Through Body Language

Tuesday 02 July 2019

Early Childhood Ireland has been working in collaboration with universities in Spain, Italy, Denmark, UK and Croatia on the Horizon 2020 Child-Centred Diversity EU Project. We have developed three online modules which present and discuss child-centredness from a number of perspectives. These modules are free, and are available to educators, students and those with an interest […]

Aistear Body Language child-centred approach Horizon 2020 Interaction Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Play

Social Skills Versus Academic Skills – Why the Conflict?

By Carol Duffy

Tuesday 25 June 2019

Recently we had a call to the Early Childhood Ireland office. A journalist was writing a piece on the importance of developing social skills over academic skills at the preschool stage, and wondered if we had a comment. As I played with the reply in my head, I quickly recognised the complexities of providing an […]

Academic Skills Aistear development learning play Scéalta Blog Síolta Social Skills

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Environments

Evan’s Story

By Geraldine Delahunt

Tuesday 18 June 2019

Takaharu Tezuka, the famed Japanese architect who spoke at the launch of the newly published Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and Care settings on June 10, spoke about inclusion. One of the things he said that struck me was “Children with disabilities need adventure too”. Evan’s story features in the Universal Design Guidelines. Geraldine Delahunt, owner […]

Aistear development Inclusion Music Nonverbal scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Universal Design Visual Impairment

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Environments

Universal Design: Design for all

Tuesday 11 June 2019

The culmination of a year and a half of research, consultation, collaboration and learning took place yesterday, June 10, when Dr. Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, launched the Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and Care settings. It was a great occasion, marked by inspiring words from many. Minister Zappone spoke about […]

AIM Aistear Autism DCYA Department of Children and Youth Affairs Design Japan San Miniato Scéalta Blog Síolta UD Universal Design

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Workplace relations

Taking “AIM” at Workplace Inclusion

Monday 27 May 2019

If we think of it like this, diversity is being invited to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance. Legally, it is well established that you cannot discriminate against someone under the nine protected grounds under equality legislation. This covers access to employment and beyond, but this is the bare minimum. As employers, […]

Access and Inclusion Model Aistear Diversity Equality & Inclusion Guidelines Training Inclusion Síolta Siolta blog Workplace Relations

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Relationship Building Workplace relations

‘Taboo or Topical’ – Focus on Women

Monday 20 May 2019

I attended an event last week on ‘Perinatal Mental Health in Focus’ in St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Dublin. There were a number of interesting presentations which highlighted the importance of a mother’s well-being before, during and following pregnancy. There were thought provoking discussions about women’s physical and mental health during pregnancy and following the […]

Aistear Childcare emotional environment maternity health Maternity Leave Mental Health Síolta supportive environments Well-Being Workforce Workplace Relations

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Workplace relations

Look Who’s Talking…

Tuesday 14 May 2019

At a recent HR event I attended, Kieran Mulvey, former Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission, spoke and he said he always applied the rationale that “conversation trumps investigation”. It struck me that often in the workplace we can jump in and start investigating and disciplining when really a simple word to someone could […]

Aistear Communications Early Years Employee Performance Management Síolta Siolta blog Workplace Relations Workplace well-being

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Art Development Learning

Reggio Emilia – Quality Never Grows Old

Tuesday 30 April 2019

At the beginning of the year I spent a week with other Reggio Emilia network partners to engage in continuous professional development. It was an opportunity to activate a journey with the Reggio Children Network and discuss some plans towards 2020. Reggio Emilia is a term used often to describe curriculum approaches in Early Childhood […]

Aistear Reggio Children Network Reggio Emilia scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Learning

Celebrate Good Times!

Tuesday 16 April 2019

Sitting in the function room at The Alex in Dublin city centre last Friday night at the Annual Early Childhood Ireland Awards was an amazing feeling. The words of that song, ‘celebrate good times, come on!‘ kept ringing in my ears as I reflected on the talent, passion, commitment and dedication of the people in the […]

Aistear Annual Conference 2019 Awards 2019 Celebrate Early Childhood Ireland National Awards Síolta

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Well-being

Controlled Breathing: The 90 Second Rule

By Dr Mary O'Kane

Tuesday 09 April 2019

Childhood Anxiety, Controlled Breathing and the ‘Ninety Second Rule’ Child mental health is a growing concern for parents and educators in Ireland. Research shows increasing numbers of our children are experiencing mental health challenges. By the age of thirteen, one in three are experiencing some form of difficulty (Kelleher et al, 2012). To put this […]

Aistear Anxiety Breathing Child mental health ECCE Mental Health Síolta Stress Well-Being

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Minding yourself

Tuesday 02 April 2019

Working in early learning and care settings is fun, enjoyable, relaxed, happy, entertaining, amusing, and stimulating. That is why we do what we do. We love being with young children, we love their confidence, their huge capacity for fun, laughter, smiles, love, and learning. However, it is also challenging, messy, and can be very stressful. […]

Aistear Anxiety Challenges Change Dance Laugh Mindfulness Music Scéalta Blog Síolta Stress

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Well-being

Little Buddies

By Samantha Synnott

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Evidence tells us that good mental health is essential for children to learn and achieve. By providing opportunities for young children, and the adults surrounding them, to develop the strengths and coping skills that underpin resilience early learning and care settings can help their children (and staff) flourish and succeed. To be effective, the ethos […]

Aistear Buddies Buddy Bench Little Buddies Maynooth University Mental Health scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Well-Being

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Transitions

Moving from Preschool to Primary School: Identities and Connections

By Arlene Forster

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Were you out and about at the weekend enjoying the St Patrick’s Day festivities? The special day brought crowds to villages, towns and cities across the country as ornate and creative floats passed by carrying groups of excited children (and adults!). While green, white and orange featured prominently marking Ireland’s national celebration, the day also […]

Arlene Forster Mo Scéal National Council for Curriculum and Assessment NCCA preschool Primary School scéalta Scéalta Blog transitions

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Well-being

Mindfulness at Work

By Natasha Bryant

Tuesday 12 March 2019

As a children’s yoga instructor, I often get asked by parents and caregivers for ways in which they can encourage mindful practices with their young ones. Now I could give you lots of different techniques, breathing exercises etc. but my most solid bit of advice would be look after yourself first. How often have you […]

Aistear Breathing Exercise Mantra Mindfulness Relaxation scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Yoga

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Development Learning

Budding Engineers

By Lilian Joyce

Tuesday 05 March 2019

It’s Monday again, and as usual the weekend has flown. As you wait for the children to arrive you do a quick visual check around the room. The table in the home corner is set invitingly for four, complete with tablecloth, a small vase of flowers and empty plates. As you wonder what exotic dishes […]

Aistear Engineering Ireland Engineers Week Imagination play Scéalta Blog Síolta Sociodramatic play

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Research

Reaping the Rewards

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 26 February 2019

In April 2019, we will be celebrating our seventh annual Early Childhood Ireland National Awards. This inspiring event will take place in The Alex Hotel in Dublin 2 and the evening is not to be missed! Guests will come together to enjoy a luxurious gala dinner, during which Early Childhood Ireland will present awards to our […]

Educator - Leader in Practice Award Inspired Practice Award Learning Stories Award LINC Award for Leadership in Inclusion National Awards 2019 Partnership with Families Innovation Award

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Development Learning

Making the world a better place

Tuesday 19 February 2019

Not a day goes by without sustainability in some form appearing in the news. We clutter the seas with plastic, in Ireland we dispose of half a million coffee cups, and flush away 400 million litres of water every day (Kelleher, 2019). The world that we hold in stewardship for future generations is in danger and […]

Aistear National Pyjama Day Plastic Recycling scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Sustainability UN UN Sustainable Development Goals United Nations

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Relationship Building

Valentine’s Day – ‘Appreciation Day’!

Tuesday 12 February 2019

This time two years ago I wrote about ‘sowing the seeds of love’ with children on Valentine’s day. This year, let’s focus on nurturing those seeds of love with the adults/early learning educators who provide loving care each day to our children. While Valentine’s day is associated with chocolates, cards, flowers and gifts (all ok […]

Appreciation blog Love scéalta Scéalta Blog Smiles Teamwork Thanks Valentine's Day

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Development Learning

Shapes are Everywhere

By Anne Fitzpatrick and Carmel Gallagher

Tuesday 05 February 2019

Maths was never my thing. I am proof that just because something has been taught, it does not mean it has been learned. I don’t know how many maths classes I sat through up to my Leaving Cert… but I never understood the relevance of trigonometry and theorems. Beyond arithmetic I was lost… and was […]

Aistear Arithmetic Maths Patterns Shapes Síolta Trigonometry

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Development Relationship Building

“Who would have thought a 2-year-old’s best friend would be a 92-year-old who also loves dinosaurs?”

Tuesday 29 January 2019

Inter-generational learning is the oldest form of learning. It typically involves learning that takes place in families and communities as part of daily life. “The most important theme was the development of relationships between the grannies and the children and not just in school, but also in the community when they met at the […]

Aistear IGL Inspired Practice Award Inter-generational Inter-generational learning scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Together Old and Young Programme TOY Programme

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Learning Research

Formalised Curiosity

By Dr. Suzanne Egan and Dr. Jennifer Pope

Tuesday 22 January 2019

I recently came across this quote: ‘Research is formalised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose’ (Zora Neale Hurston). As we in Early Childhood Ireland plan our fifth annual National Early Childhood Research Conference, it struck me as very apt. Aistear encourages curiosity. The themes of Identity & Belonging and Exploring & Thinking both […]

Aistear Albert Einstein blog Early Childhood Ireland’s National Early Childhood Research Conference 2019 Exploring and Thinking Identity and Belonging Pobal sector profile research Research Conference 2019 Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Play

Growing Up Outdoors

Tuesday 15 January 2019

Did you know that nearly one in six Irish parents don’t think it’s safe for their five year old child to play outside at home during the day? Irish and international research indicates that neighbourhood safety has an impact on levels of outdoor play in young children. We recently analysed data from the Growing Up […]

Aistear development Growing up in Ireland Growing up Outdoors outdoor play play scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Dining Research

How does your body feel?

Tuesday 08 January 2019

Open your hand and make it into a fist, that’s roughly the size of your stomach. A child’s stomach is the size of their fist. It’s easy to see how children can easily be overfed but undernourished. A child’s relationship with food starts from day one. We must listen to children when they are saying […]

food Growing up in Ireland meals Mealtimes Nutrition Obesity Rituals scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Art

Wrapping up Christmas

By Kevin McLoughlin

Tuesday 18 December 2018

Ten tips on how families can ReCreate something festive using leftover packaging this Christmas! There’s no denying that Christmas is a special time of year. We all enjoy spending time with family and friends, recharging the batteries and unwinding in front of the fire with a box of chocolates attached to the hip. Of course, […]

blog christmas ReCreate Recycle scéalta Scéalta Blog Wrapping paper

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Development Learning Relationship Building

An irresistible invitation to learn

By Caitriona Cooney

Tuesday 11 December 2018

At this time of year, we can get caught up in making and doing and performances. The sentiments in this post apply all year, but this is a timely reminder of the importance of getting silly, the value of laughter and having fun! I recently attended the Cork Autism Conference and listened with wonder and […]

Aistear Autism Laughter Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Advocacy

First 5 – first impressions

By Louise Kilbane

Tuesday 04 December 2018

19th November – First 5 Launch First 5 – My first day impression! The long awaited day for those of us who work with children in Ireland was finally here – the much talked about, debated, and discussed ten-year strategy was to be launched. Having heard snippets over the weekend in the media, I was […]

DCYA Department of Children and Youth Affairs Early Learning and Care Early Learning and Care Centres First 5 First 5 strategy Minister Katherine Zappone scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Learning Relationship Building

Shaping community involvement

By Orlagh Doyle

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Sometimes life can throw us happy celebratory times and we know for sure life can throw some difficult and sad times too! In Carraig Briste & Killegney we understand that our connection and support with families through their involvement in our settings develops quality relationships, essential for creating learning and understanding environments for young children. […]

Aistear community Community involvement Motor neuron disease parents scéalta Scéalta Blog Sculptures Síolta

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Development Relationship Building

Children living with loss

By Phil Lynch

Tuesday 13 November 2018

Most of us working in the early years sector have experienced grief at some point in our lives, whether in childhood or in our adult lives. This holds true for the families and children we work with. As early years educators, we must be aware that children grieve too. While children assume that their family […]

Aistear Bereavement Death Grief ICBN Irish Childhood Bereavement Network Loss National Bereaved Children's Awareness Week scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Learning

What’s the story, baby?

By Dr. Suzanne Egan

Tuesday 06 November 2018

Lots of book events take place all across Ireland in October during the annual Children’s Book Festival. These events support literacy, promote a love of books and the joy of reading. But how often is a love of books and reading supported for the youngest members of society in early childhood settings, community settings and […]

Aistear books Cognitive development Growing up in Ireland reading scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Socioemotional development Story

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Development Learning

Halloween – A Trick or a Treat?

By Carol Duffy

Tuesday 30 October 2018

Coming so soon after the settling in period, for many children Halloween is often a mixed bag of tricks and treats. On the one hand it can be a treat, a time of great excitement negotiating the emotions of scary and funny, the concepts of real and pretend, and the delights of being out in […]

Aistear blog Halloween Scéalta Blog Síolta Trick or treat

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Development Learning Play

Through the looking glass

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Take a moment, look out the window. What do you see? The trees are filled with autumn colours to warm your heart. Bursting with a rainbow of amber, gold, red and green. The rain drops are falling from the sky to glisten the grass with a glossy coat of moisture. The light begins to break, […]

Aistear christmas Halloween Scéalta Blog Síolta Through the looking glass Window

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Advocacy

We need to talk about trade unions

By Deborah Reynolds

Tuesday 16 October 2018

There is a feeling of crisis in the Irish childcare sector. Early years professionals are experiencing burn-out, low pay, unaffordable housing and precarious contracts. Providers suffer the stresses of high turnover, low levels of funding, unfair commercial rates and frustration due to lack of consultation. Many of these issues have been highlighted in Early Childhood […]

Aistear Budget 2019 Professionalisation Rising to the Challenge scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Trade union

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Advocacy

Rising to new challenges

By Aisling Hearne

Tuesday 09 October 2018

As a member of the Policy and Communications team at Early Childhood Ireland, I have been exposed to a vast amount of knowledge in my first few months on a new team. Last Thursday, 4th October we hosted our very first Meet the Members event. This event brought together our members and members of the […]

budget Budget 2019 Jillian van Turnhout Meet the Members Oireachtas Rising to the Challenge scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Development Relationship Building

The Power of Touch

Tuesday 02 October 2018

Touch is powerful. For most of us, a hug or pat on the shoulder from a partner, friend, or colleague can work wonders when we feel down or upset. It won’t solve the problem or make the hurt go away, but it shows us someone is there, someone cares, and the world doesn’t seem quite […]

scéalta Scéalta Blog Touch

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Interacting with the Brain

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 25 September 2018

As I read last week’s Scéalta blog post, I really started to think about the important role of the adult working with children under the age of three. Kathleen Tuite discussed care routines for children under three and how these times are a wonderful opportunity to build trusting relationships with children. I couldn’t agree more. […]

Brain Care routines relationships scéalta Scéalta Blog

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Development Relationship Building

Under 3s – Care-giving Routines

Tuesday 18 September 2018

Now that we are moving into the third week of September, we want to focus on care routines for young children. In early childhood care and education settings, care routines form an important part of the young child’s day. These are busy periods for educators, attending to nappy changes, sleep requirements and mealtimes, but also […]

Aistear Care-giving routines Interactions Nuturing interactions Routines scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta under 3's

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Development Relationship Building

Visitors – A Child’s View!

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 11 September 2018

The early childhood environment is a place in which children feel safe, it is their sanctuary. They need to feel safe and secure, so they can learn and develop in this space. However, throughout the day, many people walk into their room. Children, parents, grandparents, other practitioners, the manager, or the cook. Externally, you may […]

Aistear communication Environment Identity scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Visitors

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Relationship Building Transitions

Getting to know you

Tuesday 04 September 2018

Now that the initial new year busyness is easing, the ‘new’ children are settling in and parents are a bit less anxious about letting their little ones off to embark on a new journey. We think about building a community in the preschool and we know that it takes more than a few weeks of […]

Aistear Family wall Learning journals relationships Settling in Síolta transitions Wendy Lee

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Development Learning Play

Mixing the Ages: Part 2

By Dr. Emer Ring and Dr. Lisha O'Sullivan

Tuesday 28 August 2018

In the last Scéalta post, Mixing the ages, Sarah O’Leary described how in her setting, Cheeky Cherubs in Cork, children of mixed ages play and learn together very effectively. I have long been an advocate of children being in mixed age groupings. My initial training was as a Montessori teacher and the Montessori approach views […]

Aistear ERASMUS+Meal time meals Mixed age groups Montessori scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Tuscan Approach

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Mixing the ages!

By Sarah O'Leary

Tuesday 14 August 2018

With the introduction of the second free preschool year, we in Cheeky Cherubs began questioning how we could best integrate children of varying ages into the same space. We operated as a traditional preschool up to 2014, where children were cared for in separate rooms according to age, only having the opportunity to mix with […]

Aistear communication curriculum Empathy Mixed age groups scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Research

Orla Kenny: A tribute

By Teresa Heeney

Tuesday 31 July 2018

I was very sad to hear of the death of Orla Kenny on July 19. Many of you will know Orla from her work as an artist and more so as the co-founder and passion behind Kids Own, the children’s book publishing partnership. Many Irish early years organisations will have worked with Orla and produced […]

blog Kids Own Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Orla Kenny scéalta Scéalta Blog The Lullaby Book

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Development Learning

Cillian and Adam

By David King

Tuesday 24 July 2018

At Creative Kids & Co., we build our curriculum around the children. We base it on their interests and on what emerges from our observations within the group. Sometimes this leads to learning about dance, sometimes dinosaurs or buildings. Sometimes the children’s interests can take us on a journey that lasts weeks, or on occasion […]

Aistear Autism Blocks blog Learning Stories Learning Stories Award Light table Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Learning Research

Preparing Professionals

By Dr. Mary Moloney

Tuesday 17 July 2018

Is classroom-based learning enough to prepare early childhood teachers for their professional responsibilities? Early childhood is a time of great opportunity and tremendous vulnerability for young children. Decisions made and actions taken during early childhood, affect children’s attitudes towards, and engagement with, learning for life. Yet, there is no consensus nationally or internationally about […]

Aistear College ECEC learning National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Scéalta Blog Síolta University

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Development Learning

San Miniato: Quality Early Years Education – A Tuscan Perspective

By Susan Quirke-Crowley

Tuesday 10 July 2018

On Sunday June 10th 2018, I had the privilege of travelling to San Miniato, Italy, with a group of 15 like-minded individuals on the Early Childhood Ireland Erasmus+ Léargas Study Trip in pursuit of international perspectives on quality within the Early Years Education Sector. Our host, Barbara, at La Bogetta Di Gepetto afforded us the […]

Aistear blog CPD curriculum ERASMUS+Family Leargas San Miniato Scéalta Blog Síolta Vertical grouping

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Play

Let the Children Play – Children’s Rights and our Responsibilities

Tuesday 03 July 2018

As early childhood educators, we have a strong belief in the value of play for children’s learning and development. This belief is based on national and international research, which repeatedly highlights the significant contribution of play to enriching children’s well-being, cognitive, social-emotional and physical development and for children’s success in school and beyond. For children […]

AsIAm blog INTO linc NCCA play Scéalta Blog

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Relationship Building Transitions

Prexit (the preschool exit)

By Aisling Hearne

Tuesday 26 June 2018

We all know the feeling of closing one chapter in life and opening a new one. Some people sail through this transition seamlessly and for others it is an unsettling period. I belong in the latter of the two. I seek a sense of closure, a moment of reflection and a chance to recap on […]

Aistear Exit interview Gratitude Impact Prexit scéalta Scéalta Blog Síolta Thank you transitions

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Development Play Transitions

A Hop, Skip and a Jump to School!

By Dr. Suzanne Egan and Dr. Jennifer Pope

Tuesday 19 June 2018

As we come towards the end of the preschool year, parents may now be focused on the summer holidays and making the transition to primary school. Parents may be asking you what they should be doing over the summer to prepare their children for school. Based on our research, our advice is to encourage them […]

Aistear blog Games Health outdoor play play Primary School Running Scéalta Blog Síolta Sport transitions

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Learning

Who’s for a Photo?

By Michelle Quinlan and Therese Roche

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Have you as an Early Years Educator ever been in the situation in your setting, where you want to take a photograph of an individual child or a group of children and suddenly realise that one or other of the children’s parents have not given consent for the child’s photo to be taken? What do […]

Aistear blog Consent GDPR General Data Protection Regulation Photographs Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Dining Learning Transitions

Snack time at anytime

By Sinead Early O Brien

Tuesday 05 June 2018

Snack time was an area of practice I struggled with but wasn’t brave enough to change until I was inspired by Dr. Mary O’Kane, on the Level 8 BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning, to reflect and acknowledge daily transitions in our service. In doing so I realised that we, the adults, were deciding […]

Decision Making Decisions play respect Scéalta Blog Snack Time Snacks transitions

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Development Learning

Síolta – Our Journey

By Sharon Skehill

Tuesday 29 May 2018

While our sector is inundated with paperwork, inspections and training opportunities in recent years, one might question why one would take on more work with the Síolta Quality Assurance Programme. Our full day care facility has just celebrated ten years of service and while we began the Síolta QAP process confident of our practice, our […]

Aistear Scéalta Blog Síolta Síolta QAP Síolta Quality Assurance programme

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Development Learning Play

The Awards!

By Mag Coogan

Tuesday 22 May 2018

In April, Mag Coogan, Owner of the ABC Club in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, was the overall winner of the first ever Early Childhood Ireland Educator of the Year Award. Here’s what happened in the preschool the week after the Awards Ceremony! Returning to The ABC Club on the Monday after winning the Educator of the […]

Awards Celebrations Ceremony Educator of the Year Award National Awards 2018 Party Scéalta Blog

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Play

Making it Count

Tuesday 15 May 2018

At Totally Kids we like to play outside. Actually, we love to play outside. In fact, we are almost always found playing outside! But it has not always been this way. We are an ECCE service based in St. Joseph’s School in Tipperary town. Our story began eight years ago, and back then our routine […]

Aistear Mud kitchens outdoor play play Síolta Weather

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Development Learning Relationship Building

‘I feel complete now’

By Breda Joyce

Wednesday 09 May 2018

In May 2008 my husband and I adopted a 6-month old baby girl from Vietnam. She has brought us nothing but joy and happiness since then. Kayla has always had a keen interest in her birth country, and we have marked her cultural celebrations such as Tet (Vietnamese New Year) every year. Her birthday is […]

Adoption Aistear Belonging Identity Síolta Vietnam

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Development Learning Research

Children doing it for themselves!

Tuesday 01 May 2018

One day, a few months ago, I was walking along a beach. Two little boys ran past me. They were maybe 6 and 4 years old. They came to some rocks and the older boy held out his hand to his little brother or friend. The older one wanted to help the other negotiate the […]

Aistear Capable Competent Confident Feeding Independence Síolta

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Learning Research

Inspiring Practice in Pen Green

By Valerie Gaynor

Tuesday 24 April 2018

The staff of Creative Kids and Co. from Dublin, were very lucky to spend the February mid term break on a visit to the Pen Green Centre for Under 5’s and their families. The visit was planned to inspire practice, and to get new ideas for our spaces. Pen Green is located in Corby which […]

Aistear education Inspirational outdoor space Pen green play Quality Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Art Development Learning

Same Thing, in a Different Way

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 17 April 2018

‘Let’s make playdough’ is a popular sentence with many children. The simplicity of the flour, oil, water and colouring continues to amaze children each time it is made. Each time I engage in making playdough with a child or a group of children, the process appears wonderous, this is evident through their curiosity as they […]

Aistear blog Playdough Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Learning

‘Tuning in’ with Learning Stories

Tuesday 10 April 2018

As the final countdown commences to Early Childhood Ireland’s Awards night, the amazing stories from our sector continue to blow us away day by day. The hard work and dedication of the educators, who wholeheartedly devote their energies into providing the best care and education for the children in their setting, is oozing from each […]

Aistear blog documentation Learning Stories Learning Stories Award National Awards 2018 Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Learning

What Next?

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 03 April 2018

I don’t think I will ever forget the day I graduated from DIT with my certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education. After 2 years I had achieved a third level education and was ready to start my career working with children. This was also the day that I insisted on having every possible graduation […]

Certificate Early Childhood Care and Education education Graduate MA

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Inspired to Document

By Orlagh Doyle

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Modern day practice in early years education brings with it necessary documentation and our learning stories are simply an extension of this, however taking part in the learning story awards brings the added benefit of making our experiences meaningful and insightful for families and the wider community. We take great pride in the opportunities we […]

Aistear Awards 2018 community Educator of the Year Award Inspired Practice Award Learning Story Awards Síolta Well-Being

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Development Learning Play

Singing your praises

By Carol Duffy

Tuesday 20 March 2018

In my corner of the office it’s not unusual to hear me yelp with excitement, laugh out loud, or have tears streaming down my face (sometimes all at once). Often, I am stunned into silent reflection, affected and humbled by the capacity and humanity of you, the early years professionals, who share your stories of […]

Aistear Awards 2018 Inspirational Inspired Practice Award outdoor play Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Development Learning Relationship Building

National Holiday!

Tuesday 13 March 2018

It’s March and so our thoughts turn to celebrating our National Holiday…St Patrick’s Day. Harps and Shamrocks abound and everything appears though a greenish haze. Leprechauns and shillelaghs are produced and we all feel proud to be Irish. Indeed, the whole world seems to claim Irishness, with rivers dyed green and buildings bathed in green […]

Aistear Celebrations Culture Irish Leprechauns National Holiday Síolta Snakes St. Patrick's Day

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Childcare – A Bad Job?

By Deborah Reynolds

Tuesday 06 March 2018

The phrase ‘I love my job’ is one you’ll often hear from Childcare Practitioners. It’s a feeling I share, I find my job very rewarding. It’s a privilege to be trusted with the care and education of Children under 5. I take my job seriously, I’m a professional, I’ve earned an education and my years […]

Aistear Childcare Childcare Barometer 2018 Professionalisation Síolta Trade Unions

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Development Learning Relationship Building

Spotlight on Biting

By Ricka Walser and Josephine Thompson

Tuesday 27 February 2018

From an adult perspective, biting is an anti-social behaviour. It is grossly inappropriate to negotiate a situation or express your frustrations, sensory overload or teethache woes by biting your peers. With a child who has only a few years of life experience, the behaviour of biting shouldn’t be seen through an adult lens. As adults […]

Aistear Behaviour Biting ECCE emotions Frustrations Scéalta Blog Síolta

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Art Development Learning

Sustainable Gumboots!

Tuesday 20 February 2018

Trying to be sustainable is like being on an adventure of discovery…. you never know what treasures or ideas you’re going to come up with or uncover, while also discovering your own inner creative spirit. When we started on this adventure back in 2016 we wanted to develop our new preschool around the ethos of […]

Aistear Awards 2018 Creativity Recycling Síolta Sustainability Sustainable Upcycling

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Development Learning Research

Time to Shine!

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 13 February 2018

Did you read this Blog post last year? Thank you for the stories Rachel! Or, were you in the audience on that wonderful day last September when people like Maxine O’Donoghue, Nickola Cullen, Anne Macken and Alicia Cormican moved the audience to tears with their beautiful stories of child centred practice and showed what committed educators […]

Awards Educator Award - Leader in Practice Educator of the Year Award Educators Scéalta Blog Wesco

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Art Development Learning Play Relationship Building

Feel the Love

By Evelyn Egan

Tuesday 06 February 2018

As we emerge from the dark dreary days of January, Valentine’s Day heralds the coming of Spring and love is definitely in the air. No sooner did we ‘ring out the old, ring in the new’, than shop windows were adorned with red and pink love hearts, helium balloons, imitation roses, designer chocolates and Hallmark […]

Aistear CIT Cork Institute of Technology Fabric Love Scéalta Blog Síolta Valentine's Day

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Learning Play Research

Finding Out & Sharing