Archives: Scéalta Blog

Scéalta is 1 year old!

Máire Corbett and Kathleen Tuite in conversation about Scéalta, a year in the life……. Communication with members is important to us in Early Childhood Ireland. Drawing on the expertise and good practice we see in settings every day and finding a way of sharing that with other members is something we felt should be happening

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Studying enquiring minds – the challenges of early childhood practice research

If we put the researching child at the centre of our own research we do not have to spend weeks or months thinking up the best research question, the kinds of questions we should be asking, what to observe, what to note down, what to analyse. Take any given day in the baby, wobbler or preschool rooms and there is a plethora of questions and lines of enquiry right there!

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Thank you for the stories Rachel

I’m reminded of the power of telling everyday anecdotes and stories – the small little incidents that happen throughout the day. They give parents an insight into the everyday and at the same time into their children’s growing relationships and abilities.

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Early Years Educators ‘Your Well-being Matters’ too!

As summer approaches, consider the advice they give on the plane before take-off…’In an emergency, put your own life-jacket and mask on first before you attend to your children’. In our day to day work we are usually told to start with the child and be child-centred but when it comes to our health and

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“Well done you!”: A Parent’s Tribute

A parent’s tribute to her son’s early childhood teacher

Do I have his bag packed, are there nappies in the bag? What about a box of raisins for the journey? How will I carry the coffee back to the table whilst pushing the buggy and holding his toast at the same time? Oh, but how I need that coffee. Wait hang on a second- how much sugar is in that jam he is eating? Which is usually followed by…. ‘I must pick up toothpaste’ (fluoride free obviously).

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Playing with Roles

The complexity of children’s play continues to leave me with many questions. Recently, I was visiting my friend, and her curious 2-year-old who has begun to show an interest in doctors and patients. On this day, she ran excitedly across the sitting room, and suddenly, progressed into a slow walk with both hands on her

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Children’s Rights in Small Places

Valuing the ECEC professional – Children’s Rights in Small Places Many ECEC practitioners working in early childhood settings in Ireland will have some awareness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the Government of Ireland in 1992.   If you were to hold a full copy of the UNCRC in

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Wings to the Imagination

Plato is said to have believed ‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’ I love this quote and I believe that music is a powerful, enjoyable and fun way for children to experience movement, listening, playing and sounds. But, probably like many of

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Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

As I scanned the garden I was struck by the “state” of the place. I pondered how earlier in my life I might have been perturbed about what I was looking at. A natural space not as nature may have intended, but as what it can become when it is a loved place of play.

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Listening to Children: Children’s Perspectives on Quality

Whilst researching the topic “Quality in ECEC” as part of my Degree in Early Years Studies, it became apparent that there were a lot of opinions (from adults!) on what quality in an early years setting looked like. However, I was interested in what the preschool child’s perspective was on quality in an early years’

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