Scéalta – The Early Childhood Ireland Blog
Scéalta – The Early Childhood Ireland Blog
View our recent Scéalta blogs
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’
Reflections on Degree Level Training
People often ask why somebody would need a degree to work with young children. The assumption being, that little training is needed to ‘mind’ a child. Thankfully, there has been a shift with regards to the importance of early childhood education and care worldwide, and the complexity of working with young children is increasingly in
Wonderful Loose Parts
In the run- up to Easter I was in a preschool setting. The educator had brought in some polystyrene eggs for the children to paint for Easter. She had them on a counter top ready to introduce them when the time was right. One little boy saw them an immediately appropriated them! You see, he
Reading to Superheroes!
As a working Mam, I cherish story time with my son. It is our time. Every night a new adventure. Each story a new place we get to visit together. It is truly my favourite part of the day. Our bedtime routine usually begins with 10 minutes of an intense selection process. If my son
What’s in a name?
Every day we use children’s names without realising. Mark Twain (1835-1910) reminds us names are not always what they seem. The Welsh name Bzjxxllwcp is pronounced Jackson. However, what is in a name? Does it matter if we say a child’s name wrong, shorten it or don’t use it at all? Irelands population is growing,
The Arts as a curiosity
The Arts are a curiosity and children learn through the Arts. Children have a spontaneous desire to move, experiment and explore. I envy how their imagination allows them to create magical imagery and outrageous ideas, which make perfect sense. Pablo Picasso spent most of his adult life trying to recapture the creative spontaneity he had as a child. Like many artists, he experimented with drawing, paint, light, found objects and other materials as a form of self-expression. Young children learn in a similar way and it is our role as adults to provide them with the materials, environment and time to do so.
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