Sarah Riddell returns to Amplify this week to share her understanding of the causes, signs and support actions for children who have experienced some form of trauma. As Sarah says, the first thing to accept is that this is a complex area, but her guide and suggestions will simplify your professional role and this article […]
Preschool Graduation Last week, Danielle Bopping shared part one of this two-part reflection + advice article about the practice of early learning graduation ceremonies. In the first part, Danielle set the context for graduations through the ages and the dressing up – for adults and children – that accompanies them. That article looked at the […]
‘Tis the season to graduate preschool, or move ‘up’ a room… Danielle Bopping is one of Amplify’s original contributors and we’re always glad when she has time to put fingers to keyboard and share her thoughts. This is part one of a two-part reflection + advice article about the practice of early learning graduations. Are […]
Creative craft activity or craptivity? Another season, another round of educators vigorously sharing ‘so cute’ handprint craft activities in online professional groups, with an equally vigorous howling down from those opposing the practice as adult-directed and anti-children’s agency. It seems like a simple enough argument but the complications include this kicker frequently used by defenders of […]
Nobody else but the rosebush knows How nice mud feels Between the toes. From the short poem Mud, by Polly Chase Boyden Mud, mud, glorious mud, goes the old music hall song*, and mud play in mud kitchens has become a standard feature of many early childhood services. ACECQA’s document for the Early Years Learning […]
Positive psychology, values education, character strengths: these terms are increasingly common in both schools and workplaces, but not yet mainstream in early learning settings. Victorian educator Lisa Baker talks about her research into character strengths and values in a Victorian early years service attached to a school. The program is, she says, boosting children’s wellbeing […]
Do as I say, not as I do, is an old adage. Has it outlived its time in a children’s learning setting? How much should children be expected to share their toys, for example, when adults prize ownership and privacy above many other values in our community? By CELA writer Margaret Paton One of your […]
A new writer for Amplify, Ruth Harper, this week shares her view about the growing number of services with closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) to monitor activity inside the service during the day, not just for security out of hours. Ruth, of East West Childcare and Kinder in Fitzroy, Victoria, tested out her views on […]
Most Australians wouldn’t look to American television as a leader in communication with children, but we might be missing something truly wonderful in the science and discipline the late Fred Rogers brought to his show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Amplify’s editor Bec Lloyd shares her appreciation of the writing craft behind the man, and finds some […]
With Infant Mental Health Awareness Week around the corner(11-17 June 2018), this article from Cindy Davenport is a timely reminder of the importance of having an infant mental approach to sleep and settling the children in your care. Under ACECQA’s NQF revisions, every service must have a policy on sleep for children, but not all […]
