Grow safely this Spring There’s no doubt that many Australian services have a long tradition of gardening and natural surroundings for young children. Equally, there’s no doubt that through the 1990s and Noughties there was an explosion of ‘plastic fantastic’ outdoor areas for early childhood education, driven in part by a community-wide fear of insurance […]
Annie O’Sullivan returns to Amplify with a wonderful (and wonder-full) contemplation on intentional teaching, play-based learning, mathematics, sciences, and puddles. Not sure how all of that comes together? Read on! Annie’s story covers theory and practice around connections with children and makes use of the puddles that naturally occur in many children’s services and schools […]
Annie O’Sullivan is an early childhood educator and mentor of 30 years experience who now shares her knowledge, with a colleague, as the Early Years Education Specialists. Annie lectures part time at Wollongong University and recently graduated from Macquarie University with a Master of Early Childhood. In today’s story, Annie celebrates her experience of embracing risky […]
Beth Sebesfi is an early childhood teacher and mother of three daughters aged 5, 3 and not-yet-1. From time to time she shares with us the professional insights arising from her personal experiences with children at work and home. Today’s story is a reflection on the impact of seeing children through a lens of ‘cuteness’. […]
We introduced you to Linda’s family day care (FDC) and some ideas on risky play with an Amplify article featuring her ‘River Kindy’. If you missed it, catch up here. Last week we began a new piece from Linda, sharing the thought processes and experiences that led to her adoption of such a strong nature play […]
We introduced you to Linda’s family day care (FDC) and some ideas on risky play with an Amplify article featuring her ‘River Kindy’. If you missed it, catch up here, and if you’re one of the people who then asked to find out more about risky and natural play, you’re in for a treat today. […]
We open Beth Sebesfi’s story about screens today with a reminder of the recently updated World Health Organisation guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, for children up to five years old. Keep reading the article for Beth’s take on the reality of screen time in the lives of the young families educators’ are […]
Mother’s Day is only a fortnight away and many educators are reflecting on how – or if – they should help children celebrate the occasion. Instead of craft templates, today we’re introducing you to Beth Sebesfi, an early childhood teacher and writer who also happens to be the ever-learning mother of three girls now aged […]
With vacation care underway in many parts of Australia, and OSHC the centre of some big spending commitments at the recent NSW election, it’s timely to take a look at what’s on offer and how it might play out for educators and school communities. Amplify editor Bec Lloyd speaks to CELA CEO Michele Carnegie in […]
Gaby Flavin is an early childhood teacher and an animal advocate. With Easter around the corner she penned a set of articles around one of the most commonly considered ECE ‘pets’ – rabbits. Beware, it’s a cautionary tale based on Gaby’s 15 year love affair with fluffy bunnies, her even longer experience working in early […]
