Little Bloom Musings

26/04/2022

This gets the parenting emotions all stirred up!

05/12/2021

👇👏

DON’T CALL US CHILDCARE! 😠

It’s time for a rant. It’s not something we usually do but it’s too important.

Full disclosure: Before I rant, I must admit my hypocrisy. I was an educational snob. I started my career as a secondary school teacher, teaching the ‘important’ subjects. I naïvely assumed that the teaching of GCSE/A-levels was the pinnacle of education. I moved on to studying a doctorate in Education and leading teacher training. I presumed that the 0-5 range, well… let’s just be brutally honest; that it doesn’t exactly require any real skill or depth of knowledge. I wrongly believed that childcare was just that – wiping snotty noses and playing all day. How hard could it be? It’s not exactly brain science. Except it is. And I was wrong. Oh, so catastrophically wrong. I was completely ignorant of the significance of early education and the academic skills required. I had no idea about its pedagogical complexities or its interdisciplinarity.

Neuroscience tells us that the first five years of life are most important. By the time a child is 3, 80% of their brain’s neural connections are already developed. Infant psychologists have produced decades of research to show that the environment of a child’s earliest years can have effects that last a lifetime. International edu-guru Dylan Wiliam states that the causes of achievement gaps among secondary school pupils originate in early childhood and are already present when children begin primary school.

This is why at LWT, everything SINGLE thing that we do is based upon a solid foundation of educational and scientific research, in which we offer world class excellence using evidence-informed approaches. The science of early childhood development is crystal clear. The formative years - birth to five - are fundamental to the complex development of the brain and are the foundation for cognitively capable individuals and a prosperous and sustainable society.

So don’t call us childcare. We are highly qualified early childhood educators and teachers. Don’t underestimate the importance of the early years, which is without any doubt, the most important stage in a child’s life.

26/10/2021

Play based learning...the best way to learn! 😍

Fascinating!!👇

Learn more here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201911/kindergarten-teachers-speak-out-children-s-happiness

We are excited to have Peter Gray as one of our keynote speakers at our TimberNook Conference this year! ❤🙌

18/09/2021

😍

04/07/2021

Measuring up
Magda Ge**er once asked us to consider how it must affect children when what they cannot do is expected, and what they can do is not appreciated. I wonder if this helps seed the self talk "I don't measure up".

While Nathan's message in the post probably won't surprise anyone reading this page, it is worth repeating it, over and over and over again. If repetition works for advertisers getting their message across, let's say it over and over and get the message out there more widely for the sake of our kids.

23/03/2021

💚🌻🌿

Yes. 💛

Via Wilder Child

27/10/2020

I love this! Sums it up beautifully 😁

The Stick Crew : : weapon play, gun play, violent play, stick play. Power play.

Sticks are all things to children. Sticks are guns, slingshots, swords, wands. Sticks also make fire, test depth, dig holes and move low lying branches out of the way.

Sticks as guns are the same as having the crown; or being the mum; or holding the wand. It's not about violence, but about power. Leadership. Control. The stick is a symbol of this power. The mum is a symbol of this leadership. The crown is a symbol of this control.

There is value in this kind of play for children, or they wouldn't do it. Play is making sense of their world. Feeling the feels. Negotiating the challenges. Developing the relationships. Assessing the risks. Growing the love. Sticks and crowns and swords and wands can help. Pick one up today. Join The Stick Crew.

27/10/2020

A great reminder. It can be so hard to stop and consider this when you are co-regulating with your child/children/class all day and feeling the pull of emotional exhaustion. But little nudges from explanations like this help us regulate as well, and simply remind us to cut our children and ourselves some slack.

Too often, I see children reprimanded when they're not able to control their behaviours and emotions. They’re expected to remain calm and happy, not get upset, not display anger, and quickly calm themselves down if they do get angry or upset. If they can’t do this, they may be referred to me for "self-regulation difficulties". ⠀
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Here's the thing. Self-regulation is a developmental process. Just as we wouldn’t expect a child to run before they can walk, we cannot expect children to self-regulate until they’ve experienced co-regulation time and time again. And unless a child has had it modelled enough, and their brain has developed enough, they will not achieve regulation on their own.⠀
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Have a think - when was the last time you heard a 3 year old say “I’m so angry my sister hit me! I need to calm down. I’m just going to take myself to the kitchen for a drink of water and do some deep breaths”.⠀
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Co-regulation begins from birth. When babies are unsettled and we cuddle them, rock them, feed them - we are helping them to regulate.⠀
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When toddlers are angry that they can't have the toy they want, and we empathise with them, sit with them, get them a drink - we are helping them to regulate.⠀
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When preschoolers are upset because they're not ready to leave their playdate, and we listen and help them take deep breaths - we are helping them to regulate. ⠀
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Self-regulation only BEGINS to emerge around 4-5 years. And whilst some 4-5 year olds may be able to regulate themselves, others may not be able to. Both are within the typical range of development. ⠀
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True self-regulation is not fully established until our mid-twenties. Even then, we often turn to others to help us feel better when we are feeling low. And we are often quite happy to help other adults feel better when they're feeling low, however when children need our help, we may be reluctant to give it, perhaps in fear that we will stunt their emotional resilience (amongst many other understandable but unfounded fears).⠀
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When we ask a child to regulate themselves before they're ready, we risk shaming them, affecting their self-esteem, and affecting their relationship with us. Co-regulation needs to come first.

You may not be able to help your child regulate 100% of the time, and that’s okay. Just know that they may not be ready to do it themselves.

26/10/2020

😁🍃🌿🍀🌱🌺🌳

Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest's undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child's immune system, according to a small new experiment.