.
If you would like a boost of inspiration and nourishment for the soul
from a book which asserts that children’s learning must come from their
interests and that it is our jobs to facilitate this - then I wholeheartedly
recommend this book!
The book sets out to help improve children’s opportunities to experience
the world at first hand. Children are referred to as active learners. A
motivating foreword from Tim Smit, chief executive of the Eden Project,
introduces the mantra of ‘observation’ and states that observation is ‘both
the foundation of all good science and also the basis for learning from your
experience.’
The introduction also sets out the theoretical underpinning for the book
and acts as a reminder of those who have gone before, both here and in other
countries, such as the early years educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
These theories are related to the Curriculum Guidance for the
Foundation Stage, which recommends that children should be offered
experiences ‘mostly based on real life situations’. Within the book, first
hand experiences are described as ‘handling and using authentic things,
going to places and meeting people, and being out and about.’
The book is laid out in an alphabetic format. Starting from each given
letter are lists, statements and thought provoking quotes relating to ’what
matters to children, questions worth asking, big ideas, books and stories,
things to do and investigate'.
The book suggests so many fabulous starting points - r for rain, w
for windows, n for nothing, and y for yesterday. My favourite –
b
for bags – includes suggestions, such as precious bags (a doctor’s bag, a
princess’s bag, money bags, a wallet) visits to a Royal Mail sorting office,
a sleeping bag factory, a handbag shop – and key questions such as: ‘What
makes a bag a bag?’ ‘What would a witch’s bag look like?’
The section includes great ‘making ideas’, such as making a sleeping bag
for teddy, or making a bag for an umbrella.
The book creates excitement through being innovative and unusual. It does
not have lesson plans (hooray!) and there is not a learning objective in
sight.
It does have learning stories, which are accounts of how educators have
helped children to learn from a first hand experience. Each starting point
gives such a wealth of ideas across every area of the curriculum. Treat your
early years team with this book!
Conference at Eden
