Fifty Things to Do Before You’re Five
The Fifty Things to Do initiative offers a menu of fun, affordable ideas for play and learning with your 0-4 year old in Fife, and other areas. Get daily inspiration from these simple and engaging activities that preschoolers love! Many of these activity ideas can be tried out in an [...]
An evidence-based approach to supporting children in the preschool years
This Child of the North report (Powell, Lauren; Spencer, Sarah; Clegg, Judy (eds)) published 2024 is available on the internet. The report looks at UK pre-school education support for children. It applies seven principles: putting children first; addressing inequity; adopting place-based approaches; working together effectively across public services; putting education [...]
Early Years Literacy and Maths activities outdoors
The Dumfries and Galloway OWL group have recently published two new resources: Taking Literacy Outdoors with Your Child and Taking Maths Outdoors with your Child. In these resources, activities and ideas have been brought together for early years settings, parents and carers of children to inspire and help develop literacy and maths skills [...]
The Early Years Outdoors
School Outdoor Learning share this useful blog post full of ideas and encouragement for Early Years outdoor learning at nursery or school.
The relationship between residential greenspace and childhood bone health
Greenspace Scotland’s April bulletin has included this item in its research round up: Early-life exposure to residential greenspace associated with increased childhood bone health, Belgium
Keeping children safe – including outdoors and on outings
The Care Inspectorate have described how practitioners have been exploring ways of incorporating SIMOA the elephant into their learning about safety. They have published a bitesize session to be used alongside our SIMOA keeping children safe practice notes. You can watch this bitesize here.
Slow Pedagogy: How to be ‘slow’ outdoors
Alison Clark explores ‘slow pedagogy’ in this Nursery World article (24 October 2024). What does this looks like for children and practitioners when taken outdoors?
Playgroups are struggling to survive – here’s why we need them
This article in The Conversation (12 October 2023) shares research on the value of playgroups, and the links to families and communities. It also references the move by some to outdoor practice, like the Scottish Buggy Club, and national policy initiatives for families and communities.