Don't miss the 2007 Manchester Early Years and Primary Teaching Exhibition which takes place on the 27-28 April at the G-Mex centre. The event will feature a packed seminar programme from childcare and teaching experts and 160 exhibitors will be showing the latest in products, programmes and ideas to help you in your setting.
Lesley Staggs, former national director of the Foundation Stage, will open the conference with the keynote address, 'The Early Years Foundation Stage: A Missed Opportunity?' (Friday 27 April, 9.30am). Lesley will discuss whether the Early Years Foundation Stage will lead to high-quality provision for young children or whether financial constraints and policy tensions could get in the way.
Seminars
Alice Sharp of Experiential Play will be leading the seminar 'The Power of Words' (Friday 27 April, 1.15pm). Alice says, 'Children's lives today are completely different from previous generations and we need a different approach to language learning.' In the seminar she will present a wide range of practical ideas to help delegates enrich their language and literacy opportunities.
'Languages do not need to be taught in a mundane way,' says Alice. 'We need to recognise that we must switch children on to loving language; it's the basis of all learning.'
Alice will also be leading the seminar 'Experiential Learning - The only way to practise!' (Saturday 28 April, 10.15am). Delegates can learn all about this approach to learning, looking at how children absorb information, the development of a child's brain, how to develop a multi-sensory environment and how core activities in children's centres can be adapted to include multi-sensory experiences and work with the five pathways into the brain.
'We can all read what the Every Child Matters guidelines say, but relating that to everyday practice can be tricky,' says Laura Henry, childcare consultant and writer of the Nursery World Policies and Procedures series.
Laura will discuss 'How Does Every Child Matter in Your Setting?' (Friday 27 April, 11.45am).
Laura aims to clarify what Every Child Matters means in practice and the main principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She will also run through documentation regarding policies and procedures to help delegates think about how adequate their own setting is in this area.
Free sessions
The Manchester exhibition will also include free sessions for delegates demonstrating the newest software to help learning in the early years.
'Literacy and ICT Made Simple' (Friday 27 April, 11.45am) will feature 2Simple Software, and show how children from Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 2 can be engaged in writing with simple programmes such as 2Create a Story and 2Connect.
'Teaching Maths through Song' is another free session (Friday 27 April, 2.45pm) which aims to demonstrate to delegates how learning numbers can be fun. Dave Godfrey, an experienced teacher, author, songwriter and trainer, will present an interactive session full of catchy and engaging maths songs and the background theory behind them.
More advice for maths teaching can be found in 'A World Full of Numbers'
(Saturday 28 April, 2.45pm). Alice Sharp will show how to take the fear out of learning maths for children, and delegates will find a host of ideas on bringing the world of numbers, measuring, shape and problem-solving to life.
Other seminar themes include child behaviour, such as 'Dealing with Difficult, Demanding and Defiant Learners' (Friday 27 April, 10.15am) and 'Get Out of My Face and It's Not Fair: Anger management for boys and girls'
(Friday 27 April, 2.45pm). Delegates can also find plenty of inspiration for outdoor learning in 'Birth to Three: Outdoor matters' (Friday 27 April, 11.45am) and 'Every Child Matters: Looking at the five outcomes outdoors'
(Friday 27 April, 2.45pm). ICT ideas can be found at 'Digital Film Making - Inspiring all learners' (Saturday 28 April, 10.15am) and 'Inspiring Creative Teaching' (Saturday 28 April, 1.15pm).
Win a display
Our many exhibitors, as well as displaying all the latest teaching resources and products, will be giving away fantastic prizes and gifts at this month's show.
Hand Made Places, the award-winning creators of timber play equipment and landscape architecture, will be at stand W18 giving away a massive Pounds 10,000 of playground equipment to a lucky nursery or school. All the products exhibited at the Hand Made Places stand will be up for a prize draw for which delegates will be automatically entered by booking a seminar place before 17 April.
On display will be the Hand Made's popular Storyteller's Chair, an ideal centrepiece for a story circle. Nature plays a key role in many of Hand Made's products and also on show will be a selection of tables and seats engraved to reflect the shapes of popular British trees such as maple, sycamore and oak. Or if it's musical inspiration you are seeking, have a look at the Tiger Glockenspiel and the Turtle Drum, both permanent outdoor musical instruments that are designed to withstand the worst of British weather and use by many little hands.
Those looking for new resources for teaching mathematics should head to the Active Designs stand at X5. New products on display will include the Animal Rhymes Bag, which aims to make learning numbers a truly interactive experience for children. The bag includes four animal counting rhymes and 21 Velcro-backed animal pieces designed for hands-on fun in the three- to five-year-old age range.
At stand W13, popular furniture craftsmen Community Playthings will be exhibiting their new Help Yourself Trolley, a handy unit complete with four storage compartments and 29 containers, available with woven baskets or coloured totes.
Don't leave without visiting the Nursery World stand W1, where you can take advantage of discount subscription offers, buy books or give us feedback on anything related to the magazine. See you there! NW Register for your free entry badge and book seminar places now on www.teachingexhibitions.co.uk or call 01923 690 646
