Nursery Equipment: Editor's view
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Early Years Foundation Stage was intended to represent continuity in early years practice, sharing, as it does, the same principles as its predecessors, the Foundation Stage and Birth to Three Matters framework.
Yet the launch of the new framework has required many early years settings to reflect on their practice, move towards more child-centred learning and get to grips with a whole new set of terms, notably 'Enabling Environments'.
In this edition of Nursery Equipment, key early years professionals and consultants explain why the environment is so important to children's well-being and learning and offer advice on how to plan, organise and support different areas of the nursery, as intended under the new framework.
Just as high-quality adult support is an essential part of provision, so too are good resources, so we've suggested some best buys, listed leading suppliers and provided helpful checklists for essential resources in different areas of the nursery.
For some settings, creating 'Enabling Environments' will mean moving away from project-driven provision, but it will be a transition worth making. Giving the individual child more control over their learning spurs on their curiosity and enthusiasm - and lets both child and practitioner go with the flow of learning (see pages 4-6).
