'Don't throw away all your resources and hope your class will be inspired by fir cones and sticks'

Dear reader

This term I have had the absolute pleasure of teaching the Reception class at my school at the time when a new headteacher has been in post along with a new ‘ early years specialist’ deputy, who just so happens to have come from the same school. What a coincidence!

Great! What a pleasure to work with someone who truly understands about young children’s development. This is going to be good.

Or maybe not!

Define early years specialist and I don’t believe it says – cover everything in hessian and fake plants, only write in white Posca pens on chalk boards and the children will thrive.

Er no! I may have only be doing this job for 20 years but I believe while the environment is key as the third teacher, that doesn’t mean throw away all your resources and hope your class will be inspired by fir cones and sticks.

It’s true – natural resources have a lovely sensory element, are open- ended, and can inspire some fantastic representational work and creativity. In addition they give the nursery or Reception class a homely feel which will help them to feel relaxed and at home (assuming that they also live in a tranquil oasis of beige which from experience I can tell you they do not).

I also absolutely agree that providing an overstimulating environment can be difficult for some children to process – starting with that strip lighting that, incidentally, is still there.

It’s also true that plastic resources are not necessarily so open-ended, although three-year-olds do love a Peppa Pig.

So, goodbye fade resist red backing paper and fluorescent border – I never really liked you anyway and hello natural colours on sacking material which enhance children’s work and reduce the need for removing staples (an added bonus).

However I really do have to draw the line with only purchasing neutral colours for painting. Let’s hope no child wants to paint a ladybird, or Santa seeing as red is now one of the banned colours.

It is not okay to say that we are going with a Reggio Emilia approach and therefore we are only going with natural materials.

I too, have dipped into Reggio’s toolbox and my understanding is that colour is allowed. In fact creativity is key as a means of communication. The very essence of Reggio is about children being able to communicate their ideas and having the resources to do so which includes natural and real objects. Staff are there to harness and extend children’s interests and get involved in children’s play, making the most of their interests and fascinations and letting the children lead the curriculum while carefully sprinkling in that bit of knowledge that will help them towards the Early Learning Goals.

It is truly sad when the only plastic allowed is in the form of fake plants. What a learning opportunity missed.

My new deputy believes that learning outcomes should be clear so in the creative area it should be clear what the children are going to create and how. Sorry – what! My understanding of creative development is that children should be free to create (the clue is in the name) in whatever way they choose with whatever materials they choose with perhaps some guidance in the form of ‘How will you join this together?’ or ‘What else could you use for?’ We may model techniques but the creativity really comes from how they take this further. In the area of creative development we are facilitators and providers of rich resources, not directors.

My understanding of creative development is not ‘You need this to make this in exactly this way’.

And let’s all just admit that the three- and four-year-old minds are truly brilliant and never cease to amaze us with their creative potential. Why spoil it by telling them what and how to create.

What a shame to miss out on all those times when a child presents you with their creation and explains what each bit is for and how to use it. All those times when you were tempted to write your own name on something that is nothing short of fabulous. Never again to sit back and think – just WOW- at their genius.

However – there is a bonus – my own creativity is being developed no end as I think of ways to sneak the open-ended – some plastic – resources back in to the classroom for my children to enjoy.