I Belong Here

This is how one Swedish  Pre-School in Stockholm ( committed to Reggio Emilia and NVC) supports childrens unique identity and fosters a sense of belonging to the community. http://www.angbybarnensforskolor.se/
It is one of five preschools who have been awarded recognition for their outstanding practice a number of times.

We enter a room where they have painted the whole of the floor with a map of their neighbourhood, it has the roads clearly marked.  The children have made models of their own houses.They have been working on this project for many months.

The teacher tells me that it all started with a series of outings. The whole class visited each others houses and they took photographs of each of them:photographs of them all outside each of their homes..
When they returned to the pres-school, they decided to paint the floor with a map and the project evolved ..they made their houses and their interest and imaginations grew......they added furniture, people, gardens, animals etc "they play in this room regularly, still adding to their creations" the teacher told me..

They were also, each given an opportunity of take home a camera for a day and they took photographs of what ever they wanted to, at home and in the surrounding areas. This led to more sharing..the emergence of stories, poetry, paintings, drawings and they making books about their lives. One evening,, their  parents came to the nursery too see their work and they made some clay models of themselves which are in the display cabinet here:

The nursery documented this project from its start and they put together an exhibition for the local community at a centre close to the nursery. Photographs of this work was displayed for a number of weeks for all to see.

And these things happen naturally, without any effort at all....:)

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2012
Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five

"People and communities - Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other children don’t always enjoy the same things, and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions. "

"The world- Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes. "

"Assessment should not entail prolonged breaks from interaction with children, nor require excessive paperwork. Paperwork should be limited to that which is absolutely necessary to promote children’s successful learning and development. Parents and/or carers should be kept up-to-date with their child’s progress and development"

If you would like to know more and maybe even join me on a trip to Sweden sometime or speak to me about a workshop at your nursery, please correspond with me directly via email or one of the links below.

http://www.facebook.com/LeadinginEducationandFamilies

http://twitter.com/#!/tracyseed

http://www.tracyseedassociates.co.uk/