We have so much advice and information for you this month – including an article on how sports can help children with anxiety; a really useful guide on how parents can build on their children’s schematic interests; and some practical and fun ideas for the children in your setting to help nature in winter. We also give some top tips on how you can get involved in International Volunteer Day on 5th December!
Issue 49
DECEMBER 2018
FREE
INDUSTRY
EXPERTS
Rainbow
emotional
regulation
Discussing
schemas with
parents
Empowering children
with a blueprint
for success
Write for us
for a chance to
WIN
£50
p 31
MEN WORKING IN EARLY
YEARS SETTINGS
HANUKKAH • INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY • ST NICHOLAS’ DAY
hello
Hello and welcome to the December edition of the Parenta magazine!
Christmas is almost upon us and this month we take a look at a variety of events that different countries
and cultures celebrate in December. We’ve got a wonderful story about the origins of St Nicholas’ Day
- how in many European countries, December 6th is celebrated as the feast day of Saint Nicholas, the
patron saint of children. We learn about the eight-day Jewish holiday, Hanukkah - the ‘festival of lights’;
and have some superb activities for the children in your setting to celebrate Tree Dressing Day!
Thank you to all those who send in their news stories to us; we really enjoy reading them and sharing them on our
website. This month, we feature two lovely heart-warming stories: to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I,
children and staff at Broussa Day Nursery and Nursery School in Hale welcomed grandparents and local community groups to
join them for a Remembrance afternoon, complete with wartime-themed decorations and Vera Lynn music. Our second featured
news story is slightly more hair-raising! Staff at Tops Day Nurseries in Wareham took part in a sponsored skydive to raise money
for one of the children in their care who has bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. You can read the full stories on pages 4 and 5.
We have so much advice and information for you this month – including an article on how sports can help children with anxiety;
a really useful guide on how parents can build on their children’s schematic interests; and some practical and fun ideas for
the children in your setting to help nature in winter. We also give some top tips on how you can get involved in International
Volunteer Day on 5th December!
Congratulations to Sensory Specialist, Joanna Grace, who has won our guest author competition for an impressive fourth month
in a row! Her “Wonders of a Sensory Story” article gives us a fascinating insight on how sensory stories are formed and how
each sentence is partnered with a rich and relevant sensory experience. We really appreciate all the articles that are sent into
us for publication. If you have written on a topic relevant to early years and would like to be in with a chance to win £50 in
shopping vouchers, turn to page 31 for details.
We really hope you enjoy reading December’s issue and wish you happy holidays!
Allan
SCHEMAS
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY
32
Tamsin Grimmer offers
advice on speaking to
parents about schemas
and provides practical
ideas for how parents
can support their
children’s development
DECEMBER 2018 ISSUE 49
IN THIS EDITION
REGULARS
18 Spotlight on... Danni Randall
22 What our customers say
28 The Adventures of Rocket Rabbit & Sidekick
Squirrel Part 5
31 Write for us for a chance to win £50
36 Christmas craft - Santa handprint
37 Parenta job board
NEWS
4 The sky is the limit for Cerys!
5 Broussa Day Nursery welcomes special guests
to Remembrance afternoon
6 Parenta Trust news
ADVICE
8 Saint Nicholas' Day
12 Hanukkah: Festival of lights
14 How sport helps children with anxiety
16 International Volunteer Day
20 Practical and fun ways to help nature in winter
24 Footsteps 2 EYFS Learning Journey Software
34 Branch out and celebrate Tree Dressing Day
38 Men working in early years settings
Hanukkah: Festival of lights 12
Branch out and celebrate Tree Dressing Day 34
Practical and fun ways to help nature in winter 20
SUCCESS
26
Stacey Kelly discusses
how to ensure our
actions and policies
support every unique
child to be programmed
with positive beliefs and
values
ANXIETY & SPORTS
Benjamin Holeman explores anxiety
disorder in early years and how it is
closely linked to physical activity
14
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
10 Rainbow emotional regulation
26 Empowering children with a blueprint for
success
32 Dear Sympathetic Sue - Discussing schemas
with parents!
Joanna Grace explores how to support children’s
emotional regulation by labelling the full spectrum
of their emotions
10
The sky is the limit for Cerys!
Colleagues at Tops Day Nurseries in Wareham took part in a sponsored skydive to raise money
for one of the children in their care.
Broussa Day Nursery welcomes special
guests to Remembrance afternoon
To mark 100 years since the end of World War I, children and staff at Broussa Day Nursery and
Nursery School in Hale welcomed grandparents and local community groups to join them for a
Remembrance afternoon.
Three-year-old Cerys Mann was born 10
weeks prematurely and spent the first 8
weeks of her life in a special-care baby
unit. In April 2017, Cerys was diagnosed
with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy,
which affects her legs and right arm.
This incredible little girl refused to let
her disability hold her back. Despite the
physical challenges she faces every day,
the pain caused by her spasticity and
not having the ability to walk unaided,
she always has a smile on her face and
has already reached many milestones.
Cerys’ parents have been continually
organising fundraising events, to fund
an operation called ‘selective dorsal
rhizotomy’ (SDR) which would improve
Cerys’ mobility and allow her to be
pain-free, with a target of £65,000.
Three practitioners from Cerys’ nursery
– Sara Nel, Kayleigh Budge and Lucy
Batterick – jumped from a plane in
order to raise money for Cerys’ charity –
Footsteps for Cerys.
The skydive took place at the Old Sarum
in Salisbury and raised a grand total of
£1,405.
Kayleigh, who has worked in the preschool
room at Tops Wareham said:
“I love helping children with charities
and helping to raise money for those
that need it. I have had the pleasure of
knowing Cerys and watching her grow
into a beautiful and strong young girl. I
will do all that I can to give her a better
life.”
Tops Day Nurseries advocates that
they are not a chain, but a family, in
which all parents, staff and children
are included. Other nurseries within
the Tops family in Dorset and Taunton
have held fundraising cake sales and
pyjama days. There has also been a
donation of £5,000 from the company
itself from its employee-focused trust,
The Hadland Group Employee Trust.
This charity was created specifically
to help those colleagues that need it
and donations to the charity are made
up of money from colleagues, with
the company matching any donations
received, plus more.
Every child should have the opportunity
to have an active childhood where they
can run, jump and play without painful
repercussions. The £5,000 donation
meant that Cerys can have the SDR
operation, without causing additional
stress to the family about any financial
implications.
Cerys’ mum, Laura Mann said: “The
girls at Wareham have all looked after
Cerys in one way or another. Cerys has
attended Tops Wareham since she was
11 months old. They helped our family
during the time of diagnosis and Cerys
adores them all. The girls are very
brave to do the skydive, especially the
ones that do not like heights!”
The nursery was beautifully decorated
with Union Jack bunting, vintage
posters and photos of the soldiers who
bravely fought during the war. Vera
Lynn music set the nostalgic scene
as guests entered the hallway, with
wartime-themed areas in each of the
rooms.
The nursery was joined by some of
the children’s grandparents, members
of the ‘Young at Heart’ group from
St. Peter’s Church in Hale, as well as
former Broussa Day Nursery owner,
Jillian Stopford.
During the morning, the children
enjoyed the themed role-play areas,
Get in
touch!
as well as making a range of poppy
crafts, including paper poppies and
thank-you cards for the special guests.
As part of the afternoon’s event, the
pre-school children laid a wreath and
their decorated ‘peace pebbles’ in
the garden, before reciting a poem.
Everyone who attended then took part
in a minute’s silence to remember those
who fought for our country.
Nursery teacher, Mrs Pandor, said
a few words before inviting guests
inside for some afternoon tea. After
exploring all of the displays, posters
and photographs, thank-you cards
decorated with finger-paint poppies
were handed out to the guests.
Deputy Nursery Manager, Ami Mahon,
said guests were delighted to be
welcomed into the nursery, which has a
vast history itself:
“We were lucky enough to be joined
by Jillian, as well as the local church
group and grandparents. It’s a great
experience for the children to learn
about the history of our country and
take part in traditional celebrations.
“All the children enjoyed the afternoon
so much, they were sad to see our
guests leaving. We will certainly
be running similar events for the
community in future.”
We love sharing your news on our website and in our magazine. If you have a story you want to share
with us, please send it to marketing@parenta.com.
4 Parenta.com December 2018 5
NEWS
Parenta Trust news
School build almost complete!
With Christmas just around the corner, why not sign up to AmazonSmile and make
even more of a difference to Parenta Trust? AmazonSmile is a website operated by
Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com.
The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile and select Parenta Trust as
your chosen charity, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the
purchase price of what you’ve bought to Parenta Trust.
Click here for more information
Parenta Trust is now in its 5th year
and we are happy to announce that
our 5th school will be complete by
early 2019! The Komoret Nursery
School in Nakapiripit, Karamoja,
is part of a brand new school
community project and phase 2
of the build includes the nursery
school funded by Parenta Trust. With
every pre-school we build, together,
we can give, on average, another
200 children the opportunity they
deserve to have an early years
education.
Funds raised from last year’s
‘Maidstone to Monaco Rally’,
together with the generosity of all
those who attended our two charity
balls this year, means that we are
finalising funds for our 6th school.
We are on the home-straight – thank
you so much to all those involved!
We are excited to announce that
fundraising is well underway for our
7th school! Barnaby Wynter, Master
of Ceremonies at the last three
Parenta Trust balls, is working hard
to raise funds through a variety of
activities. Not only has he decided
to take part in the 2019 Parenta
Trust Rally, he has set himself a
target to pay for the build of the
7th school entirely from his own
fundraising.
He said; “After this year’s charity
ball, I thought that I would set
myself a target. I am excited to
participate in the 2019 Rally for
the first time. I didn’t feel that
even taking part in the Rally was
ambitious enough. This may
sound strange, but I have a thing
about anything that has a ‘7’ in
it, especially the number ‘57’. So I
thought I‘d set a target for 2019 to
raise enough money to build the
7th school. It’s a long way off, but
I have also promised to pay for the
57th school too!”
Barnaby has put together a
match-funded programme with
his company, The Brand Bucket
Company Ltd, to raise £20,000. He
will be undertaking various activities
for donations including finding work
for other companies, providing
one-to-one mentoring sessions to
small business owners, running
workshops and other fundraising
activities throughout the year. Four
weeks into fundraising and the
project has already raised £4,680
towards its target!
For information on how you can get
involved, please visit Barnaby’s Just
Giving page.
Remember any donation will be
doubled by The Brand Bucket
Company Ltd!
Please get involved
www.parentatrust.com
YOU CAN
MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
for as little as 56p a day!
Sponsoring a child provides
• A pre-school education
• Access to clean water
• A school uniform
• A daily hot meal
• School supplies
• The knowledge that
someone truly cares
You’ll be able to see first-hand the difference you’re making
with regular updates, letters and drawings from your
sponsored child.
FIND OUT MORE
Maidstone to Monaco - 26 th to 30 th June 2019
FIND OUT MORE
6 Parenta.com
Saint Nicholas' Day
In many European countries, December 6th is celebrated as the feast day of Saint Nicholas, the
patron saint of children. Children celebrate by leaving shoes by the fireplace in the expectation
that Saint Nicholas will leave them a small gift. Although in some Western societies, Saint Nicholas
has been confused with, or even, fused with Father Christmas and Santa Claus, the origins of the
day stem from celebrating the life of one of Christianity’s most famous, historical figures - the real
Bishop of Myra who lived over 1500 years ago.
Who was Saint Nicholas?
Nicholas was born to a Christian
family around 250-270 A.D. in Patara,
the capital of Lycia, in what was once
Ancient Greece, but is now Southern
Turkey. His parents were wealthy
merchants but died of a plague when
Nicholas was young. Despite this,
historians think he travelled to both
Palestine and Egypt in his youth.
Nicholas became a priest and was
eventually ordained as the Bishop
of Myra, an important, nearby
market town. In this role,
Nicholas gained a reputation
as a philanthropist because
of his many charitable deeds,
including giving people gifts of coins,
which he often left in their shoes.
Myths and legends
Although there are many saints
associated with children, Saint Nicholas
is one of the oldest. His patronage of
children stems from an ancient legend
in which he miraculously raised three
small boys from the dead after they
had been murdered by an innkeeper.
Whilst the truth of this story remains
shrouded in mystery, the most
popular folk story about him
concerns three unmarried
women whose father
could not afford a dowry.
Understanding that the only option
facing the young women was to be sold
as slaves or into prostitution, Nicholas
secretly threw a bag of coins through
the window of the poor man’s house so
that the eldest daughter could marry.
He repeated his kindness for the other
daughters, but on the third occasion,
was seen, and despite Nicholas
begging to remain anonymous, the
father was so grateful, he told the
whole town of the bishop’s kindness,
and the legend of Saint Nicholas was
born.
How is Saint Nicholas’ Day
celebrated around the world?
Celebrations vary according to local tradition, including:
A festival or parade
In the Netherlands, almost every town has an annual parade
to welcome Saint Nicholas. As well as a procession through
the town, a man dressed up as ‘Sinterklaas’ (Saint Nicholas),
visits homes, schools and hospitals giving out small gifts. In
another tradition, a character called ‘Zwarte Piet’ or ‘Black
Peter’ accompanies him, entertaining the children, and
scattering sweets for those who’ve come to meet the saint.
A feast
In many European countries, Christmas Eve is often more
important than Christmas Day itself, and the same is true for
Saint Nicholas’ Day. Families get together to celebrate on the
evening of December 5th with a feast or family meal. Foods
eaten include German pancakes or ‘Pfannkuchen’; pork with
apples and mustard in France; or soups, pizzas, pastries,
breads and Saint Nicholas-shaped cookies.
Leaving shoes by the fireplace or front door
As children around the world go to bed on December 5th,
many leave out a shoe or boot by the fireplace or front door
hoping to receive a small reminder that Christmas is coming
from Saint Nicholas.
Ideas to celebrate Saint Nicholas’
Day in your setting
To celebrate Saint Nicholas’ Day in your own setting, why not?
1
2
3
4
5
Create a festive menu including foods from European
countries such as sweetbreads, pizza, German sausage,
French apples or Dutch cheeses and fruit.
Draw or set up a display of some of the characters
associated with the day including Saint Nicholas, Zwarte
Piet or Krampus. You could add the poor father and his 3
daughters to show the origin of the legend too.
Tell the children the story of how Saint Nicholas helped
the poor man and his daughters. You could even act out
the scene, or scenes depicting other acts of kindness
and charity.
Create a piece of wall-art by cutting out shoe shapes or
printing footprints using the soles of wellington boots.
Remember to wash the wellies afterwards.
Ask the children to bring a spare shoe into your nursery
and leave them around an imaginary or craft fireplace
on December 5th. Once the children have gone home,
fill them with a small treat for when they return on the
morning of December 6th.
Whether the children receive a gift or not is often linked to
the children’s behaviour over the last year. If children have
behaved well, they will receive candy canes, chocolate coins
or other small toys. However, Saint Nicholas is often thought
to be accompanied by ‘Krampus’ or ‘Knecht’ – a frightening
creature usually depicted as half-man/half-goat; who is said
to punish naughty children by leaving them a coal or stick
instead of a treat.
Gifts for unmarried women
In Italy, many unmarried women also receive gifts on Saint
Nicholas’ Day in memory of the three girls Nicholas helped.
Unmarried women might attend church to participate in a
ritual called ‘Rito delle nubili’, traditionally thought to help
them find a good marriage.
6
Teach the children some other names for Saint Nicholas’
Day to explore different languages and cultures, such as:
English > Saint Nicholas’ Day
French > Saint-Nicolas
German > Nikolaustag
Spanish > Día de San Nicolás
Hungarian > Télapó Mikulás
8 Parenta.com December 2018 9
Rainbow emotional regulation
In this second of four articles exploring sensory
support for emotional regulation, Sensory
Engagement Specialist and Sensory Projects
Founder, Joanna Grace, explores how we can
support children’s emotional regulation by labelling
the full spectrum of their emotions. This article is
based on one of Joanna’s free leaflet guides, more
can be found here.
Labelling the rainbow
Labelling emotions from an early
age helps promote an individual’s
ability to regulate their emotions.
Knowing what an emotion is goes
a big way to helping a child to
address it. This might sound a little
strange - why do you need to be
able to put a word on something
you feel - surely feeling it is
enough? But actually, our internal
feelings are quite confusing and
the act of labelling helps us to
distinguish what is going on. It
is not that the word has some
magical powers, it is simply the
sorting process that is useful.
Consider how you actually FEEL
when excited, frightened, or like
you might be getting a stomach
upset. All three are a low level
burbling in the pit of your stomach,
how do you know which is which?
Children often FEEL without knowing
that what they are experiencing is
a feeling, an emotion, rather than a
physical bodily response.
Knowing what your emotions are,
and being able to label them, is a
vital first step in working out what
is going on with them and how to
manage them. Yet at a time when
we expect a child to be able to
name seven colours of the rainbow,
we mistakenly think we make life
easier for them by making their
emotions binary: they are either
happy or sad. Their emotions are
just as real to them as the colours
they see in the world around them:
being given names for them helps
them to understand them and
to process them. A label for an
emotion also means you can collect
understanding from places outside
of yourself, for example when you
hear a story about a person who
felt embarrassed, you can link what
you learn from the story to your
own life and situations in which
you feel embarrassed. Words
are powerful tools in emotional
regulation.
Ways to label emotions
• You can label emotions with
words, spoken or written.
• You can label emotions
with toys showing particular
emotional states, for example
you may have a toy whose
face can be manipulated to
show different expressions.
• You can label emotions
with symbols, diagrams
or photos. Symbols and
diagrams can be harder for
a child to translate. Photos
of themselves genuinely (not
mock acting) expressing
the emotion will be much
easier for them to understand
and more accurate in their
representation.
• You can label emotions
with the tone of your voice
or with sounds, you might
even be able to use objectsof-reference
or figurines
displaying different emotions.
Objects-of-reference are often used
with children who have profound
physical and cognitive disabilities.
Objects are chosen to represent
key things important in that child’s
life, for example a seat-belt buckle
might be used to indicate that they
are going in a car. For a child who
struggles with particular emotions
- for example, often becoming sad
or angry - a representational object
could be chosen and handed to
them when they feel that emotion.
In time, reaching for that particular
object could become their way of
expressing their distress rather than
through means that are sometimes
self-injurious.
How to use educative emotional expression
You can use your labelling of a child’s emotions as a miniature opportunity to teach them emotional
regulation. This is a very neat trick - and done consistently - will both demonstrate your empathy with that
child and let them feel understood whilst simultaneously teaching them how to regulate their emotions. Little
and often is often the best approach to teaching tricky things like this. Whilst a good story about emotions,
such as “The Colour Monster” by Anna Llenas, or “The Jar of Happiness” by Alisa Burrows can provide a
great opportunity to reflect and consider emotions in the safety of the book corner, it is unlikely that young
children reach for the insights gained in such a setting when they have that toy snatched from them, or are
bumped to the floor by an overly-zealous peer. Here’s how to do it:
1
Label their emotions as
Try to match their emotional Once you have labelled
they experience them, try 2 state as you label it. For 3 their feeling in an
to always make this your
top priority. So instead of “stop
kicking the stairs”, say “You are
feeling angry” and save your
instruction for further down the
line. Remember children do not
necessarily know what they are
feeling so it is our job to recognise
and to label their emotions for
them, and go for the whole
rainbow of emotions - not just
happy or sad.
example, say “You are
feeling angry” in a tone that
matched the anger they were
expressing. This will help the child
to feel understood. Of course, I am
not suggesting that you get angry
with them yourself, simply that
your tone empathises with their
emotional state. Don’t say ‘angry’
in a cutesy way, angry is not a
little butterfly or a pink feather -
“ANGRY” is a monster, is gritting
your teeth, is a big roaring word as
you say it. You are not being angry
with them, you are demonstrating
that you feel their anger with
them. Angry, said as “ANGRY”
generates a greater empathetic
connection than “angry” said in a
sickly-sweet way.
empathetic, connected
tone, quickly begin to demonstrate
emotional regulation as you give
your advice. For example:
“YOU ARE FEELING ANGRY” said in
an angry tone.
“You do NOT want to FEEL this
way” said in an urgent tone.
“You are trying to get rid of your
anger by kicking the stairs” said in
an informative tone.
“But it is not working” said in a
compassionate tone.
“Try ______ instead” said in an
optimistic tone.
The magic of mirror neurons
As you grade your expression, you
give the child a guide for their own
emotional regulation. Show the
transition in your facial expressions
too. We all have mirror neurons in
our brains that enable us to feel
a little of the emotions we see in
others. By providing strong input for
their mirror neurons you give them
a little of your emotional state. Our
bodies have a range of ways, of
which mirror neurons are just one,
in which they connect with each
other. Your emotional state will
directly and physically affect theirs
- slow your breathing to slow their
breathing, exude the calm you want
to create. Get tense and frustrated
and you will find yourself in a room
full of very trying children. You may
have heard the phrase “You create
the weather in your classroom”
- well I’m here to say it is true.
The biggest hurdle we face in
teaching children emotional
regulation is regulating our own
emotional responses!
It is important to match their
expression to form the connection
at the start and then gently blend it
into an emotion that will be better
for their wellbeing (and yours).
For example, if a child is crying,
you might begin talking to them
showing a high level of distress in
your own face; “You are very sad,”
and then let this fade and your
muscles relax, “but I am here with
you” and introduce a smile that
grows. “I will help you to feel happy
again” - big smile.
Label the rainbow as you see it
As you would do with colours,
take time to point out and discuss
emotions as you encounter them
in daily life. They do not always
have to belong to the child -
recognising emotions in peers
will help them to understand their
own emotions and to become
empathetic and considerate
towards their friends.
Try to avoid labelling particular
emotions as bad or good - that is
reverting to the binary expression
we are trying to escape. We do not
want to teach children that they
are only acceptable to us when
happy. Feeling the whole spectrum
of emotions is normal and healthy.
What we are looking to teach
is not suppression of emotion,
but regulation and appropriate
response. Enjoy the rainbow!
Joanna Grace
Joanna Grace is an
international Sensory
Engagement and Inclusion
Specialist, trainer, author, TEDx
speaker and founder of The
Sensory Projects.
Consistently rated as
“outstanding” by Ofsted,
Joanna has taught in
mainstream and specialschool
settings, connecting
with pupils of all ages and
abilities. To inform her work,
Joanna draws on her own
experience from her private
and professional life as well
as taking in all the information
she can from the research
archives. Joanna’s private life
includes family members with
disabilities and neurodiverse
conditions and time spent
as a registered foster carer
for children with profound
disabilities.
Joanna has published several
books: “Sensory Stories for
Children and Teens”, “Sensory-
Being for Sensory Beings”
and “Sharing Sensory Stories”
and “Conversations with
People with Dementia”. Her
latest two books, “Ernest and
I”, and “Voyage to Arghan”
were launched at TES SEN in
October.
Joanna is a big fan of social
media and is always happy
to connect with people
via Facebook, Twitter and
Linkedin.
Website:
thesensoryprojects.co.uk
10 Parenta.com December 2018 11
Hanukkah: Festival of lights
Festival of lights
Hanukkah or sometimes spelled ‘Chanukah’, is known as the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is an eightday
Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (known as
the Second Temple). The United Kingdom is estimated to have the 5th largest Jewish population in
the world, with just under 300,000 people practicing the Jewish faith in the country.
The Hebrew word ‘Chanukah’ means
‘dedication’, and is pronounced with a
guttural, or hard “kh” sound, ‘kha-nukah’,
not ‘tcha-new-kah’.
The festival is celebrated annually,
although like Easter, the dates are
not fixed as Hanukkah starts on the
25th day of Kislev according to the
Hebrew calendar, which corresponds
to dates between late November
and late December in the Gregorian
calendar. This year, Hanukkah runs from
Sunday 2nd December to Monday 10th
December.
What does Hanukkah celebrate?
The festival commemorates the victory
of a small group of Jews, who rebelled
against their Syrian-Greek rulers in the
second century (167 BC). After a war
lasting 3 years, the Jews, led by Judah
the Maccabee, successfully regained
control of their temple in Jerusalem
which had been destroyed in the
fighting.
The group rebuilt the temple, but when
the leaders came to light the candles
in the menorah (a special 8-branched
candelabrum), they found that all the oil
had been contaminated and they only
had enough for one day.
Despite this, they lit the menorah which
then miraculously lasted for 8 days,
giving the Jewish leaders enough time to
create more oil under conditions of ritual
purity.
To commemorate and publicise the
miracles, the Festival of Hanukkah was
born.
Rituals
The most important ritual during
Hanukkah, is the daily lighting of a
family’s own personal menorah. The
menorah consists of eight branches, and
a ninth branch, typically placed either
above or below the main eight candles,
that is known as the ‘shamash’ or
‘attendant’ candle.
On the first night, usually just after
sundown, the shamash is used to light
one candle on the candelabrum. On the
second night, the shamash is used to
light two candles, and each night sees
another candle added into the ritual until
all 9 candles are lit on the final night
of celebration. It is usual for a special
blessing to be read, or a traditional
song sung, before and after lighting the
menorah.
Hanukkah games: fun and
remembrance
Traditionally, Hanukkah is a fun time for
children, who might be given gifts or
Hanukkah money (gelt) in celebration.
There is also a traditional game that
children and adults play together which
involves spinning a special dice known
as a ‘dreidel’, that has letters from the
Hebrew alphabet on each of the four
sides. These are “nun”, “gimmel”, ”hey”
and “shin” - an acronym for “nes gadol
hayah sham” meaning “a great miracle
happened there”.
Depending on how the dreidel lands,
determines if the player receives or gives
up a coin, nut or other token.
Nun = nothing happens
Gimmel = you get the
whole pot
Hey = you take half of
the pot
Shin = you put a coin into
the pot
The game is played to remind families of their history under
Greek-Syrian rule, when practicing the Jewish faith was
outlawed. Many Jews continued to practice their religion in secret,
but if soldiers came to search a house, the family would bring out the
dreidel and pretend to be playing this simple dice game to hide the fact
they were really studying the Jewish holy book, the Torah.
There is also a catchy little song called “I have a little dreidel” that children often
sing whilst playing the game too.
Hanukkah foods
As the Hanukkah miracle involved oil, it is traditional to eat foods at this time that are fried in oil. Examples of Hanukkah foods
include a potato ‘latke’ or pancake, garnished with apple sauce or sour cream, or a jam-filled doughnut called a ‘sufganya’.
Ways to celebrate or reflect on Hanukkah in your setting
There are many ways to celebrate Hanukkah in your nursery including:
• Tell the children the story of the Hanukkah miracle
• Light or draw candles to represent lighting the menorah. You could add another candle to a main display each day of
Hanukkah until you have 9 candles lit
• Bake some doughnuts to share with parents and friends and decorate them with your favourite sweet treat
• Play dreidel in groups. This is a simple game that is easy to understand and play, even younger children can spin the
special dreidel dice
• Learn the “I have a little dreidel” song
• Learn some simple letters from the Hebrew alphabet
• Make cards to celebrate the ‘Festival of Lights’
Promoting tolerance
One of the main things that Hanukkah represents to Jewish families, is the ability to celebrate and practice their own faith in
their own way. Promoting tolerance for different religions is part of the “British Values” set out in the Government’s guidance
for education in schools which encourages “mutual respect for, and tolerance of, those with different faiths and beliefs and for
those without faith.”
By introducing nursery children to different religious stories, festivals and ideas from different faiths at an early age, you can
help develop religious tolerance and understanding, as well as having fun learning about different cultures too.
For some free resources on Hanukkah including songs, crafts and information on how to play dreidel, see: www.chabad.org
12 Parenta.com December 2018 13
How sport helps children with anxiety
From the outside, toddlers seem like they don’t have a care in the world. However, did you know
that children as young as two can experience anxiety? Fortunately, practicing a sport during their
early years will benefit them greatly from this point of view. In this article, Benjamin Holeman
explores anxiety disorder in infants and how it is closely linked to physical activity.
Anxiety in the early years
Many children are no strangers to
anxiety. There are a lot of things to
worry about during the formative
years of life, such as grades, fitting
in, meeting new friends, making
parents proud, and so on. But while
these pertain to more advanced
periods in a little one’s life, early
childhood comes with its fair share
of disquiets as well.
The most common type of anxiety
children experience in their early
life is separation anxiety. They are
most prone to it between the ages
of 18 months and three years, but
some cases continue well into their
pre-school days. Have you ever
noticed an infant crying when his
or her parent left the room, or a
toddler sobbing after mum and
dad dropped them off at their
childcare setting?
This sentiment is more widespread
than we’d like to think. A total of
4% of all children are affected
by it, and the older they are, the
harder it becomes for them to calm
down. It might not seem like a big
deal for an adult, but even the
shortest moments spent away from
their home and parents can leave
toddlers feeling homesick and
miserable.
Social anxiety is another issue
children can be faced with during
the incipient stages of their lives.
Going to daycare or pre-school
creates the first type of social
situation they are placed in, and
the pressure to fit in and form
relationships with their peers thus
arises. Selective mutism is an
extreme consequence of this.
The benefits of sport
The correlation between sports and
anxiety has been widely discussed
in the medical community. Recent
research has shown that regular
physical activity has a positive
impact on the mental processes
that trigger unease. What is more,
study participants that engaged in
exercise exhibited decreased levels
of angst.
While the vast majority of trials
on the subject were conducted
on adult participants, the same
benefits are true in the case of
children as well. In fact, getting
toddlers interested in physical
activity from an early age usually
implies they will stay active for
the rest of their lives. In this next
section, we will discuss the main
benefits adopting a sport can have
for an anxious youngster.
Improved mood
Practicing a sport will reduce
the toddler’s stress levels in
many ways. Not only does
the activity fight fatigue and
improve concentration, but
it also releases endorphins.
Known as the ‘happiness
hormones’, endorphins
will improve the little one’s
mood and keep them
content with their everyday
life.
In addition to
this, physical
activity works
wonders
for selfconfidence.
It
is especially
important
for kids to
develop
this quality
during their
early years, as it will assist them
in being successful later on in
life. A study conducted on athletic
teenagers demonstrated that
they are more likely to possess
leadership aptitudes throughout
their adult life.
Social interaction
As previously mentioned,
social anxiety is a main issue
for children as soon as they
get placed into daycare or preschool.
This goes hand-in-hand
with separation anxiety too, as the
sudden absence of a parent can
leave the little one feeling
disoriented and unable to
cope. Joining a sports
team is a great way
for them to socialise
in a more informal
setting first.
Most of the kids on
a team probably
share a common
interest for
football, tennis,
swimming, or
whatever else
they might have
chosen to play.
This is a great conversation starter
even for the shiest of toddlers who
might have trouble fitting in. What
is more, it nurtures a sense of unity
and comradery that is difficult to
achieve anywhere else.
At school, children are mistakenly
led to compete against each other,
but on a sports team they compete
together towards a common
goal. Thus, the toddler can form
meaningful friendships that might
last a lifetime even. Moreover, it
will become easier for them to
cope with failure, as they have
the support of their mates in the
process.
Final thoughts
Anxiety isn’t a disorder reserved
for fully developed adult minds.
Children experience it as well,
and it is our goal as parents and
carers to assist them in handling
it adequately. Getting them
interested in a sport is a simple
and efficient way to do just that, as
it will make them happier and more
confident overall. If they make
some new friends in the process as
well, even better.
Benjamin Holeman is an amateur
pickleball player and a writer for
toppickleballpaddle.com.
He thinks that sport is beneficial
for children and that's why he
wants more people to know these
benefits.
14 Parenta.com December 2018 15
International Volunteer Day
“Founded on the values of solidarity and mutual trust, volunteerism transcends all cultural, linguistic and
geographic boundaries. By giving their time and skills without expectation of material reward, volunteers
themselves are uplifted by a singular sense of purpose.” - UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
December 5th is designated as International Volunteer Day (IVD). Established in 1985 by
the United Nations, it aims to celebrate the power and potential of volunteerism around
the globe and mark the contribution that volunteering makes to different societies.
All around the world, local, national
and international volunteer
organisations, together with individual
volunteers will showcase their work
and highlight the important role they
play. It could be at a litter-picking
rally, a charity-shop open day, or a
volunteer-recruitment or fundraising
fair. But whatever form volunteering
takes, IVD is a unique opportunity to
celebrate volunteering, connect with
other like-minded individuals and
agencies, and support this vital part
of modern life.
What are volunteering and
volunteerism?
Volunteering is when people
freely give up their own time to do
something of benefit to other people,
the environment or a community
outside their own family unit. Unlike
Did you know?
The size of the direct and organisation-based
volunteer workforce equates to
109 MILLION FULL-TIME WORKERS
employment, it is something that is not
done for commercial or financial gain.
Volunteerism is the use or
involvement of volunteer labour,
especially in community services.
As a pre-school or nursery, your
organisation and staff might be
involved in both aspects.
Volunteering is an act of kindness
Volunteering is common to all
cultures and every year, hundreds of
millions of people give their time and
use their skills to improve the lives of
others. They could be volunteering
on a child’s pre-school outing,
rebuilding a community park, running
a local youth group or dedicating
6 months or more of their lives to
volunteer abroad on a dedicated
United Nations’ project. The list of
opportunities is endless.
At the basis of all volunteering
however, is a genuine act of kindness
and a desire to make the world
a better place. It can create new
partnerships, help build metaphorical
or literal bridges, and secure a
sustainable future for projects which
might otherwise not be possible.
Think of the organisations you know
that rely on volunteers: charity
shops, the National Trust, hospital
radio, community shops, parish
councils, youth groups, and guiding
or scouting troupes. These are just
some of the organisations that would
struggle to survive without the army
of volunteers that make up most of
their workforce.
Every three years, the UN Volunteers programme publishes a report of the “State of
the World’s Volunteerism.” The latest report was published in 2018 and found:
Global volunteer activity
70% personto-person
30% formal
organisations
70% of global volunteer activity is through
direct person-to-person environments with
30% through more formal organisations or
associations
43% 57%
57% of the global volunteer workforce are
women
A UK report also found that over 160,000 voluntary organisations contribute £12.2 billion to the UK economy. So
volunteering is big business.
What you can do to get involved
There are several things you can do to get involved with
IVD on 5th December. You could:
• Raise awareness of the day. In a nursery setting
you could create and put up posters to educate more
people about the day or investigate ways in which
volunteering is helping your own local community.
• Celebrate and report the work of your
volunteers and/or your own volunteering. This
could be a special lunch or information evening,
sharing successes with parents, children or the local
press.
• Become a volunteer. Why not investigate
volunteering opportunities in your area? This doesn’t
need to be too formal either. You could take the
children to a local park for a litter-picking session, for
example.
• Build wider partnerships. If your organisation runs
a corporate volunteering programme, you could use
IVD to widen the level of staff engagement or start a
programme if you don’t already run one.
Important questions to ask
• Why do you want to get involved in volunteering or
volunteerism?
• What do you want to do or what can you offer
volunteers?
• How much time will this take?
• What particular skills do you have to give, or do you
need in your organisation?
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits associated with volunteering
and volunteerism:
• Facing new challenges and learning new skills – you
might invite volunteers in to your setting to teach
your staff and students new skills (e.g. forest skills or
cooking).
• Building stronger communities as more people take
ownership of their local environment or community
projects.
• Meeting new people and making friends.
• Volunteering can lead to better health and a sense of
well-being as people feel they are making a positive
contribution.
• Personal development and improved career
prospects.
• It’s fun!
Planning to reduce risks
Ensure that you carry out proper checks on new
volunteers, as you would for any new staff member,
especially if volunteers are working with children. In the
nursery setting, volunteers are often parents or carers of
children in the group, but you should always follow your
safeguarding and recruitment procedures.
This will often mean planning things well in advance. For
example, if people are asked to volunteer on school trips
or at special events.
Remember too, that volunteering is a two-way process
and the best partnerships are those that benefit both
sides, ensuring the needs of each are met, and bringing
about lasting change for all involved.
For more information visit:
www.unv.org
www.ncvo.org.uk
16 Parenta.com December 2018 17
Spotlight on...
Danni Randall
HALLOWEEN
COMPETITION
WINNERS!
HR assistant Danni plays a key part within our HR
department, to support the recruitment and training of new
employees. Danni also deals with the administrative duties
within Parenta, such as staff record-keeping.
Why did you decide to join Parenta?
I was looking for a new HR role as
I had recently completed my CIPD
qualification and was keen to get
back into the HR environment after
working in a recruitment agency for
nearly 3 years. I saw the advert online
for Parenta and instantly felt like this
was the company for me. The advert
was engaging, I loved what Parenta
did, and it ticked all the boxes straight
away! I sent in my CV but couldn’t
stop thinking about the role so I called
in and spoke to Emily (previous HR
Manager) and Stacey to let them know
how interested I was. The rest, as they
say, is history….
How would you describe the
company’s culture?
Family-orientated, supportive,
encouraging, empathetic, hardworking,
passionate!
What do you think makes Parenta
stand out as an employer?
For me, what really stands out is
how human Parenta is. Everyone is
genuinely supportive and really cares
about each other. The other is how
passionate each and every person is
and how much they believe in Parenta.
For me, what
really stands
out is how
human Parenta
is. Everyone
is genuinely
supportive and
really cares about
each other.
This filters down from the very top.
Many businesses make statements of
how supportive they are to colleagues
- however Parenta is one of the only
organisations I know of that actually
practices what it preaches!
How does the company allow
employees to have a stake in its
success and profitability?
The main way that Parenta allows
colleagues to have a stake in its
success and profits is through
the Parenta LLP (limited liability
partnership). Once a colleague has
passed their probation they are invited
to join the LLP and if the company
reaches its profit targets then they will
receive a share of the profits in the form
of a month 13 payment!
What training opportunities do
junior members of staff have once
they come on board?
As a training provider, Parenta is able
to offer apprenticeships to colleagues
that join the organisation. This allows
them to enhance their skills, gain a
qualification and further their career
within Parenta! Training isn’t just for
junior colleagues, we encourage
lifelong learning for all colleagues and
will accommodate learning requests,
where viable.
What do you like most about
working for Parenta?
I love the sense of family and how
supportive everyone is. I think the
passion that colleagues have for their
jobs, for Parenta and for the industry is
really refreshing.
1 st
Huge congratulations to the winners of
our Halloween competition - Rising Stars
Commercial Road! We hope you have lots of
fun with your super craft hamper!
Congratulations
also to our runner
up, Kinderworld
Day Nursery! We
hope you enjoy your
crafty prize too!
2 nd Thank you to everyone who entered!
CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION WINNER!
We are delighted to announce the winner of our Christmas card competition is...
Poppies Day Nursery in Maidenhead!
Congratulations!!
18 Parenta.com
Thank you to everyone who entered! We loved seeing all of your amazing designs.
Practical and fun ways
to help nature in winter
Winter is a great time for children; with snowmen, snow angels and those lovely,
crisp, winter walks to look forward to. But winter can also mean a life-anddeath
struggle for much of our British wildlife, as food sources become
scarce and the biting-cold weather kicks in.
Winter is the perfect time to teach children in your setting about
seasons, ecosystems and their part in helping conserve our wildlife.
Here are some fun and practical things you can do to help our
furry, insect and feathered friends survive the winter months.
1 Feed the birds
2 Create a bug hotel
3 Help a hedgehog
4 Become a water monitor
Unlike the famous “Mary Poppin’s” song, bird food costs a lot
more than ‘tuppence-a-bag’ nowadays, but you can still feed
the birds cheaply using dried fruit, nuts, scraps and leftovers.
Why not teach children the song to accompany some of the
following activities?
You can buy commercial bird feeders for seeds, but it
is also lots of fun to make your own, recycling plastic
bottles into the bargain. Cut a hole in the side of a
plastic bottle so that the birds can reach the seeds and
tie a string round the top to hang them up. The feeders
should keep the seeds dry to prevent mould growth,
and you can use an old pencil stuck through the bottle
as a perch for birds to use. Clean feeders once every
fortnight to prevent disease, using a mixture of 2:1 hot
water and distilled white vinegar. Make sure you rinse
and dry them thoroughly before refilling too!
Remember that there are many ground feeding birds
like blackbirds, thrushes and chaffinches who prefer
to feed on the ground so scatter some food around on
the floor too, or use a low feeder.
Children also love to watch birds feeding and you could
extend this activity to do a bird-count, keep a diary, or
set up a wall-chart showing the birds that you have
seen at your feeders.
Making a bug hotel is a perfect way to introduce the idea of
insect hibernation to children. Use pieces of old corrugated
cardboard, wood, bricks, leaves, sticks, twigs and fallen
branches to create some ideal accommodation for insects,
spiders, mini-beasts and bees. You don’t need to build ‘The
Ritz’ - just make it as large or small as your facilities allow,
but position it in a sheltered area of your garden space if you
have one.
Everyone loves hedgehogs but in the last 10 years, the UK
hedgehog population has declined by a third and there are
estimated to be less than one million left in the UK now.
Despite hibernating, hedgehogs need shelter, water and food
to survive through the winter. Raising awareness of their plight
is important, so consider some of the following activities:
Create a hedgehog mural or some hand-printed art,
since the fingers of little hands can look just like a
hedgehog if you add eyes and a cute nose and smile!
You can make some hedgehog-food ‘cakes’ by mixing
together some meat-based dog/cat food with some
dried mealworms and crushed up cat biscuits. Leave
the food outside to encourage hedgehogs, but only
enough for one day’s supply otherwise you could
attract other unwanted visitors such as rats. In order to
prevent local cats from stealing it, cover the food with
a large plastic or strong cardboard box and cut an
opening just big enough so that only the hedgehogs
can get in.
Create a hedgehog home using an old, upturned
plastic box and some leaves, twigs or fallen branches
to camouflage it. Download a free factsheet here for
more information on easy-to-build hedgehog homes.
During the winter, wildlife needs access to clean, unfrozen
water. Despite increased rainfall in the winter, water easily
turns to ice in the lower temperatures, making it unavailable
for wildlife. Set up a water-monitoring wall-chart and add
stickers to the chart each time you check the water-availability
or provide some water for wildlife. You could:
Set up watering stations using shallow bowls or old
food containers. Remember to refresh the water once
or twice a day to make sure it doesn’t freeze.
Ponds can become frozen too, which can reduce
the oxygen in the water affecting fish or other pond
creatures. Melting a small section of the ice each day
will help protect the oxygen levels. But be careful – fish
can be scared by loud bangs on the top of the ice, so
don’t use a stick or a hammer! To melt the ice, pour
on a small amount of boiling water from a kettle.
Obviously, an adult should do this for safety reasons,
but if you have a pond in your setting that contains
fish, then the children will love watching the ice melt
and you can teach them about the different physical
states of water too. The open water will also be valued
by other garden visitors such as birds and small
mammals.
Make some homemade fat balls to hang from trees or
on a bird table. Find a free recipe here.
Read stories based on hedgehogs and then talk about
them. Consider “The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle” by
Beatrix Potter, “The Hodgeheg” by Dick King Smith or
you can find a free, online, educational story about
“Harry the Hedgehog” here.
20 Parenta.com December 2018 21
What our customers say
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
TRAINING OCTOBER 2018
Angela Williams, our assessor, is fantastic.
An excellent tutor and mentor.
Kathy Beauchamp - Woodberry Day Nursery
What are the benefits of employing an apprentice?
• If they’re 16-18, you won’t pay a penny for their training
• You can watch them grow and progress
• You can meet your future recruitment needs
• You can mould them into your own style of practitioner
• You could be eligible for a grant to help cover your costs
TRAINING OCTOBER 2018
Hi Dawn, I’m not sure if you will remember me
but you were mine and Heidi’s assessor for our
level 3 qualification last year (completed within
our childcare settings). I just wanted to thank you
and to let you know that because of my qualification I have
been able to move away from childminding and since September
of this year, I have been working as a SEN
Teaching Assistant in a secondary school which I
am absolutely loving.
Debbie Jones
SOFTWARE SUPPORT OCTOBER 2018
We always have a fast friendly
service. Well done Ellie, you are
a superstar and keep up the
fabulous service you offer.
Linda Innes - St John’s Nursery Group
Visit: bit.ly/parenta-apprentice for more information
SOFTWARE SUPPORT OCTOBER 2018
Emma, as always, was polite, patient
and thorough in explaining each
stage of the training. It was a great
help, thank you!
Victoria Lewis - Small People
MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018
The content of your magazine is of a high quality,
always relevant and really engaging. Your team
seem to understand what the sector concerns
and needs are and the photography and
graphics are lovely. I share the contents with my team
which they have found informative and will actively
implement things they have found interesting
within the setting. More importantly, your
willingness to share business strategies with
the sector is really helpful during this very
difficult time for us all.
So it’s a big thank you
from me.
Tina Knight -
Playsafe Nurseries
22 Parenta.com
Training with
Tamsin Grimmer!
If you have enjoyed reading Tamsin’s
articles every month, why not invite her to deliver
bespoke training at your setting? Tamsin regularly
shares her expertise at conferences, INSET
meetings, CPD sessions, workshops and seminars.
Tamsin has a keen interest in how young children
learn and develop. She has written two books
on Early Childhood Education Observing and
Developing Schematic Behaviour in Young Children
and School Readiness and the Characteristics of
Effective Learning. She is currently writing a third
on Superhero Play.
Twitter: @tamsingrimmer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/earlyyears.consultancy.5
Websites: www.lindenlearning.org
www.tamsingrimmer.co.uk
Email: tamsin.grimmer@lindenlearning.org
Linden Learning is a specialist provider of consultancy, training and
coaching. We are committed to providing the highest quality service at a
realistic price. Because our offer is flexible and builds on what you already
do, you only pay for what you really need, giving you confidence that our
services are cost effective.
Footsteps 2 EYFS Learning
Journey Software
In today’s society, where the physical, emotional and digital safeguarding of children is at the forefront
of every parent’s mind, it is vital that safeguarding not only starts at home way before they begin school,
but that the responsibility also lies with early years childcare providers. New EYFS software, developed by
Parenta, is designed to help settings do just that.
EYFS Learning
Journey Software
‘Footsteps 2’ is an online EYFS
assessment tracker and learning
journal which addresses the
issue of digitally safeguarding
young children by using facial
detection technology when
uploading images. It not only
automatically identifies and tags
children, but more importantly,
blurs out the faces of those not
tagged within an image. This
will enable children within our
care system to also benefit from
this software, as information
can be shared with carers and
caseworkers.
The new technology has been
described as a game-changer
in the early years education
software market. New smart
tagging and blurring technology
means children not tagged in
the photo are automatically
blurred out. All children can be
tagged, but when observations
are sent to individual carers,
only the relevant faces will
show, supporting safeguarding
regulations within settings
and complying with the new
GDPR requirements. This
opens up a whole new world
for practitioners, giving them
greater flexibility when recording
observations and peace of
mind when thinking about
safeguarding.
This new software retains all the features of the original Footsteps, but gives extra flexibility with the children’s EYFS learning
journey. Observations, reporting and screen-switching are easy to use; and the software can be used on a variety of electronic
devices. New features help provide users with a better overview of each child’s development throughout their time at the
setting. Observations and comments can be reviewed by all users, making communication between users easy and workload is
significantly reduced so that staff in a setting can spend more time with the children and less time staring at a screen.
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24 Parenta.com December 2018 25
Unlimited video, image and document storage
Empowering Empowering children children with a with a
blueprint for success
What a child sees, hears and feels on a consistent basis creates a blueprint for how
they view themselves and how they respond to the world around them. Over time, and
with repetition, our subconscious mind, which controls 95% of what we do, becomes
programmed with beliefs and values that then silently guide us throughout life.
Our subconscious mind is very
literal and sees the beliefs it holds
as its ‘safe’ zone. It, therefore,
obediently keeps in alignment
with these beliefs and makes sure
that we behave in a way that is in
alignment with them too.
If a child is consistently put down,
there is a strong chance that they
will become programmed with
a belief that they are not good
enough. They will then likely act in a
way that perpetuates this belief and
will see the world through a lens
that is influenced by it. They become
like an energetic jigsaw piece that
only fits scenarios and people that
validate their inner programming.
For example, later in life they may
find themselves surrounded by
critical people who make them feel
‘not good enough’, or they may find
themselves in situations where they
feel inadequate.
Likewise, if a child is consistently
praised for their efforts and
surrounded by acceptance, the
contrary is likely to happen and
this child is likely to grow
into an adult who reacts
to the world in a way
that reflects a belief that
they are good enough.
They are more likely to
have a ‘can do’ attitude and
find themselves in situations
where they are respected and
valued.
If these two people with
opposite beliefs were to
walk into a room together,
they would probably move in
different circles and have a very
different view of what was going
on. One might see a larger-thanlife
character and think that that
person was full of themselves, yet
the other might think that the exact
same person was inspirational.
It’s not that the person in question
behaved differently in front of them
both, it’s that each person sees
him or her through a different lens
that is influenced by the beliefs that
they hold deep down inside. This is
why we all connect with different
people in life and react differently to
situations.
As previously stated, the
subconscious mind is very literal, so
it is important that we take note of
the messages that are being given
to children through our consistent
words and actions. None of us are
perfect and we all have bad days.
However, how we consistently
act is crucial and will help lay the
foundation for how a child moves
forward in life.
Quite often, we don’t even realise
that what we think are positive
actions, can actually programme
children with beliefs that could hold
them back. A very simple example
is this: if we teach a
child that they have to
colour within the lines,
we are also teaching them that
perfection is important. If a child
has a belief that they have to be
perfect, then their subconscious
mind will do everything it can to
stop them failing. In order to reach
our brilliance and succeed in life,
we have to step out of our comfort
zone and risk failure. A child
doesn’t learn to walk straight away.
They fall many times before they
take that first step. Success is the
same. A person will fail many times
before they have their breakthrough
moment. Therefore it is crucial
that children are programmed to
see failure as a positive stepping
stone to their goals. If they are
programmed for perfection, how
are they ever going to fulfil their
potential?
Granted, the colouring example is
extreme. However, I hope you can
see what I mean about looking at
the literal message that is being
programmed into our children’s
minds. By simply tweaking the way
we say things we can ensure that
we are planting the right seeds:
“I wonder if you can stay in the
lines? It takes time to learn how to
do that though so don’t worry if you
go out of them because it will still
look beautiful”.
In this sentence we are
giving children a goal,
explaining that it takes time and
practice (so preparing them for
failure) and then most importantly,
we are allowing them to still feel
accepted and appreciated when or
if they ‘fail’.
We are all doing our best and
we all want the children in our
care to thrive and succeed. By
understanding how the mind works,
we can ensure that our actions and
policies support every unique child
to be programmed with positive
beliefs and values. This will then
lay the foundation for a happy
and fulfilled life and give them a
blueprint for success.
Stacey Kelly
Stacey Kelly is a former
teacher, a parent to 2
beautiful babies and the
founder of Early Years Story
Box, which is a subscription
website providing children’s
storybooks and early years
resources. She is passionate
about building children’s
imagination, creativity and
self-belief and about creating
awareness of the impact
that the early years have
on a child’s future. Stacey
loves her role as a writer,
illustrator and public speaker
and believes in the power of
personal development. She is
also on a mission to empower
children to live a life full of
happiness and fulfilment,
which is why she launched
the #ThankYouOaky Gratitude
Movement.
Sign up to Stacey’s premium
membership here and use the
code PARENTA20 to get 20%
off or contact Stacey for an
online demo.
Email:
stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/earlyyearsstorybox
Twitter:
twitter.com/eystorybox
Instagram:
instagram.com/earlyyearsstorybox
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/stacey-kellya84534b2/
26 Parenta.com December 2018 27
The Adventures of Rocket Rabbit &
Sidekick Squirrel Part 5
The Adventures of
Rocket Rabbit &
Sidekick Squirrel part 5
Previously on Rocket Rabbit and Sidekick Squirrel…
Our two heroes have defeated the evil witch, Agnes
and her sidekick, Bones. They have been rewarded
with many medals and presents…
Among all the wonderful gifts they received were
an invisible car and spaceship, new uniforms and a
brand new hideout – much bigger than
the one they had before. The new lair
was filled with so much equipment
– including many computers. With
theses, the heroes could track all
known villains from all over the world
and also look for other animals like
themselves. Animals who have
special powers.
One day, while the heroes were
enjoying a day off, there was a
telephone call from the Queen
of England. Sidekick put down
the big book she was reading to
answer the call.
“Hello?” she said.
“Oh hello, this is Queen
Elizabeth. To whom am I
speaking?”
Sidekick immediately grew nervous. “Th-th-this is
Sidekick Squirrel, your majesty,” she said nervously.
“Ah good,” said the Queen. “I have something rather
important to talk to you about. Would you and Rocket
Rabbit like to come to Buckingham Palace later today
and join me for some tea?”
Sidekick was so surprised to get such a wonderful
invitation, that had she not been sitting down, she
would have fallen over! “Why, yes, your Majesty, we
would love to, thank you!”
Rocket looked up as Sidekick put the red phone back
onto its base.
“Was that… the Queen?!” she asked excitedly.
Sidekick could only nod. She was too shocked to even
speak!
After a while, Sidekick was able to tell Rocket all about
the phone call and the two of them grew more and
more excited as the time to leave drew closer and
closer.
Eventually, it was time to power-up the new invisible
jet and they both climbed the ladder into the main
deck.
“What should we bring the Queen?” asked Sidekick,
suddenly worried that they were turning up emptyhanded.
“I don’t think she’ll want carrots or walnuts!”
“It’s a bit late to worry about that now,” said Rocket,
“unless you want to stop at Tesco on the way!”
Sidekick shook her head, what could they possibly buy
that could be good enough for the Queen of England
anyway?
The jet quickly roared to life as soon as they both
turned their keys to start the huge, powerful engine.
Soon they were in the air and were silent. The jet flew
high in the sky, completely invisible to everyone and
the heroes each wondered why the Queen had asked
to see them.
They flew over London and Sidekick pointed out Big
Ben, The London Eye and finally, Buckingham Palace.
They landed the jet in the Palace Gardens, turned off
the engine and lowered the enormous ramp.
There were many people around the ramp as they
walked down and all of them looked very serious
indeed. Rocket and Sidekick both knew that this was
because they were protecting the Queen.
“What are you here for?” shouted one of the women at
the front.
Rocket nudged Sidekick to get her to answer, as it was
the squirrel who had spoken with the Queen earlier.
“We’re here for, erm… tea with the Queen,” she said,
feeling afraid.
“Excellent!” said the woman who had shouted.
The shouty lady said that her name was Officer Jones
and she would lead them into the Palace.
She shook hands (paws) with the heroes and led them
up the big path toward the entrance to the Palace.
They were in awe of the size and beauty of the building.
It was incredible and they were so happy to be there.
The doors were huge, they walked through them and
were led into a large room which looked like it could fit a
thousand people in it.
Inside the room was a very long table, covered with
plates and bowls of food. There were all kinds of fruits,
nuts, cheeses and lots of sandwiches. There were also
jugs of water and juices. Everything had a very clear label
next to it so you knew what it was.
28 Parenta.com December 2018 29
They made their way down the
table and as they reached the end
of the room, the Queen walked in
through the doors on the other side.
Immediately everyone bowed to
show their respect – including Rocket
and Squirrel.
“Please be seated,” the Queen said
pointing to two seats to the side of
hers , which was at the end of the
table.
Once they were sat down and the
guards had moved away a little,
Queen Elizabeth spoke again.
“I have brought you here today, in
order to ask a favour of you.” She
paused, leaving Rocket and Sidekick
to wonder exactly what the favour
would be.
Just as they were about to ask what
it was, the Queen continued:
“I wondered if you two would like to
join my staff… and work here in the
Palace, as my personal bodyguards.”
Sidekick gasped, she was so
surprised. Rocket sat with her mouth
wide open. She was also very
surprised!
The heroes looked at each other and
slowly smiled. Huge smiles covered
their faces. This was a huge dream
for them and they were so happy.
“Yes please!” they said together, very
excitedly!
After they had agreed, they all ate
lots of food together at the Palace,
before being shown the bedrooms
where they would sleep whilst
looking after the Queen and the rest
of the royal family. This was a dream
come true for our brave superheroes!
The end.
Richard Dodd
Richard has been writing for
as long as he can remember.
English was a subject he
enjoyed in school as it just
made sense to him. He loved
to read and requested his
own bedroom so that he could
have a bookcase! His favourite
childhood authors included
Enid Blyton, R. L. Stine, M. D.
Spenser, and Charles Dickens.
Characters, stories and even
words he has taken in through
all of those books have stayed
with Richard for two decades.
He firmly believes that books
are integral in a person’s
upbringing and that those
experiences will stay with them
throughout their lives.
He can recall parts of those
books in their entirety, from the
tone of voice described by the
author to certain scenes from
“The Famous Five” or “Secret
Seven”. Richard loves fiction
and the idea of escaping and
therefore creating an escape
for a reader is the very reason
he writes.
Richard has written four books,
three in the “Fluffy the Magic
Penguin” series and a standalone
book called “The Secret
Passageway”.
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/
richarddodd.author
Email:
Richard.dodd@upburypress.
co.uk
Website:
www.upburypress.co.uk
Write for us for a chance to win £50
We’re always on the lookout for new authors to contribute insightful
articles for our monthly magazine.
If you’ve got a topic you’d like to write
about, why not send an article to us and be
in with a chance of winning? Each month,
we’ll be giving away £50 to our “Guest
Author of the Month”.
Here are the details:
••
Choose a topic that is relevant to early
years childcare
••
Submit an article of between 600-900
words to marketing@parenta.com
••
If we choose to feature your article in our
magazine, you’ll be eligible to win £50
••
The winner will be picked based on
having the highest number of views for
their article during that month
This competition is open to both new and
existing authors, for any articles submitted to
feature in our Parenta magazine for 2019. The
lucky winner will be notified via email and we’ll
also include an announcement in the following
month’s edition of the magazine.
Got any questions or want to run a topic by us?
For more details email marketing@parenta.com
OCTOBER’S WINNER
Joanna Grace
Congratulations to our guest author competition
winner, who has won for the fourth consecutive
month! Joanna Grace’s article “The wonders of a
sensory story” was very popular with our readers.
Well done, Joanna!
30 Parenta.com December 2018 31
Dear Sympathetic Sue -
Discussing schemas with parents!
Discussing schemas with parents!
During their play, children regularly behave in interesting and unusual ways that are
sometimes confusing or even frustrating, such as lining up the toy animals, climbing
inside boxes or repeatedly playing with the taps. As early childhood educators, we recognise these play
patterns as children learning through schematic play, but the families of our children might not know anything
about schemas. We are regularly asked by parents and carers why their child is doing these things and part
of our role is reassuring them that schematic play is a common occurrence in early childhood and nothing to
be concerned about. The other day, I was considering how parents feel about schematic behaviour and this
led me to wonder what they would write if they asked an agony aunt about patterns they have observed in
children’s play and how Sympathetic Sue might respond:
Dear Sympathetic Sue,
My son is driving me crazy! Johnnie is 18 months old
now and keeps dropping his beaker from his highchair,
again and again! As soon as he drops it, he looks at me
to pick it up for him. When I do and place it on his tray,
he immediately drops it again! He will repeat this until I
get fed up and stop giving it back to him.
Please help!
From Frustrated in Ferryport
Dear Frustrated in Ferryport,
I can understand your frustration with this. Johnnie has turned this
into a turn-taking game and it can feel very annoying when all you
want him to do is sip his beaker! Don’t worry, this sort of behaviour
is perfectly normal for a child of his age. Johnnie is working out
how the world works in terms of both his relationship with you and
also what happens when you throw things off a highchair. Educators
would say that Johnnie is engaging in schematic play and has a
fascination with trajectory, or the movement of things. The word
trajectory comes from the Latin ‘trajectoria’ and literally translated
means ‘throw across’ so Johnnie is exploring the movement of
his cup when he drops it from his highchair. In a basic way, he
is learning about gravity and forces as well as engaging in play
that involves turn-taking with an adult, which is essential for social
interaction and conversation. If you are worried about the mess
when he throws things, then you can take practical steps like placing
a splash-mat under his highchair or sitting him in a small chair at
ground level. Alternatively you could accept that he will throw things
and only give him things that you are happy for him to throw. You
may like to play other games with him like throwing some soft balls
or beanbags into a waste-paper basket or share with him some
cause-and-effect toys like shape-sorters and pop-up toys.
Sympathetic Sue
Dear Sympathetic Sue,
I am worried about my daughter Sarah’s behaviour. She is a
lovely little three-year-old who happily plays with her friends, but
when she is on her own, she spends hours lining up her teddies or
carefully arranging her unicorns in rows, often in a colour order. If I
try to touch them, she gets very upset and I’m running out of floor
space! I am worried that she might be autistic. Please help!
From Panicking Pamela
Dear Panicking Pamela,
Please do not panic! Although I do not know Sarah, no one has ever
been diagnosed as autistic on the basis that they line up their toys
alone! She sounds like a sociable little girl who is engaging in a
positioning schema. This type of play is very common and is helping
Sarah to make sense of the world. Through lining up her toys, she is
learning important organisational skills and working out how to order
and sequence her unicorns. Her ability to focus for long periods of
time is great and will be a huge asset when she begins school. You
could talk to Sarah about creating her lines in the space in which you
would prefer her to create them, which still enables people to walk
past, explaining that you love her lines of toys and are worried that
you might step on them. Sarah might want the opportunity to order
and line up other toys so perhaps you could introduce some unicorns
of different sizes? She might enjoy positioning her toys on an old
flattened box to create a magical background scene and you could
invite Sarah to introduce a narrative to run alongside her lines of toys,
explaining to you why she has placed each toy in that specific place.
You will probably find that she has carefully thought this through and
has a great brain for planning things, which will prove very useful in
years to come!
Sympathetic Sue
Dear Sympathetic Sue,
My son, Xavier, enjoys painting but has been coming home from nursery
school lately with black pictures. His key person said that he spent ages
painting a lovely picture and then covered it all with black paint! Why
would he want to cover up his lovely work? Oh, and he’s also been hiding
a lot recently, under duvets, blankets and even putting my dressing gown
over his head! Please help!
From Confused in Creeton
Dear Confused in Creeton,
Firstly, do not worry about Xavier’s confusing behaviour. He is
interested in enveloping, which is a common schema of play. Covering himself or his paintings links
with the idea that things can appear and disappear and he is playing with the concept. While hiding,
he is exploring and thinking about when he can and can’t be seen - which you can play along with.
You might like to offer him some large pieces of material, a clothes horse and some clothes pegs with
which he can make a den or offer him wrapping paper to ‘hide’ his toys inside. He will love playing
hide and seek with you and may want to cover some toys and play a treasure hunt game to find
them. Some children who enjoy enveloping also like to explore this concept when cooking, so making
pies, pasties, filling pitta bread or samosas will be a great hit!
Sympathetic Sue
We can share information about schemas with parents and carers, offering them practical ideas
of how they can support their children’s development at home in ways that link into the schema
they are interested in. You may be interested in reading my book “Observing and Developing
Schematic Behaviour in Young Children” which looks at 12 different schemas, what they are,
interpreting this behaviour and it also offers ideas of how to further extend the schema. It also
considers how occasionally-schematic-play can be misinterpreted as poor behaviour.
Here are some ideas of how to support parents to better understand schemas:
> > Help them to recognise and identify schemas and play patterns
> > Talk about behaviours that could be described as schematic
> > Reassure them that schemas are a common way that many children learn and develop
> > Explain that children repeatedly behaving in unusual, odd or frustrating ways is how they
are learning about the world around them
> > Display photos of children engaging in specific play relating to schemas, for example,
rotation – with pictures of children spinning wheels, playing with balls, drawing circles etc.
> > Share how repeating actions helps children’s brains to develop
> > Provide ideas of how to extend children’s play including simple games or activities that they
can play together at home
> > Plan a workshop to share ideas about schematic behaviour
> > Set up your room with lots of schematic activities and add posters stating what children are
learning through this repetitive play
> > Create a series of little information leaflets, each focusing on one schema at a time
When it comes to schemas, you may need to be ‘Sympathetic Sue’ for your parents and carers,
reassuring them that schemas are a common way in which children investigate and explore the
world around them.
Tamsin Grimmer
Tamsin Grimmer is an
experienced early years
consultant and trainer and
parent who is passionate about
young children’s learning and
development. She believes
that all children deserve
practitioners who are inspiring,
dynamic, reflective and
committed to improving on their
current best. Tamsin particularly
enjoys planning and delivering
training and supporting
early years practitioners and
teachers to improve outcomes
for young children.
Tamsin has written two
books - “Observing and
Developing Schematic
Behaviour in Young Children”
and “School Readiness and
the Characteristics of Effective
Learning”.
Website:
tamsingrimmer.co.uk
Facebook:
facebook.com/earlyyears.
consultancy.5
Twitter:
@tamsingrimmer
Email:
info@tamsingrimmer.co.uk
32 Parenta.com December 2018 33
Branch out and celebrate
Tree Dressing Day
Most people are familiar with decorating a Christmas tree,
but did you know that there is a weekend dedicated to the
appreciation of trees? Initiated by Common Ground nearly 30
years ago, Tree Dressing Day is always celebrated on the first full
weekend of December. It’s a chance for the local community to
gather together and recognise the vital importance of trees.
They may seem mundane and we tend
not to pay much attention to them in our
everyday lives, but trees are amazing!
They reduce pollution and soil erosion,
provide a habitat for wildlife, absorb
carbon dioxide and generate oxygen for
us to breathe. In fact, two mature trees
are said to produce enough oxygen for a
family of 4 people.
Trees are also amongst some of the
oldest living organisms on the planet,
with one Yew tree in Wales estimated to
be between 4,000-5000 years old.
But it’s not just the natural environment
that trees have a positive effect on.
They have been evidenced in research
as being beneficial to our mental wellbeing
by reducing stress, depression
and anxiety. Just taking a walk through
woodland or a forested area can lift our
spirits and make us feel happier.
In late September, trees tend to shed their
leaves, marking the start of autumn. Tree
Dressing Day provides the chance to see
a bare tree transformed into a thing of
beauty during the winter months.
HOW CAN YOU CELEBRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TREES?
Here are 6 ideas that you can try with the help of your pre-schoolers. You may be able
to add some of your own!
HAVE A GO AT
LEAF RUBBING
MAKE NATURAL
DECORATIONS
RE-LEAF A BARE TREE
MAKE LEAF BUNTING TO
HANG IN YOUR SETTING
TELL STORIES AND
READ POEMS
On a piece of plain white paper,
position leaves vein-side up. Show
the children how to lay another sheet
of white paper over the top of the
leaves. Let the children choose the
coloured crayons they’d like to use
for their leaf rubbing and peel off the
wrappers. Turn each crayon on its
side and demonstrate how to gently
rub this over the top sheet of paper.
Take your children for a walk in the
woods and collect natural materials.
Begin collecting these items as soon
as you can and build up a variety. You
could collect materials such as:
• leafless twigs
• fir and pine cones
• crab apples
• rose hips
• holly and hawthorn berries
• mistletoe
• feathers
Once back at your setting, these items
can be made into natural decorations
by tying or fixing them together with
wire, string, ribbons and glue.
Collect different types of autumn
leaves and dry them. In the first week
of December, dress the trees with
these leaves again, hanging your
collection amongst the branches
using string or twine. Children could
even write or draw ‘tree messages’
- messages of appreciation for the
trees - on each dried leaf.
FIND A TREE PLANTING EVENT NEAR YOU
Using two sides of wax paper, a
variety of different leaves and an iron,
you can make beautiful leaf bunting
to hang as a decoration around your
setting. Hang these somewhere that
they will be able to catch the sunlight
throughout the day. The translucent
paper will make the colour of the
leaves really come to life!
Why not do your bit for the environment? Use the map on The Tree Council’s
website to find a community event near your setting and see if you could get your
children involved in a local initiative to help plant new trees.
Why not gather together the children
and read a story or a poem about a
tree whilst sitting underneath one?
This will help bring the story to life by
engaging youngsters with the natural
beauty and sensory experience of the
wind rustling through the leaves.
A WORD OF ADVICE
• When you are dressing trees, take care
not to damage the tree in any way.
• Don’t use nails or anything that could
impact its growth.
• Try to stick to natural and biodegradable
decorations.
• You may need to get permission from
your local authority to dress a tree.
34 Parenta.com December 2018 35
Parenta job board
www.jobs.parenta.com
YOU WILL NEED:
Christmas craft -
Santa handprint
►►
Craft paper
►►
Red paint and paint brush (or red
marker/crayon)
►►
Glue
1
2
3
4
5
6
►►
Scissors
►►
Pencil
►►
White pompoms
►►
Googly eyes
Draw the outline of your hand (without the thumb) on a piece of paper then add a
hat design on top of it. It will look silly at first, but once it’s finished it’ll look great!
Cut out your design.
Draw a line with a pencil to separate the hat from the face (this will give you a
perfect line to paint to).
Paint the hat part with red paint. You can also add a squiggly line to it.
Glue on the googly eyes, then draw a nose
and mouth.
Glue on the pompoms to the
bottom part of your design
to create a pompom
beard! Also don’t forget
to add one pompom
to the end part of
the hat.
Childcare Apprentice Required:
To make use of our FREE recruitment service
get in touch contact@parenta.com
Kids Will Be Kids Elstree Watford WD6 3JJ
Sudbury Town Nursery School Sudbury, Greenford London UB6 0NA
Hornsey Road Children’s Centre Hornsey London N7 7EN
Ferndale Road Day Nursery Lambeth London SW9 8AZ
Small People South Norwood London SE25 5JR
Ashdon Children’s Nursery Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB10 2ET
Pips Nursery Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB11 4XJ
Club Kingswood Nursery Basildon Essex SS17 9BT
Bishy Barnabees Dereham Norwich NR20 3JY
Inside Out Nurseries Ltd Bubbenhall Coventry CV8 3BL
Barnabas House Private Nursery Darwen Blackburn BB3 2ED
Farm Work Play Faversham Kent ME13 9EH
Prima Montessori Gillingham Kent ME7 3JQ
Village End Childcare Ascot Berkshire SL5 8DQ
Patchwork Montessori Maidenhead Buckinghamshire SL6 3AR
Little Roos Marlow Buckinghamshire SL7 1JW
Kelly’s Childminding Newhall Derbyshire DE11 0SJ
Blossom Day Nursery Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 9XA
Playdays Farnborough Farnborough Hampshire GU14 6DD
Nanny’s House Portslade East Sussex BN41 2FA
Goldcrest Day Nursey Billericay Essex CM11 2HQ
Little Faces Childcare Chelmsford Essex CM2 8HR
Clever Cloggs Day Nursery Dunmow Essex CM6 1FF
Little Einstein’s Day Camp Brightlingsea Colchester CO7 0BZ
Boxmoor Preschool Crouchfield Hemel Hempstead HP1 1PA
Knowledgems Ilford Essex IG1 4UA
Charlbury Railway Children Charlbury West Oxfordshire OX7 3HH
Little Barn Owls Farlington Farlington West Sussex RH12 3PN
Walton House Nursery Ltd Sidcup Kent DA14 4LW
36 Parenta.com
Men working
in early years
settings
Suggested ways to tackle the problem
1
A strategic approach. Settings could come together
to create a steering group to offer advice and direction.
These groups should commit to action rather than just
talking though. Other ways include creating networks
to support male staff. The Fatherhood Institute ran a
campaign to attract more men into the sector and in
2016, held the first conference concerning men in early
years settings.
A recently-published book by David Wright and
Simon Brownhill, entitled “Men in Early Years
Settings: Building a Mixed Gender Workforce” has
highlighted the problem of the gender imbalance
in the early years workforce.
In the UK, nursery staff are predominantly female: less than 2%
are male, despite 84% of parents saying they wanted to see
childcare settings employing male workers.
International experience suggests that change is possible,
although each country has its own cultural, work and social
differences. In 2005, Denmark had the greatest percentage of
male childcare workers at 8%. However, in Norway in 2008, their
figure had risen to 10% (up from 3%). In addition, Norway was
able to increase the proportion of kindergartens with at least one
male teacher from 16% to 22% due to a legal responsibility to
increase men employed in pre-schools.
Benefits
There are many benefits to encouraging more men to work in
early years settings, including:
• A more diverse workforce which better reflects our society at
large, creating positive male role models. This is especially
important if a child’s own father is absent. Research suggests
that significant contact time with a male adult was lacking in
17% of children from lone-parent families, who experienced
less than two hours a week. And one third had under six
hours a week, so men in early years settings are vital in
redressing this balance
• A larger pool of male applicants to recruit staff from
• A reduction in the attainment gap between boys and girls
aged 16. Although more research is needed, it would seem
logical to assume that more positive male role models at all
stages of a child’s education, would be helpful
• Children can benefit from the different approaches and
caring styles that men can bring, including challenging
behaviour, and risk-taking
• Men can often bring more active movement, or ‘rough-andtumble’
play in their interaction with children which can be
positive
• Male practitioners can help challenge stereotypes related to
professions, household duties, toys and activities. If children
see men in different roles in their childcare and educational
settings, these roles can be accepted more readily by society
at large.
Barriers to entry
Despite these advantages, statistics prove there are still many
barriers preventing men from working in nurseries including:
• A prevailing attitude that caring for the young is ‘women’s
work’, despite improvements in men sharing childcare duties
for their own children
• Men can feel unwelcome in a predominantly female
environment
• Men can still be viewed with suspicion in early years settings
or face an uphill struggle to challenge stereotypes
• Negative generalisations about men - such as ‘men don’t
talk much’ or ‘men always play rough’ or ‘men are not as
emotionally-connected as women’
• Low wages and the perceived lack of career opportunities or
progression.
What can be done?
Solutions for tackling the problem are needed at both government
and local levels.
In 2012, the UK Government published targets for increasing the
number of men working in childcare settings, saying they wanted
“a greater gender balance in the early years workforce.”
In 2017, the Department of Education also published the “Early
Years Workforce Strategy” setting out “how the department plans
to support the early years sector to remove barriers to attracting,
retaining and developing the early years workforce.” It identified
the problem of gender balance, and whilst the results of this
strategy have yet to be realised, things are moving in the right
direction.
The recent book by Wright and Brownhill, is one step forward
offering guidance on attracting, recruiting, retaining and
developing male members of staff.
2
3
4
5
6
Review educational courses. Training courses need
to ensure that they are relevant and supportive for male
trainees and that obstacles to recruitment are overcome.
Improved career advice. Careers advice is compulsory in
schools so adequate provision should be made to ensure
that jobs showing males working in early education
and childcare, are shown as fulfilling, challenging, and
rewarding careers with good career prospects.
The use of male staff in adverts and posters. Images
used to advertise roles for permanent or volunteer staff
in early years settings, should include both male and
female staff.
Retainment of male staff. Recruiting male staff is only
part of the problem. Settings need to ensure ongoing
support and practices that tackle pressures, prejudices or
isolation felt by male staff.
Reduced stereotyping. This means tackling the often
ingrained, unspoken ideas that men are particularly
‘dangerous’ or ‘undesirable’ in early years settings.
In a joint statement promoting their new book, the authors said:
“The thinking behind “Men in Early Years Settings: Building a
Mixed Gender Workforce” is to keep children at the centre of the
discourse.”
Accordingly, the authors underline the principle of ‘the best
person for the job’ rather than employing anyone based purely on
their gender.
Expectations, fears, perceptions and pressures to conform to
stereotypes are all discussed in the book. The authors conducted
empirical research, analysing examples
of settings where mixed-gender
teams exist that help to illustrate
key characteristics of successful
organisations.
38 Parenta.com December 2018 39
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