Parenta Magazine May 2019

Issue 54 

MAY 2019 

FREE 

INDUSTRY 

EXPERTS 

Reflective practice vs 

reflexive practice 

There’s more to slime 

than meets the eye... 

Using a reward 

chart effectively 

+ lots more 

Write for us 

for a chance to 

WIN 

£50 

p 29 

A GOOD STORY CAN BE 

TAKEN ANYWHERE! 

Tonya Meers discusses storytelling and shares lots of ideas that are guaranteed 

to spark your imagination – just by using your location and whatever you can see. 

MENINGITIS AWARENESS WEEK • FOSTERING • HOW TO TEACH CREATIVE WRITING

Hello and welcome to the May edition of the Parenta magazine! 

May is upon us, the daffodils and tulips have been in full bloom for some weeks now; and we can finally look forward 

to a few months of long, drawn-out evenings and (hopefully) warm weather! 

We have so many pieces of invaluable advice for you this month – ranging from great ways to take stories everywhere 

you go, to how to teach creative writing, to the importance of fantasy, role-play and superhero play! All of which are 

written to help you with the efficient running of your setting and to promote the health, happiness and wellbeing of the 

children in your care. 

Summer is just around the corner and children love to be outside at any given opportunity. Sometimes it’s just too hot to be running around so 

what better way of helping them to cool down than getting them to create and tell stories outside? May is national Share-A-Story Month, and 

Tonya Meers gives some fantastic advice on how to make up a story ‘on the spot’ without the need for any props! 

How to teach creative writing doesn’t feel as if it needs to be a priority when talking about pre-school children. However, many practitioners 

agree that creative writing for children is one of the many areas that is neglected in literacy development. On page 12, we look at ways in 

which we can help our little ones start to express themselves more by allowing their imaginations to run wild and have some fun with words! 

Speaking of imagination, Tamsin Grimmer continues her ‘superhero’ series on page 14 with a fascinating article exploring how important 

fantasy play is for child development. 

Viral Meningitis Awareness Week runs from 6th to 12th May this year and is a topic close to many people’s hearts. All early years professionals 

should know what to do if they suspect a child is suffering with meningitis but it is not always detected in time. Why not try our meningitis quiz 

on page 38 to see how much you know about the disease? 

Congratulations to our guest author competition winner! Tamsin Grimmer’s article, “I’m killing the baddies!” which uses ‘superhero play’ to 

deal with notions of killing and death within early childhood, was very popular with our readers. We’re always on the lookout for new authors 

to contribute insightful articles for our monthly magazine. 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 29 for details. 

We really hope you enjoy all the advice articles and suggested activities in this month’s magazine – please feel free to share with friends and 

colleagues! 

Allan 

SLIME! 

hello 

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY 

36 

MAY 2019 ISSUE 54 

IN THIS EDITION 

REGULARS 

24 What our customers say 

28 Shape emergency services cars craft 

29 Write for us for a chance to win £50 

NEWS 

4 Invitation to attend the House of Commons for 

Hartlepool nursery 

6 Parenta Trust news 

ADVICE 

10 A childcare career without a childcare 

qualification? 

12 How to teach creative writing to children 

16 Deaf Awareness Week 

19 Free childcare insurance review 

20 Encouraging role-play with young children 

25 Parenta solutions 

26 People who help us 

A childcare career without a childcare qualification? 10 

Learn more about Deaf Awareness Week. 16 

Encouraging role-play with young children. 20 

Joanna Grace explores 

how slime/gak can 

be used to support 

emotional regulation, 

looking at two different 

personality types. 

FANTASY 

PLAY 

14 

Tamsin Grimmer 

delves further into 

the importance of 

fantasy play in child 

development, and shares 

some of the benefits. 

STORYTELLING 

Tonya Meers discusses storytelling and 

shares lots of ideas that are guaranteed 

to spark your imagination – just by using 

your location and whatever you can see. 

8 

30 The importance of fostering 

38 Viral Meningitis Awareness Week 

INDUSTRY EXPERTS 

8 A good story can be taken anywhere! 

14 Keeping it real? The importance of fantasy play 

in child development 

22 Using a reward chart effectively 

32 Reflective practice vs reflexive practice 

36 There’s more to slime than meets the eye... 

Test your meningitis knowledge with our quiz! 38

Invitation to attend the House of 

Commons for Hartlepool nursery 

Footprints Learning for Life owner and manager, Sharon Birch, and her colleague Vivienne 

Dempsey were privileged to be invited to the Parliamentary Review at the House of Commons 

- to put forward a paper for ‘best practice’. 

MPs from all parties, some of the UK’s 

leading business people and a few 

celebrities were in attendance at the 

gala ceremony on 27th March. The 

nursery’s aim was to raise its profile as 

a nursery in the north of the country and 

to put forward its paper highlighting best 

practice in early years childcare. 

The staff at the nursery school, founded 

in 2006 in Hartlepool, focus entirely 

on providing every child with an equal 

opportunity for a great start in life, 

regardless of circumstances. They 

believe that one size does not fit all, and 

they cater for individual requirements 

irrespective of need, culture, race, 

gender and abilities. 

Sharon Birch explains a little more about 

the background and philosophy of her 

nursery: “I founded Footprints after a 

20-year career in the police service. As a 

mother of three children born within five 

years, I knew what a busy family needed 

in terms of childcare. My husband was a 

service police officer and we spent years 

juggling childcare with shift work and 

school hours. It was difficult, and the 

system was inflexible. My children were 

not able to attend school nursery ahead 

of reception due to this inflexibility 

and we took up their free nursery 

entitlement. It worked well for us as a 

family, but I believe parents should have 

choice. Rigid systems are not compatible 

with families today. 

“I took on my children’s old nursery 

when it was due for closure, and with 

a personal investment, turned it into 

‘Footprints Learning for Life’ – 12 staff 

and 55 children returned to the nursery 

after the takeover. The first thing I did 

was devise a ten-year plan that focused 

on three main areas: for Footprints to 

become financially viable, to have a 

reputation that other providers aspired 

Happy staff 

make happy 

children - which 

makes happy parents 

who can carry on 

their day knowing 

their children are 

well cared for. We 

employ staff at the 

start and the end of 

their careers, and 

everyone in 

between. 

towards, and to gain an “outstanding” 

rating from Ofsted. 

“In 2016, we achieved these goals, but 

we had a difficult journey along the 

way. I was new to running a business 

and had never employed anyone, but I 

knew the sort of childcare I wanted to 

provide. It was hard to break the mould, 

but, even today, we are one of the few 

nurseries in the UK that provide these 

services.” 

Leadership 

“I enrolled Footprints in the Investors in 

People (IIP) programme and we have 

learned a lot, achieving the standard 

in 2008 and Gold IIP in 2010. Happy 

staff make happy children - which 

makes happy parents who can carry 

on their day knowing their children 

are well cared for. We employ staff 

at the start and the end of their 

careers, and everyone in between. We 

have apprentices, students on work 

placements, nursery nurses, teachers, 

cooks and drivers, of both sexes. We 

have low staff turnover and believe 

in giving staff proper contracts, with 

only three ‘bank’ staff on zero-hour 

contracts. They have the same benefits 

and entitlements as contracted staff, 

and everyone works very well as a team, 

irrespective of job role. We invest in staff 

training and appreciate that everyone 

works very hard for their wage. We 

embrace opportunities and encourage 

students with additional needs and 

those who have been marginalised due 

to their circumstances. We also employ 

staff that are returning to work after a 

long break. Although we can’t increase 

wages, I give staff other benefits, such 

as paying for a health therapist to give 

treatments, recognition awards at every 

staff meeting, a Christmas event, highstreet 

vouchers and a subscription to a 

scheme that offers perks to employees. 

In 2012, we won a UK Nursery World 

Award for team development and we 

achieved our “outstanding” Ofsted rating 

in 2016.” 

Finances 

“Our income is low in comparison to 

our geographical area, because our 

prices are half what our rivals charge, 

and we have the same overheads. 

Profits are minimal and there is no 

spare cash, but thankfully we have a 

good working relationship with the local 

authority who ensure that payments 

for the two-, three-, and four-year-old 

funded places are completed promptly. 

Payments from parents, many of whom 

are in receipt of benefits or are on a low 

income, are often late, which can also 

cause cash-flow difficulties. Hartlepool 

is an area with high deprivation and 

poverty, and we care for around 180 

children a week from a variety of family 

environments. As a result, many cannot 

afford additional services, so we provide 

all meals through our grants and 

funding. We do not charge for extras, 

other than transport, and we provide 

healthy menus, in line with early years 

guidance from the government. We cater 

for cultural needs and cook all foods on 

our premises with fresh, locally-sourced 

produce. We work with many local 

businesses and actively support the 

charities Changing Futures NE and Miles 

for Men.” 

Families and childcare 

“We offer a range of services – 

breakfast, after-school, holiday club, 

half and full day care, late evenings and 

Saturdays – depending on demand. 

We also open on bank holidays, aside 

from those over the Christmas period. 

Every child receives breakfast, a twocourse 

lunch, a two-course dinner and 

two snacks throughout the day. Busy 

families often need to be in two or more 

places at once, and working patterns 

and school schedules are often not 

compatible. Footprints offers flexible 

childcare sessions for shift workers, 

as well as term-time-only places for 

teachers and those that need it. We offer 

a fully inclusive transport service across 

town, which is tough to schedule but is 

complemented by staff who also work 

flexibly. We have a fleet of four vehicles, 

operated by qualified, experienced 

drivers and nursery nurse escorts. This 

service fosters good relationships with 

the primary schools across the town, 

enabling positive transitions for children 

preparing for school. Our parents 

currently favour social media as a 

means of communication. 

“We are in the process of developing 

an app for parents to book and pay 

for sessions, and we have also gone 

online with a new system that enables 

parents to view their child’s learning and 

development journal.” 

What does the future hold? 

“We are always looking to enhance 

our nursery and grow the business 

within our tight financial constraints. 

We are innovative and embrace change 

in a sector that has strict regulations. 

My vision for the future is to continue 

giving the families of Hartlepool quality 

childcare, fit for purpose. I would love to 

offer children up to the age of seven the 

opportunity to continue their education 

with us, as we know that not all are 

ready for the formal school system. 

Our emphasis is learning through play 

and discovery in a variety of different 

environments, in a variety of different 

ways.” 

4 Parenta.com May 2019 5

CALLING ALL CAR 

& MOTORBIKE 

ENTHUSIASTS... 

Parenta Trust news 

Don’t miss out on the road trip of a lifetime - come and 

join us for an automotive adventure! 

FUNDRAISE 

for Parenta Trust and help us build more pre-schools for the little ones 

living in deprived areas of the world - they really need your help. 

Here at Parenta Trust, we are raising vital funds to build preschools 

for young children in desperate need of a quality 

education in deprived areas of the world. 

Please join us on our annual Maidstone to Monaco Rally 

on 26th — 30th June! 

Check out our video here: bit.ly/ptrally2019 

To take part in this adventure and to help us make a difference to hundreds of 

children’s lives, find out more and register today at parentatrust.com! 

The Rally: 

ÌÌ 

2000 miles. 8 countries. 5 days. 

ÌÌ 

Camp under the stars. 

ÌÌ 

Negotiate the winding roads of the 

Furka Pass. 

ÌÌ 

Take part in crazy challenges. 

ÌÌ 

Absorb the stunning scenery of the 

Alps. 

ÌÌ 

Enjoy plenty of laughter along the 

way! 

The Vehicles: 

ÌÌ 

All cars and motorbikes welcome. 

ÌÌ 

Teams or individuals can enter. 

ÌÌ 

Decoration is a must! 

Choose Parenta 

Trust for your next 

fundraising event! Every 

penny counts on our 

mission to ensure every 

pre-school child gets 

the education they 

deserve. 

There are so many things you 

can do to fundraise. Here are 

just a few ideas: 

• Take part in a sponsored run 

• Have a bake sale 

• Host a quiz night 

• Set up a “tuck shop” 

• Start an in-setting/in-office 

challenge 

• Hold a raffle 

• Host your own “bake off” 

The Dates: 

ÌÌ 

26th–30th June 2019. 

ÌÌ 

Setting off from Maidstone, Kent. 

Now in its 6th year, the Maidstone to Monaco Rally is a fantastic way to bring 

people together for a great cause and have fun along the way. Our 5th school 

opens early in 2019 and in addition, funds raised from last year’s rally and our 

two charity balls, means that we are now finalising funds for our next school. 

Together, we can raise enough funds to continue building a new pre-school 

year on year. With every pre-school we build, we give another 200 children the 

opportunity they deserve to have an early years education. 

Register today at parentatrust.com 

Together we can make a difference to hundreds of children in the 

poorest areas of the world 

Parenta Trust was founded by Allan Presland in 2013 after a life-changing and 

heartbreaking trip to Kampala in Uganda. He returned to the UK to set up a 

charity, leveraging his existing network of contacts in the early years sector, and 

his ambitious quest to build one pre-school per year began. 

The Mission: 

ÌÌ 

Raise vital funds to build pre-schools 

in the most deprived areas of the 

world. 

ÌÌ 

Allow young children to break out of 

the cycle of poverty and look forward 

to a bright future. 

Follow the Rally countdown on 

social media! 

8 weeks to go! 

facebook.com/ParentaTrust 

We’ll help you as much as possible by sending you: 

• A dedicated contact to help you with any questions you may have along the way 

• Promotion materials including wristbands, posters and information booklets 

• A fundraising pack including information on the history of the Trust, events we’ve hosted, 

our plans for the next year and a half-price ticket for our Charity Ball 

Get in touch via our website: bit.ly/fundraise-for-parentatrust 


A good story can be 

taken anywhere! 

Yay summer is here at last and who doesn’t want to take full advantage of 

those long warm summer days to be outside? Children love all that fresh 

air but sometimes it’s just too hot to be running around so what better 

way of helping them to cool down than getting them to create and tell 

stories outside? May is national Share-A-Story Month, so what better time than 

to explore how to make up a story ‘on the spot’ without the need for any props? 

Stories are everywhere and whether we realise it or not we tell them every day, they are after all what 

makes us human! But if I asked you to make up a story on the spot, you would probably look at me 

terrified, I can see the panic in your eyes already! Well don’t worry, I’m going to give you lots of ideas 

that are guaranteed to spark your imaginations and make you and the children natural storytellers, 

just by using your location and whatever you can see. 

So where to first? 

The Garden 

Why not let the children make a den in a corner of the garden just to use for storytelling? It 

could be somewhere you can all sit in the shade just to tell stories, making it a special and 

magical place. Or you could have a special storytelling chair where the person who’s telling 

the story would sit and tell their stories. 

Then look around the garden, what do you see? Perhaps you spot a bee buzzing 

around the flowers, where has he been? Where is he going to next? How many 

gardens has he visited and what has he seen on his travels? Why not give him a name, 

you could make up a whole story of what he’s been up to just by asking a few questions. 

The children will love this and it’s a great way for them to learn about nature. 

The Beach 

Perhaps you are near the beach or are planning a day trip with the children - there are no end of 

possibilities here. You could make up stories about the people you see, like the ice cream seller or the 

lifeboat crew or even a seagull. You can make up a story about where the seagull has been on his 

travels and what he’s seen. How many ice creams has he pinched? 

Perhaps he feels guilty about that and wants to put things right. Or 

maybe you could all make up a story about a magic sandcastle. Who 

lives there? What’s it like inside? Do you get transported off to another 

world? What happens there? 

The Park 

Perhaps you will be taking the children for a picnic to the park. What do 

you see? Is there someone there you can make up a story about like the park 

keeper or the gardener? Or maybe you could include some of the play equipment 

like a magic roundabout or a magic swing that transports you off somewhere? The 

children would find this really exciting! 

So as you can see, there are lots of different ideas you can use. The secret is to think 

about the 5 Ws: 

Who is the story about? 

What are they looking for? 

Where is the story set or where are they going? 

Why are they going? Is it to find something? 

When is it set in the past, the present or the future? 

The stories you can make up with the children are endless and they will love it as 

they have got such vivid imaginations. A plant pot might be just a plant pot to you or 

me but to them it could be a snail’s house or even a rocket launcher. 

So now you’ve got a bucket load of ideas, what are the benefits of taking 

stories outside? 

Don’t forget... 

»» 

It gets everyone out in the fresh air 

»» 

Improves our understanding of the world around us 

»» 

Improves vocabulary 

»» 

Improves speaking and listening skills 

»» 

It helps us to relax and that’s when the ideas really start to flow 

»» 

Helps us to bond with the children and creates some great, long-lasting 

memories. 

For some hands-on experience of how to create stories using the outside 

world, and to enhance the experience of storytelling, why not join us at the 

Holiday Inn Express at the Trafford Centre, Manchester on the 28th June 

when we will be running a workshop on this in partnership with EYR? To 

book, just go to www.littlecreativedays.co.uk/eyrworkshops.html 

You’ve got five 

senses: smell, touch, 

sound: sight and taste 

so use them to really 

bring your story 

to life. 

Tonya Meers 

Tonya Meers is the Chief 

Storyteller at Little Creative 

Days. Tonya believes that 

stories are the most versatile 

and powerful educational 

tool you can use and there 

isn’t anything that you can’t 

teach through a story. 

She is co-author of the 

multi-award-winning 

Pojo series of educational 

creative storytelling kits, 

which have won awards 

for their promotion of 

communication and 

language skills for early 

years and primary schoolaged 

children. 

In addition, she and her 

storytelling sister/business 

partner also deliver training 

and workshops for early 

years practitioners, local 

authorities and primary 

schools. They offer a range 

of interactive workshops 

to encourage, engage and 

enable children to develop a 

love of literacy. 

You can contact Tonya at 

Little Creative Days via 

email@littlecreativedays.co.uk, 

on Twitter @littlecreative or 

via Facebook. 


A childcare 

career 

without a 

childcare 

qualification? 

There are many people who really 

enjoy spending time with young 

children and would like to pursue 

a career in childcare, but are 

not always aware of how to get 

started - or don’t realise that it’s 

even a feasible option. 

Nowadays, to become a qualified nursery 

worker and to be counted in the staff-tochildren 

ratios in an early years childcare 

setting, you need to have a childcare level 3 

qualification or higher. 

People of all ages and walks of life decide to 

pursue a career in childcare and their reasons 

for doing so vary. We explore some options 

for getting started into childcare employment 

without a childcare qualification, and also take 

a look at some of the categories that can apply 

to these people. 

Find volunteer work 

Following the successful completion of a 

DBS (formerly CRB) that will be carried out 

by the employer, which is a check into your 

background, you can be cleared to work with 

children. Many nurseries and pre-schools are 

short on resources and would welcome the 

opportunity to have an extra pair of hands 

helping them out. The advantage of this, is 

that if a paid position becomes available, 

you may be able to apply for it immediately. 

Volunteering is looked upon very favourably in 

most industries and the vacancy may even be 

offered to you before it is opened up to anyone 

else. 

Become a childminder 

If you are serious about starting up your own 

childminding business, there are certain 

training and qualifications that you will need 

to take beforehand. You will also need to be 

willing to adapt your house to make it a safe 

environment to care for a group of children and 

allow Ofsted to carry out regular inspections to 

make sure you are providing a high quality of 

care. You can read our guide on the steps you 

need to take to become a childminder here: 

bit.ly/childminderinfo 

10 Parenta.com 

Take on work-based training 

If you’re already working with children in a 

setting, such as a nursery nurse or pre-school 

assistant, and you want to help shape the 

future of the next generation of children whilst 

at the same time improving your knowledge 

of how to support their mental and physical 

development, a childcare level 2 course 

would be ideal for you. Work-based training 

programmes, also known as apprenticeships, 

allow you to gain valuable industry 

qualifications whilst working in a childcare 

environment. There are a number of reasons 

why considering a childcare apprenticeship is a 

good idea: there are no student loans or tuition 

fees to pay – in fact, because you are training 

in your workplace, you actually “earn as you 

learn”! You get your own tutor who supports 

you every step of the way and there are no 

classes to attend. 

It’s a good idea to talk to your employer 

and agree with them that they will support 

you in your decision to take your childcare 

qualifications. The good news is, if your 

employer is non-levy and you are aged 

16-18 when you start an apprenticeship, the 

government will subsidise 100% of your training 

costs and from 1st April 2019, if you’re 19 or over, 

the amount that your employer is responsible for 

paying the government towards the cost of your 

training drops from 10% to 5%. 

Who might benefit from these top tips on how to 

get started into childcare employment without a 

childcare qualification? 

The inspired parents 

Although the number of fathers choosing to stay 

at home to look after their children has fallen, 

there are still nearly a quarter of a million stayat-home 

fathers in the UK. Some new mothers 

or fathers decide to take a couple of years out 

of work to see their young babies grow up. 

They soon decide they really enjoy taking care 

of children and actively decide to get a job in 

childcare. 

The career-changer 

This is someone who has worked in several 

different jobs unrelated to childcare and has 

decided to have a change of career - pursuing 

childcare as something new and exciting. 

The young school leaver 

A young person who has just finished Year 11 

at school. They may have some experience of 

babysitting or looking after younger siblings, but 

will never have held a full time job before. 

The first time job-er 

This is normally someone of graduate calibre, 

who has finished university and is looking for 

their very first job. Related degrees such as 

Health and Social Care would be relevant for 

working with children. 

At Parenta, we help hundreds of people get started into childcare every year, 

supporting them while they develop essential skills whilst working in an early years 

setting. We have a highly skilled team of recruitment specialists, dedicated to finding 

the ideal apprenticeships and jobs - giving the right start to a rewarding career in 

childcare. 

Our team is on hand with expert advice and guidance and can be reached on 

0800 002 9242. 

Do you love practical hands on 

training and a good story? 

The multi-award winning Little Creative Days are experts in running 

fun and interactive workshops where you’ll learn lots of creative and 

practical ways to use stories in your setting. 

Next Workshops: 

Introducing Maths Through Stories 

Taking Stories Outside 

28 th June Holiday Inn Express Trafford City Manchester 

“I will use the ideas straight away. 

Lots to take back. Thank you.” 

Kelly Simpson, Teaching Assistant 

“Very enjoyable and informative – you can’t 

beat hands on, practical training. Thank You!” 

Nicole Darbyshire, Teaching Assistant 

To book your place go to: 

www.littlecreativedays.co.uk/ 

eyrworkshops.html 

In partnership with 

Across the world, 

many pre-school 

children are deprived 

of a basic education… 

From an early age, in many countries, children are sent 

out to fetch water, carry out domestic chores and look 

after their siblings. Very often, this means that they miss 

out on going to pre-school and receiving additional 

education throughout their childhood. Therefore they are 

not given the opportunity they deserve to develop to their 

full potential. 

Our sponsorship programme gives orphaned and 

disadvantaged pre-school children the chance to lay 

the foundations for their learning in a safe and loving 

environment. Having a basic education means these 

young children can break out of the cycle of poverty and 

look forward to a much brighter future. 

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How to teach creative 

writing to children 

The capacity to think creatively - for instance, in creative writing - forms the basis of selfexpression. 

However, many parents and teachers would agree that creative writing for 

children is one of the many areas that can be neglected in literacy development, and 

today’s young generation happen to be struggling with it as a result! It is strange because 

intrinsically, young ones are motivated to express themselves through writing, and we see 

social posts becoming one of their favourite activities as they grow older. 

As parents and early years 

practitioners, we may be guilty of 

not redirecting and channelling 

this instinct towards something 

fruitful - like giving them crayons 

and paper. What we do instead 

is give them gadgets with 

educational videos on the 

display, often just to be able to 

give ourselves some time and 

space. Thus, in the absence of 

the right environment and 

motivation, this creative 

instinct can die, or at least 

become muted. 

If we want children in our care 

to be more imaginative 

and better creative 

writers, here are 

some strategies that 

can get both the 

children, and 

you, started. 

Unplug from technology more 

often 

The passive consumption of TV, 

smartphones, laptops, and online 

games etc., is largely responsible 

for dulling children’s senses and 

their desire to express themselves 

through writing. So parents and 

practitioners need to create a short 

‘unplugged zone’ during the week or 

a longer one over weekends - for the 

family, and engage their children in 

conversation, listen to them and tell 

stories, explore ideas, or draw and 

write things together. There are some 

ways technology and media can 

be used by parents to give children 

material, for example to give them 

writing prompts, and it can be used 

by teens to create blogs too, but 

unplugged time will give them room 

to develop their imagination. 

Surround children with books 

and stationery 

It is very important to surround 

children with books rather than 

gadgets. Proximity 

creates curiosity and 

the desire and 

motivation to 

explore, can 

set the 

ball rolling in the right direction. You 

should also take children to libraries 

and bookstores often, giving them 

the freedom to choose the books 

they want to read and the kind of 

stationery they like. This can include 

journals and any writing materials 

they want to use for their projects, 

such as pens, coloured pencils, 

crayons, folders, binders and stickers. 

Encourage children to read 

more 

Reading stimulates the imagination 

as it exposes children to new 

words, sentence structures, plots, 

and characters. If a toddler is too 

young to read on their own, you 

should read out loud to them. 

Picture storybooks and audio books 

are best for them. Depending on 

their age, you can ask them to 

create short book reports on what 

they have read or other journal 

topics. Likewise, you could get a 

teenager a Kindle or Nook Reader 

and give them access to ebooks 

and audiobooks. Active reading 

skills naturally lead to a better 

ability to express oneself in words. 

Discuss ideas and extend 

them into write-ups 

One way to encourage creativity 

is to help children unleash their 

imagination through active 

discussion. Once a child is old 

enough to communicate, ask them 

questions about common things 

such as: places visited, people met, 

and books you’ve read together. 

Ask age-appropriate, probing 

questions, raise points, and add 

details. Use these discussions as 

writing prompts and encourage 

children to extend their ideas in 

stories and write-ups. You can 

extend this activity for older children 

by asking them to develop the 

scope of their imaginative work 

into other areas such as essays, 

paragraphs, compositions and 

speeches. These techniques 

can even be used in tackling 

scientific or maths work. 

Make composing words fun 

Ironically, some children find 

imaginative assignments boring, 

probably because they fail to see 

the point behind the exercise. 

But penning your thoughts is 

supposed to be fun, funny, bold, 

silly, enjoyable, explorative and 

adventurous, because this is the 

way our imagination and intuition 

works. Don’t force logical and/or 

more rational thinking to interfere 

with the flow of creative thoughts 

and words. Also, don’t focus 

too much on pointing out and 

correcting any mistakes in content 

and form, such as spellings and 

punctuation at this stage. Let your 

children compose freely and without 

stopping. You can return to these 

things later. Display your child’s 

creative draft as much as you 

celebrate their artwork - place it 

prominently on the fridge, and show 

it to guests and grandparents! 

Set a better example yourself 

Experts have hypothesised that 

parents are not modelling better 

literacy skills for their offspring 

because they are themselves 

guilty of spending too much 

time in front of the TV or on their 

smartphones. This is one of the 

reasons why parents can be 

distracted and pressed-for-time 

themselves. Parents who read 

more (including books, newspapers 

and magazines), maintain diaries 

or a journal, and visit bookshops 

and libraries, are often able to set 

a better example to their young 

children than those who do not. 

Helping children to think and 

compose freely and creatively, 

opens up their minds to 

possibilities. Expressing oneself 

creatively using spoken or written 

words, is a skill that has many uses 

beyond school, as it teaches young 

ones to think ‘outside the box’, 

solve problems and appreciate and 

tolerate different viewpoints. 


Keeping it real? it The real? importance of 

fantasy play in child development 

The importance of fantasy play in child development 

When you have a good imagination, you are never alone! You can be transported to a world of 

make-believe where none of your worries exist. You can be as good or otherwise as you like, and 

you can create friends to play alongside you. My youngest daughter often goes to an imaginary 

land, when I asked her what she loved about it, she replied: “Vegetables are unhealthy and sweets 

are healthy!” So in your imagination you can eat whatever you like too! My forthcoming book 

“Calling All Superheroes” also explores the importance of fantasy play in child development. This 

article touches upon some of the issues it raises. 

According to the Oxford 

dictionary, fantasy is defined 

as: ‘The faculty or activity 

of imagining impossible or 

improbable things’ (OUP, 

2019a). This is opposed to the 

definition of reality which is: ‘A 

thing that exists in fact, having 

previously only existed in one’s 

mind’ (OUP, 2019b). Fantasy 

play is when children use 

their imagination and play out 

scenarios which are impossible 

or improbable, for example, 

having superpowers as a 

superhero. 

Practitioners within early 

childhood education settings 

are mindful of the importance 

of starting with concrete, 

hands-on, real experiences 

when working with young 

children and building on their 

prior knowledge. It is vital that 

we continue to use hands-on, 

real life examples so that 

the children 

can explore using their senses. 

Yet, whilst keeping it real, we 

must also encourage pretence 

and fantasy play. This type of 

play feeds children’s creativity 

and helps them to use their 

imagination. It is a natural way 

for children to play and we 

must engage in this with young 

children. Many educators 

naturally incorporate elements 

of pretence into their settings 

which also keeps magic alive. I 

have tried to do this within my 

own practice and been inspired 

by great authors such as Vivian 

Gussan-Paley (2010, 1984) and 

Jenny Tyrrell (2001). 

Children are excellent players 

and do not distinguish between 

fantasy and reality play. 

They move easily between 

the two. I was reminded of 

this when I observed two 

boys in a pre-school setting 

pretending to be werewolves 

recently! In their game they 

were able to breathe fire 

and began toasting 

marshmallows 

for their 

friends 

on the fire. They were 

being careful not to burn 

their mouths on the hot 

marshmallows, thus moving 

easily between the fantasy 

of being werewolves and 

breathing fire, to the pretence 

of toasting marshmallows 

on the fire and the notions of 

reality in potentially burning 

their mouths on the hot 

marshmallows. Imaginings 

within the fantasy realm also 

invoke real feelings, so if we 

feel good during this play, we 

will have a positive emotion 

which outlives the fantasy. A 

child who exclaims, “I can fly 

like Superman!” feels powerful 

and strong, and these are real 

feelings, albeit which stem 

from fantasy. 

Again, I was reminded of 

this when a 

practitioner 

told me 

about her 

son. He had a 

condition which 

required him 

to have regular 

blood tests from 

about the age of 

2½. She bought 

him an Iron Man 

suit in advance of 

attending, which she intended 

to be a reward for having the 

blood test. Her son, however, 

had other ideas! He wanted to 

wear it to the hospital because 

he knew that Iron Man was 

powerful and strong and 

nothing could hurt him when 

he is wearing his suit. So this 

little boy wore his Iron Man 

suit each time he attended the 

hospital and it helped him to 

feel strong enough to cope with 

the regular blood tests. This is 

a great example of how some 

elements of fantasy play, and, 

in particular, superhero play, 

can be immensely empowering 

for the children. 

Young children begin pretend 

play from around 18 months 

and this develops into more 

refined role-play, real or 

fictional, at about three years 

old (German & Leslie, 2001). 

However, by around 6 years, 

most children have still not 

fully grasped the difference 

between knowing something 

and believing it. Thus, early 

childhood educators are 

working with children who 

are learning to distinguish 

between fantasy and reality, 

pretend and real. There will 

be times when these lines are 

very blurred. You only need 

to have observed children 

playing a make-believe game 

to know that they are fully 

engrossed in this play, they are 

that character at that moment, 

in their minds they are not 

pretending. I was reminded of 

this recently when I asked my 

youngest daughter if she was 

pretending to be the doctor, 

“No”, she replied, “I am a 

doctor!” That certainly put me 

in my place and I was left in 

no doubt about how seriously 

fantasy and make-believe play 

is taken by children. 

After approximately seven 

years, Kitson (2010) suggests 

that if fantasy play is not 

actively encouraged it slowly 

diminishes. One way that we 

can keep the magic of fantasy 

play alive is through pretence 

and superhero play. These 

themes continue to engage 

older children, teenagers and 

adults as demonstrated by the 

amount of media attention 

dedicated to superheroes. 

Pretence is the ability to play 

with an object as if it were 

something else, or take on a 

role as another person. There 

are considerable overlaps 

with fantasy play, which is 

linked with the improbable 

and impossible, however, 

pretending can be more closely 

linked to reality. Children rarely 

distinguish between the two 

and we need to learn not to as 

well! 

There are many noted benefits for children engaging in this type of 

fantasy and make-believe play. It: 

ÌÌ 

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ÌÌ 

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ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

Encourages imagination and creativity. 

Builds children’s confidence as they 

experience the freedom to ‘be’ whomever 

or whatever they want to be. 

Enables children to deal with real life 

scenarios in a safe environment. 

Provides an opportunity for children to play 

games involving social rules, cooperation 

and collaboration. 

Encourages children to empathise with 

others. 

Offers children a place to escape from the 

real world. 

Usually involves a narrative and acts as 

a type of therapy as children talk through 

scenarios and possibilities. 

Helps children to deal with changes in their 

lives. 

Allows children an element of control in 

their lives - e.g. they can put toppings on 

a pizza that their parent wouldn’t normally 

allow! 

Improves children’s language and 

communication skills and is a great 

opportunity for extending children’s 

vocabulary. 

Provides an opportunity for children to 

negotiate roles and understand rules and 

boundaries. 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

ÌÌ 

Allows children to problem-solve and 

resolve conflicts themselves. 

Can counter stereotypes and discrimination 

as boys can play at being a mummy and 

girls at being Superman. 

Offers opportunities for children to explore 

different emotions and practice emotional 

control and self-regulation. 

Nurtures children’s dispositions such as 

resilience, perseverance and a ‘can-do’ 

attitude. 

Develops children’s cognitive skills and 

provides opportunities for literacy and 

numeracy. 

Enhances children’s understanding of the 

world and how things work. 

Allows children to practise fine and gross 

motor skills. 

Is fun! As educators we are always looking 

for the purposes in play – we should value 

this play intrinsically! 

For references please visit 

parenta.com/references-tg 


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 


Deaf Awareness Week 

In the UK, it is estimated that 1 in 6 people (approximately 11 

million people) are deaf or hard of hearing. Deafness is the third 

most common disability in the world, but you would be hardpressed 

to spot a deaf person in a crowd. 

Most deaf people do not see their 

deafness as a disability or even a 

problem that needs to be solved. They 

just view it as part of the normal life 

experience that they share with others in 

the deaf community and with their family 

and friends. 

From 6th – 12th May, the UK Council on 

Deafness (UKCoD) will co-ordinate Deaf 

Awareness Week (DAW) to highlight 

problems that deaf people face in their 

life, work, education and leisure. Many 

organisations and charities get involved 

in events, fund-raising activities and 

education to bring the message to 

others. There is a lot of free material on 

their website including bunting, posters 

and educational materials, but read on 

to find out more. 

Origins of Deaf Awareness Week 

Deaf Awareness Week was originally 

run in October by the British Deaf 

Association (BDA) and its main focus 

was on promoting British Sign Language 

(BSL) and the people in that community. 

As more and more organisations and 

groups wanted to get involved and draw 

attention to more general deafness 

topics, in 2001, the October week name 

was changed to Sign Language Week, 

and the mantle of organising Deaf 

Awareness Week passed to the UKCoD, 

who subsequently set the week in May, 

so as not to conflict with the BDA’s work. 

Nowadays, Deaf Awareness Week is a 

platform to discuss and raise awareness 

of many general issues related to 

deafness, and countless organisations 

get involved both locally and nationally 

to bring more understanding of 

deafness, and positive change to their 

own communities. 

The theme for this year’s DAW is 

“Celebrating Role Models” and it’s hoped 

that organisations will publish their own 

role models (deaf and hearing) using 

the hashtag #DAWrolemodels2019 on 

social media during the week to raise 

awareness. 

Communicating with deaf people 

One on the main issues for both 

people in the deaf community and 

those who are not, is the problem of 

communication. Many hearing people 

might wrongly assume that deaf people 

will not be able to understand them 

and there are still many misconceptions 

about the abilities of deaf people which 

need addressing. 

Many hearing people become easily 

frustrated trying to communicate 

with deaf or hard of hearing people 

(especially with elderly relatives) and 

often give up in their attempts. This can 

leave the deaf or hard of hearing person 

feeling isolated and lonely, so it is 

important that hearing people gain more 

understanding and information about 

ways they can effectively communicate 

with their friends and loved ones. 

The National Deaf Children’s Society has 

lots of useful information about this and 

emphasises the need to understand 

that all deaf people have different levels 

of deafness, hearing aids, implants 

or technology as well as their own 

preferred method of communication. 

It has published the following tips on 

communicating with deaf people, but 

especially with children. 

1. Find out the person’s preferred 

method of communication - speech, 

lipreading, BSL or a mixture. In some 

instances, children may need an 

interpreter. 

2. Get their attention before attempting 

to communicate - you could wave, 

knock on a table or lightly tap their 

shoulder. 

3. Face the person and stand still when 

talking so that they can see your 

face clearly. 

4. Speak clearly and naturally - if you 

try to over exaggerate or speak too 

loudly or slowly, lipreading becomes 

more difficult. 

5. Don’t cover your mouth with your 

hands when you speak. Many 

people try to speak whilst eating, 

smoking or chewing gum, which 

makes understanding difficult, even 

for hearing people! 

6. Use visual cues where you can. 

Even if you don’t know official BSL, 

you can use commonly-accepted 

gestures and facial expressions to 

communicate ideas. 

7. Ensure that deaf people know 

what the topic is, or when the topic 

changes. 

8. Stand in the light or by a window so 

your face is visible. 

9. Speak one person at a time. 

10. Try to reduce any background noise 

- turn off radios/machines or do up 

car windows. 

11. Never give up or say “I’ll tell you 

later”. This is a deaf child’s ‘pet hate’. 

They want to be involved, not left 

out. Try alternative methods: texting, 

emailing or using a pen and paper. 

British Sign language 

British Sign Language is used by an 

estimated 125,000 deaf adults in the 

UK, plus 20,000 children. It is not just 

a matter of adding gestures to replace 

words but is a language in its own right, 

with its own vocabulary and grammar. 

It also differs from American Sign 

Language and Makaton Signing and is 

the preferred language of many deaf 

people, so learning BSL is one thing you 

could do to help your communication 

with deaf people. 

How to get involved in DAW 

1. Organise an event to raise awareness and/or funds for your favourite 

deaf-related charity 

2. Nominate a role model and publicise it on your social media using 

#DAWrolemodels2019 

3. “Dress in decibels” is an idea from Action on Hearing Loss, to encourage 

people to dress in their ‘loudest’ and brightest clothes for the week 

4. Create a sensory experience not based on sound; alternatively, one purely 

based on sound 

5. Hold a sponsored silence 

6. Learn to spell your name using British Sign Language letters 

7. Take a lipreading challenge - hold a conversation with friends using 

lipreading 

8. Decorate a doughnut and sell them to raise funds – another idea from 

Action on Hearing Loss. You can even download a free recipe from their 

website here: www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/you-can-help/fundraise/ 

deaf-awareness-week/donut-challenges 

For more information, see: 

• deafcouncil.org.uk/deaf-awareness-week 

• bda.org.uk 

• british-sign.co.uk 

• actiononhearingloss.org.uk/you-can-help/fundraise/deaf-awareness-week 


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Encouraging 

role-play 

with young 

children 

Children learn by playing. They 

first observe - listening and 

watching others; then they copy – 

imitating the people around them. 

And when they are able, they 

experiment. That’s when they 

learn to ask, and answer, new 

questions – not “what is the capital 

of France?”, but the much more 

important questions, such as: 

“What happens if I do this?”, “what 

will I feel if I say that?” and “who 

am I really?” That’s where roleplay, 

really comes into its own. 

What is role-play? 

Role-play is where children take on 

different roles and play at being different 

people in any number of improvised 

situations. It could be an everyday role, 

a job or complete fantasy, and all types 

of role-play should be encouraged. Not 

only is it fun, but each is a stepping stone 

which can help children learn new things. 

The benefits of role-play 

Research has identified many benefits 

of role-play including cognitive, social, 

emotional and physical benefits, all vital 

for a child’s development. 

Improved creativity and imagination 

When children role-play, they use their 

imagination. They engage the right 

(creative) side of their brain and learn to 

think for themselves and to think in new 

ways - for them. That’s important. As early 

years professionals, we might have seen 

many children use a cardboard box as a 

spaceship, but to that child, role-playing that 

scenario for the first time, they are thinking 

and creating something essentially ‘new’. 

Sir Ken Robinson, a long-time exponent 

of the value of creativity and its important 

place in education, says: 

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. 

For knowledge is limited to all we now know and 

understand, while imagination embraces the entire 

world, and all there ever will be to know and 

understand.” 

- Albert Einstein 

“Imagination is the root of creativity. It 

is the ability to bring to mind things that 

aren’t present to our senses. Creativity 

is putting your imagination to work. It is 

applied imagination.” 

Improved language and 

communication skills 

Role-play can develop language and 

teach children new vocabulary. Recent 

data acknowledged that: “Play is highly 

beneficial to children’s language skills 

and provides a supportive context for 

language learning”. These researchers 

also suggested that children’s language 

can be enhanced most when adults 

helped and guided their use of new 

words during role-play. 

Thinking, learning and cognitive 

problem-solving 

Role-playing helps children develop 

creative and abstract thought processes 

and encourages the formation of new 

neural pathways. It also encourages 

problem-solving as children work out 

who will be who; what the rules are; and 

which props/costumes they need. These 

key cognitive skills are needed in adult 

life, and being able to develop them as 

children, is vital. 

Social and emotional skills 

Stepping into other people’s shoes, 

developing empathy, understanding 

different situations and perspectives, and 

being able to react in an emotionallyappropriate 

way, are clearly skills that 

children need to develop. Role-play 

can facilitate this. It allows children to 

collaborate, pretend to be someone 

else, and experience different points of 

view - all in a safe environment with the 

added benefit of feedback from others. 

Many therapists use role-play situations 

to encourage children’s emotional 

development because the ‘pretend’ 

element disassociates the person from 

any real situation and reduces any related 

anxiety or stress. 

Physical development 

Role-play is perfect to get children active 

– escaping from pirates or fighting a 

monster gives children the opportunity 

to run, jump, climb and fire-up their 

cardiovascular systems, which aids fitness, 

the development of large motor skills and 

helps maintain appropriate weight. Even 

simple activities such as operating a toy 

till or dressing a teddy, can enhance fine 

motor skills and dexterity. 

Different types of role-play 

There are different types of role-play that 

you can encourage. 

oo 

oo 

oo 

Real-life situations - pretending 

to be at the beach, a playground, at 

school or on holiday, for example. 

Fantasy - becoming a superhero, 

prince/princess, witch/fairy or other 

mythical creature like a dragon or 

unicorn. 

Occupational - being a teacher, 

doctor, fire-fighter or builder, amongst 

others. 

oo 

Disassociated, toy-based play - 

this is where a child role-plays with 

toys such as dolls, action figures, 

or puppets. It is often undertaken 

individually, but the child can take on 

an ‘architect’ role, deciding the fate 

of each toy and multi-rolling between 

them - think Andy in “Toy Story”. 

What do you need to 

encourage role-play? 

Essentially, children need very little to 

role-play – only their imagination and 

a safe space to play in. However, to 

actively encourage role-play, you can: 

Provide spaces, props and 

costumes 

Different safe spaces such as kitchen 

areas, outdoor spaces and sandpits 

are great. Try to include some props 

and costumes to facilitate different 

situations/places too – these do not 

need to be expensive, sticks and 

cardboard boxes do very well as 

swords and rockets, although specific 

toys are useful too. 

Costumes often work best when they 

are indicative rather than prescriptive; 

so long skirts can make a princess 

and a piece of material can become a 

superhero cloak or some wings. 

Let the children lead 

Role-play activities should be childled 

and any interventions by adults 

should be used to safeguard children, 

encourage additional learning or 

explain alternative options that 

children can take. 

Be a good role-model 

Engage in the role-play yourself, 

enacting out different characters and 

situations based on the children’s 

ideas. Be careful not to ‘lead’ their 

play too much. You can be there to 

assist and help if needed but resist the 

temptation to say that “time-travel is 

against the laws of quantum physics!” 

Offer stimuli 

You could use real or fantasy stories, 

pictures or films as a starting point, 

if needed, but allow the children 

themselves to work out what happens 

next. 

It is vital to encourage role-play 

in your setting. It allows children 

complete freedom to explore; to use 

their imagination without the limits 

of ‘knowledge’; and to reimagine the 

world in a better way. What a beautiful 

gift and what amazing opportunities 

early years specialists have to facilitate 

that freedom. 


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Using a reward chart effectively 

Many early years providers choose to use reward charts as a way of promoting positive behaviour 

in a child. When used well, these are a fantastic tool for helping a child to change a particular 

behaviour. Unfortunately, though, they are often used in ways that are not clear for the child and 

that don’t encourage a child to achieve. Here are some factors to bear in mind when designing a 

reward chart. 

ÌÌ 

Pick your battles. If you could 

change one behaviour what would 

it be? Focus on this one behaviour 

only. Once things have improved 

you can always tackle a different 

behaviour (using the same chart if 

you like). 

ÌÌ 

Be specific. Don’t rely on 

expressions such as ‘be good’. 

This is one of the most common 

mistakes I see when parents use 

a reward chart at home. Telling a 

child their chart is for ‘being good’ 

doesn’t work. Why? Because ‘good’ 

is subjective and is far too broad 

for a child to understand. What one 

person considers to be good may 

not be the same as someone else’s 

standards. Furthermore, if you tell a 

child their reward chart is for ‘being 

good’ and they don’t achieve it, 

then they come away believing 

they have been… bad. This isn’t 

going to boost their self-esteem or 

help them want to strive to achieve 

next time. Instead, tell 

the child exactly what it is 

that you want them to do 

e.g. sit down at carpet 

time, use kind words, 

or for use at home it 

might be ‘stay in my bed 

all night’. 

ÌÌ 

Use positive wording. For 

example, ‘I can use gentle hands’ 

rather than ‘I will not hit’. Don’t 

remind the child of the behaviour 

that you don’t want to see. If you 

tell a child ‘don’t run’ then the last 

word they hear is ‘run’ and guess 

what they are likely to do?! If you 

try saying ‘walk’ instead they are 

far more likely to do so. Set them a 

target that clearly says what they 

do need to do. 

ÌÌ 

Make it realistic/achievable. 

The child needs to be able to 

achieve the reward quite soon 

after receiving a new chart so that 

they get to enjoy the value of the 

reward. If they keep trying and 

trying but don’t get to experience 

the reward within about the first 

week, then I would say it is too 

hard and they are likely to give 

up. So, let it be easily achievable 

at first. You can always 

extend the chart later by 

increasing the number 

of times you expect to see the 

positive behaviour, or the amount 

of time that they do it for. 

ÌÌ 

Pick a theme, something that the 

child is interested in – they are 

far more likely to want to engage 

with it if it’s related to a theme 

that they love. Some great reward 

charts allow a child to work along 

a race track, up a space rocket or 

to collect something like unicorns 

or characters from a favourite TV 

show. It doesn’t need to be a work 

of art – just a simple drawing or 

printout will be fine. 

ÌÌ 

Choose a reward carefully. This 

is the bit that you really need to get 

right. Choose something that really 

matters to the child. The reward has 

to be something that a child really 

really wants – it has to mean more 

to them then the buzz they get from 

the behaviour you want to stop. For 

some children, it is time playing with 

a particular toy or in a particular 

place, for some children it is 

food, for some children it is 

simply attention – what they want is 

to spend 1:1 time with an adult that 

is important to them. 

ÌÌ 

Let the reward be instant. Once 

the chart has been achieved, try 

to make the reward as instant as 

possible. If a child earns a reward 

on Monday but then doesn’t get 

it until Friday then the novelty will 

have worn off, plus things could go 

wrong between Monday and Friday 

and you may feel that by Friday you 

are rewarding negative behaviour. 

You may also lose the trust/interest 

of the child if they don’t get the 

expected reward when they have 

earned it. 

ÌÌ 

Make it positive. Create a chart 

whereby the child starts at the 

bottom of a chart and works 

towards their target. Don’t start 

with, for example, 10 stars and 

then take them away if the child 

does something wrong. That way 

things can only go downhill. So, 

for example, a child might earn a 

character on their chart each time 

they go for part of the day using 

gentle hands. 

ÌÌ 

Stay calm. Don’t react/tell a child 

off if they don’t achieve their chart. 

Millie’s 

Reward Chart 

TASK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY TOTAL 

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Hicilit experum accus et, quis 

Saperum quam ut desciet am ati 

Show the child that you believe 

that they can do it. The idea of a 

reward chart is that receiving or 

not receiving the reward is enough 

for the child. If they really want 

the reward that badly and don’t 

achieve it then that is going to be 

enough of a disappointment for 

them. Don’t tell them off, just calmly 

remind them that they can try again 

tomorrow. 

ÌÌ 

Keep it visual. Make sure the child 

can see how well they are doing 

and what more they need to do 

to achieve their reward. This will 

really help them understand that 

changing this behaviour is worth it! 

If things start to go wrong, you can 

show them the chart to give them 

an incentive to stay on track. 

You will notice that most of the advice 

here relates to a reward chart for one 

child. This is because, for the chart to 

be most effective, it needs to be specific 

to the needs and interests of that child. 

Whilst some ‘whole group’ reward charts 

can be useful, if you are tackling a 

particular behaviour, then a child is likely 

to need their own chart. If you need any 

support coming up with a reward chart, 

then please feel free to email me – we 

can put our heads together and see 

what we can come up with. Good luck! 

Saperum quam ut desciet Saperum quam ut desciet Saperum quam ut desciet 

Gina Smith 

Gina Smith is an 

experienced teacher with 

experience of teaching 

in both mainstream and 

special education. She 

is the creator of ‘Create 

Visual Aids’ - a business 

that provides both homes 

and education settings with 

bespoke visual resources. 

Gina recognises the fact 

that no two children are 

the same and therefore 

individuals are likely to need 

different resources. Create 

Visual Aids is dedicated 

to making visual symbols 

exactly how the individual 

needs them. 

Website: 

www.createvisualaids.com 

Email: 

gina@createvisualsaids.com 


What our customers say 

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY 

Parenta solutions 

RESOURCES - 

APRIL 2019 

All your posts have been so 

beneficial for our practice and 

especially for my studies. I am in 

my first year of childhood studies, 

hoping to become an early 

years teacher. 

Aneesa 

TRAINING & RECRUITMENT - 

FEBRUARY 2019 

Parenta services have been highly 

professional and extremely useful for 

my business in finding apprentices and 

providing the support and training to our 

nursery team. 

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Parenta Solutions 

With 20 years’ experience, we provide award-winning nursery software management 

solutions and are the UK’s largest provider of work-based childcare apprenticeships. We 

train nearly 3,000 nursery staff a year, offer a free recruitment service and help hundreds of 

settings invest in tomorrow’s generation of childcarers. 

SOFTWARE SUPPORT - APRIL 2019 

Excellent advice and guidance, so if it happens again, I’m sure I 

could do it myself. 

Veena - Hillside Preschool 

Nursery Management 

Software - Abacus 

Online EYFS Tracker - 

Footsteps 2 

Online Daily Diary - 

Dayshare 

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Collection 

SOFTWARE SUPPORT - 


Jamie is so patient, I am just sorry we 

were not able to get the remote session 

up and running. Despite this, he is very 

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no hesitation to contact him with 

queries again. 

Jo - Victoria Park 

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whether it is a new 

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People who help us 

In the UK, there are over eight million ‘999’ calls made every year? That’s 

approximately one every 4 seconds! And millions of other calls are made to the nonemergency 

police number, 101. 

But it’s not just the police, fire and ambulance 

service that respond. Did you know you can also call 

mountain rescue, cave rescue, the coast guard and 

lifeboats too? 

In this article, we look at these emergency services 

and suggest ways you could introduce the work 

of these amazing people to the children in your 

setting. 

Fire Police Ambulance 

Mountain rescue 

Lifeboats 

Cave rescue 

Emergency 

services from 

a landline or 

mobile in the 

UK 999 

Coast guard 

Emergency 

services from 

a mobile 

worldwide 112 

A brief history of the main emergency services 

It’s nice to think that if we are in trouble, there will 

always be someone there to help. But this was 

not always true, and in the past, many fires went 

untended and many crimes unsolved, due to the 

lack of an organised emergency response. 

A Roman general called Marcus Licinius Crassus 

set up the first organised fire service in the first 

century BC. He employed around 500 fire-fighters, 

but as a businessman, unless he could negotiate 

an ‘acceptable fee’ from the owner of the burning 

building, his fire-fighters would simply let it burn to 

the ground. 

In 1829, Sir Robert Peel set up the first Metropolitan 

Police Force, however, the Royal Irish Constabulary 

had been set up in 1822, and Scotland had 

benefitted from the Royal Scottish Constabulary as 

early as 1800. Despite this, the early police officers 

were known as ‘Bobbies’ or ‘Peelers’ in reference to 

Sir Robert. 

And if you were injured in the 1890s, then it was left 

to the police, fire service or a passer-by to assist 

you! It was not until The National Health Service Act 

was passed in 1948, that ambulances were legally 

required for all those who needed them. 

Thankfully, things have improved since these 

fledgling days and nowadays, members of the 

emergency services are called out regularly. Let’s 

look at who these people are and what they do. 

Police 

The police are the first port of call when 

dealing with crimes, but they have other 

duties too, such as enforcing the laws 

of the land (e.g. traffic laws), promoting 

crime prevention and maintaining public 

order and safety. Sadly, the days of the ‘Bobby on the 

beat’ are mostly over, but police officers are often 

involved in visiting local schools to promote prevention 

strategies to children. 

Fire 

The fire service was, until relatively 

recently, considered a ‘man’s job’, 

as it was only in 1982 that Josephine 

Reynolds became Britain’s first female 

fire-fighter, aged just 17. In January of 

this year, the BBC ran a story about a 4-year-old girl 

who wanted to be a fire-fighter but thought that it 

was only for men, because that’s all she’d ever seen 

in books and films. Reassuringly, several female firefighters 

replied to her mother’s tweet, proving their 

existence to little Esme. However, 95% of firefighters 

in England are male, so more needs to be done to 

attract women in to the profession. 

The NHS website says: 

“An ambulance service career is much 

more than ‘flashing blue lights’! You’ll 

make a difference every day to patients 

in emergency and non-emergency 

situations.” 

Many people who work in the ambulance service 

reiterate this desire to help, and it is what drives most 

medical staff to train for years and join the service. 

Ambulance staff include paramedics, emergency care 

assistants and technicians, but let’s not forget the 

wonderful doctors and nurses of the NHS too, who are 

always ready to help whenever disaster strikes and 

who, together, save countless lives each year. 

“Most of all, I love the feeling that I’ve helped 

others in their moment of need” 

Elisha Miller - Paramedic 

Ambulance 

Cave rescue 

Whilst the responsibility for inland rescue 

rests generally with the police, when 

people get into difficulties in caves, mines 

or potholes, it is usually some of the 

1,000 volunteer cave rescuers who are 

called in to assist the police, due to their specialised 

training and experience. 

Giving their time freely, British cave rescuers have also 

participated in worldwide rescues, such as the muchpublicised, 

cave rescue of 12 boys and their coach in 

Thailand. 

Coast guard and RNLI lifeboats 

Since its formation in 1824, the brave 

RNLI lifeboat crews; and the coast guards 

who look out for us on our beaches, cliff 

tops and coastal waters, have saved over 

140,000 lives. Her Majesty’s Coastguard 

is not a military force, nor a law enforcement agency, 

but exists to keep us safe and offer assistance if people 

get into difficulty at sea or on our shorelines. The RNLI 

is a charity and is funded by donations and run by 

some extraordinary volunteers – most of whom have 

everyday jobs too. They are also involved in education 

and incident prevention, and many children will have 

seen them at the beach ensuring these areas are kept 

safe for us to enjoy. 

These RNLI statistics underline the need to keep these 

services running: 

22 

people aided 

a day by 

lifeboat crews 

735K+ 

young people 

reached with 

safety tips 

24K+ 

people aided 

by RNLI 

lifeguards 

Mountain rescue 

8,436 

Lifeboat 

launches 

There are over 70 mountain rescue 

teams in the UK and each region exists 

as its own charity. As well as mountain 

rescue, these volunteers help many 

hikers and dogs are often used to help 

locate people in extreme conditions. Teams also help 

people in floods and other natural disasters. 

GET CELEBRATING! 

People who help us in times of need are truly 

special and should be celebrated as real-life 

heroes. 

You could make some bunting or a display to 

celebrate their work. You could read the children 

books or newspaper articles or research your 

own local heroes and invite them to your setting 

to tell their own stories. Or why not make a big 

‘thank you’ card to remind them they are really 

appreciated? Check out our craft on the next 

page for some ideas. 


Shape emergency 

services cars craft 

You will need: 

> > Coloured craft paper 

> > Scissors 

> > Glue 

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”. 

Instructions: 

1. Pick which emergency services cars you’d like to make 

2. Cut out the different shapes and sizes that will make up your 

chosen cars, body, wheels, etc. 

3. Glue the shapes together on a piece of paper 

4. You are done! 

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 

MARCH’S WINNER 


Congratulations to our guest author competition 

winner! Tamsin Grimmer’s article “I’m killing the 

baddies! Using ‘superhero play’ to deal with 

notions of killing and death within early 

childhood” was very popular with our 

readers. Well done, Tamsin! 


The importance of fostering 

Every year, around 30,000 children enter the British care system – imagine the intake of 30, 

average-sized comprehensive schools – all children needing to live with people other than 

their parents, in surroundings that may, or may not be familiar to them. On any one day 

in the UK, there are 65,000 children living with over 55,000 foster families. That’s a lot of 

vulnerable children. 

In a recent report on the state of 

fostering in England, the government 

recognised that: 

“…the number of children in care 

increased at a faster rate than the 

number of fostering places, which 

may suggest the fostering sector 

is struggling to keep up with the 

increasing demand.” 

The charity, Fostering Network, 

reports that another 8,100 foster 

families will be needed in the next 12 

months alone to meet the increasing 

demand for places. 

So what exactly is fostering, and why 

is it important? 

Fostering has a long history 

There are references in The Bible 

and The Talmud to societies having a 

‘duty of care’ for dependent children, 

although fostering as we understand 

it today, could be said to have been 

introduced in 1853, when a Cheshire 

Reverend, John Armistead, took 

children out of the local workhouse 

and placed them with foster 

families instead. The local union (a 

predecessor of the local council) paid 

the foster parents a sum of money, 

equal to the cost of keeping the 

child in the workhouse, and was still 

legally responsible for the children. 

In the mid-1800s, the practice began 

to be more regulated, and the 

passing of the Adoption of Children 

Act in 1926, began the move towards 

increased regulation, legislation and 

safeguarding, which continues to this 

day. 

What do foster carers do? 

Ostensibly, fostering is a simple job 

involving looking after children and 

providing them with a bed, food 

and a stable, nurturing environment 

that they may not have previously 

enjoyed. In reality, fostering is much 

more complex and simply feeding 

and providing material comforts is 

the tip of the iceberg. More often, 

what these children really need, 

is a loving, stable and consistent 

approach to their physical, emotional 

and psychological wellbeing; and 

those skills go far beyond just ‘bed 

and board’. 

Many children in care have suffered 

abuse or neglect; causing them to 

have a range of physical, emotional 

and mental challenges to deal with, 

in addition to the trauma of being 

removed from their parents. 

A survey of foster carers revealed 

that 48% were supporting children 

with mental health needs who were 

not currently accessing specialist 

support; and 43% had looked after a 

child who had either caused violence 

in their home, gone missing or had 

some involvement with the police. 

This compares to just 8% of parents 

coping with the same challenges, 

and highlights the increasing 

demands of the role. Fostering 

can be a difficult and emotionallydemanding, 

24/7 job! 

Responsibilities (amongst others) 

include: 

• Providing food, clothes and 

accommodation for the dayto-day 

living of the child (an 

allowance is paid to support 

carers financially with this) 

• Passing the statutory minimum 

standards for foster carers within 

12 months of being approved 

• Attending CPD sessions 

• Keeping accurate records or the 

child’s progress and incidents 

involving their behaviour or 

wellbeing 

• Attending meetings with social 

workers, medical services, and 

review sessions 

• Liaising with the birth family 

• Acting as an advocate for the 

child 

• Keeping up-to-date with current 

training and legislation 

• Supporting children in transition 

- if they ‘move on’ – either 

returning home, being adopted 

or to a new placement 

Who can foster? 

In short, most people! There’s no 

‘generic’ foster carer profile – they 

come from all social spheres, have a 

wide range of backgrounds, cultures 

and life experiences. They receive 

training and have a dedicated social 

worker to support them. 

There are a few criteria that you 

need to meet, although these may 

vary depending on whether you 

apply through a Local Authority or a 

private fostering agency. You should: 

• be at least 21 years-old 

(although you can apply from 

age 18) 

• have a large-enough spare 

bedroom 

• be a full-time resident in the UK 

or have permission to remain 

• be able to give the time to care 

for a child or young person 

depending on 

their needs 

Applications can take from 6-12 

months from enquiry to approval 

and will take into account your 

health, financial security, friends 

and own family too. Carers also 

need to pass safeguarding checks. 

Things that don’t affect your ability 

to apply include your race, marital 

status, religion, gender and sexual 

orientation. In fact, people from 

ethnic minorities are often sought 

after to match with children from a 

similar background. There’s also no 

upper age limit. 

There are also different types of 

carers including those who look 

after babies, short-term, longterm, 

parent-and-baby carers and 

enhanced carers who deal with the 

most challenging children. 

So with all this potential stress, 

why does anyone do it? 

A foster carer we spoke to said: 

“I do it because I can, and because 

I know I can make a difference. It 

has not always been easy. There 

have been many times when I 

questioned the sanity of what I 

was doing, especially as a singlecarer. 

There have been tantrums, 

misunderstandings and difficult 

issues to resolve – and we are still 

working through many things each 

day - all of us learning slowly from 

each other and making progress. But 

when I see the life the children have 

now, and think about what might 

have been, I know it is the right thing 

to do and I wouldn’t change it for the 

world.” 

The truth is, we all have a 

responsibility to help the most 

vulnerable children in our society, 

and fostering is one important and 

vital way that can give them security, 

love, and the prospect of lasting 

change. 

For more information, contact your 

Local Authority, or visit: 

www.thefosteringnetwork.org. 

uk/advice-information/all-aboutfostering 


Reflective practice vs 

reflexive practice 

Reflective practice is an important part of our professional 

development. It means we look at what went well, what didn’t 

and this allows us to tweak and amend our approach in the 

future. Although this practice is necessary, it is quite passive and 

is done after the event. 

Stacey Kelly 

Reflexive practice, however, is much more transformational 

because it is often done in the moment and takes our level of 

understanding much deeper. Reflexive practitioners have a 

higher level of self-awareness because they are not only able 

to assess a situation as it is happening and tweak things as 

they go, but they also have the ability to look at why things are 

the way that they are, and consider the role they are playing in 

the current outcome. 

A reflective thinker will analyse what 

has happened. However, a reflexive 

thinker will automatically self-assess 

and react to the circumstances as 

they are happening. They will know 

themselves well and will look inwardly 

as well as outwardly. 

In an early years setting there are a 

million and one things to consider 

at any given point. A reflective 

practitioner will set up the room and 

at the end of the day they will assess 

how the children interacted, how 

engaging the resources provided 

were and how they could possibly set 

the room up differently the next day 

to get a better outcome. However, 

the reflexive practitioner would tweak 

things as they went along and would 

also run with the direction that the 

children were going in, even if it 

wasn’t a part of the plan. They would 

also be able to look at how they 

have impacted on the efficacy of the 

present situation: 

oo 

Are they engaging with the 

children on their level? If not, 

they would tweak the way they 

are communicating with them 

to make their message more 

accessible to that individual child. 

oo 

oo 

oo 

Are they understanding the needs 

of each unique child? If not, they 

will make sure they understand 

what makes each child tick and 

adjust their actions accordingly. 

Are the children displaying signs 

of being a visual, auditory or 

kinaesthetic learner? If so, they 

would adjust the setting and 

activities available to make 

sure they are appealing to each 

learning style. Instead of doing 

what they think is fun, they would 

put themselves in the shoes of 

each child and make decisions 

based on their reality, rather than 

their own. 

Do they know the children’s 

triggers and look beyond what 

is happening for a deeper level 

of understanding? If one of the 

children keeps crying all of the 

time, do they look beyond their 

tears and tantrums and find 

the root cause? Does this child 

suffer with separation anxiety? 

Do they feel insecure? Do they 

have problems at home that are 

making them more sensitive? If 

so, they would meet the child’s 

deeper-rooted needs as well as 

addressing the present situation. 

oo 

Does the practitioner actually 

understand their own triggers 

and how this can impact their 

reaction to situations? Can they 

see how their own childhood 

can actually affect their actions 

as adults? For example, were 

they brought up with ‘no 

nonsense’ parents who had high 

expectations and wouldn’t allow 

for mistakes and is this now 

filtering into their own practice 

and meaning they can, at times, 

lack tolerance themselves? Do 

they have an issue with control 

and project this onto the children 

or the way the setting runs? 

Were their parents overbearing 

when they were younger, and 

they have vowed to never make 

children feel this way, so struggle 

to set boundaries through a 

subconscious need to make 

them happy? Do they have things 

going on at the moment that 

could be affecting their own 

patience? If so, the reflexive 

practitioner would identify these 

deeper-rooted issues and work 

through them, rather than solely 

focusing on external factors. 

With reflexive practice, there is a 

level of responsibility that doesn’t get 

reached with reflective practice. This 

all sounds very deep. However, there 

are no greater teachers in life than 

children. We have all been moulded 

throughout our own childhood and 

look at the world through a lens that 

is influenced by the experiences 

and beliefs that we have acquired 

throughout our early years. Sometimes 

our own blueprint serves us well. Other 

times, not so much. If we can identify 

why we are the way that we are, why 

we think the way that we think and 

why we react the way that we do, we 

can have a better understanding of 

how the current situation is, at times, a 

reflection of this. Self-awareness is the 

foundation of happiness and success. 

We focus on developing it in children. 

However, it is imperative that we take 

the time to develop it in ourselves if we 

are going to become the best that we 

can be. 

It is important to be a reflective 

practitioner, but if we can take 

this a level deeper and become a 

reflexive practitioner, it will have a 

positive impact on both the children’s 

development and our own personal 

development too. Our role is to 

teach children and provide them 

with amazing learning opportunities. 

However, if we can also see the many 

amazing lessons that children bring 

to us, we will also give ourselves 

the opportunity to unlock our inner 

brilliance and release any inner 

programming that could be holding 

us back. 

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. 

Website: 

www.earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Email: 

stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

Twitter: 

twitter.com/eystorybox 

Instagram: 

instagram.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

LinkedIn: 

linkedin.com/in/stacey-kellya84534b2/ 


Construction 

that’s child’s play 

We’ve learnt our craft over 15 years. And 

in that time, we’ve turned our hand to 

creating bespoke construction projects 

for childcare and nursery settings. 

We create safe environments for toddlers and children to explore, 

play and develop their imaginations. One day they can be a 

builder, the next an astronaut, ambulance-driver or high-flying 

footballer. We can build from scratch to suit exactly what you need. 

And we offer landscaping, decorating, a 24-hour help desk, and 

maintenance service after the job’s complete. 

It’s not all about fun and games 

Safety and security are core to our service. All our projects are risk 

assessed. We’re experts in fire protection. We can install intruder 

alarms, door-entry systems, non-slip surfaces and CCTV. We have 

gas and electrical engineers as part of our team. All our staff are 

DBS checked, and all our vehicles are tracked. 

We’ve converted buildings into Ofsted rated nurseries, and 

playscapes that are ROSPA accredited. For more case studies, 

references or a quote – get in touch. 

Give us a call on 

01634 258238 

or email us at enquiries@kentlincs.com 

kentlincs.co.uk 

“I’ve worked with 

Kentlincs for fourteen 

years, and in this time 

they have supported 

our ninety six nurseries 

through their growth. 

They have helped 

build quality nurseries, 

including maintenance, 

major refits and gardens. 

They provide a personal 

service with quality 

work. I would highly 

recommend them. 

Andrew Morris 

ex CEO Asquith

There’s more to slime than 

meets the eye... 

We have all heard of fiddle toys, and children with “sensory needs,” and there is a dilute 

understanding amongst educators of the value of such things. Some of us provide our 

students with them, some of us feel the costs in terms of disruption and clutter in class 

outweigh the benefits. As with any tool, the utility of these items is partly dependent on 

the choice of item and partly on how it is used. Imagine teaching a class handwriting skills 

but providing them with crayons. Similarly imagine a class equipped with the very best 

fountain pens but taught none of the skills associated with learning to write. Neither group 

is going to be producing calligraphy very soon. It is the same with sensory resources, there 

is absolutely value to be had from having them around, but we need also to be teaching the 

skills associated with their use. In my coming articles, I will be examining individual sensory 

resources and unpicking their application in the classroom. We looked at search jars last 

month, this month I will cover gak or slime. 

Gak or slime 

In schools today we are constantly meeting 

sensory crazes. No sooner were fiddle 

spinners banned than the production of gak 

(or slime if you prefer) began. That the young 

people of today delight in these sensory 

resources is reflective of a population with 

greater sensory needs than past generations. 

You may have been impressed, as have I, 

by the creativity unleashed in children and 

young people as they develop even better gak 

recipes and turn up to school with ever more 

amazing colours and textures. This article is 

one of a series of articles unpicking the value 

of such sensory resources within our settings. 

As with any resource, it is not simply owning it 

that makes the difference but knowing how to 

use it. In this article I will explain how you can 

make gak and how you might seek to use it 

or other comparable resources to support the 

behaviour of your students. 

What is gak? 

Gak is a non-Neutonian fluid that can be 

stretched, poured and manipulated in a wide 

variety of ways. It comes in different scents, 

colours and textures. 

How does someone use gak? 

The malleability of gak is very enticing, unlike 

a search jar, which we discussed in the first 

article in this series, there is no set way to 

use gak, making it very supportive of creative 

play. As there is no end goal with gak there 

is no getting it wrong or right, meaning 

it can be explored without fear of failure. 

Someone exploring gak may shape it into 

different shapes, stretch and pull it to admire 

its colours and textures, or squeeze it in the 

palm of their hands so that it squidges out 

between their fingers. 

How to make gak 

You need: 

• PVA glue 

• Something with borax as its chemical 

agent, for example: contact lens solution, 

Lidl’s Formil Super Concentrated Laundry 

Liquid, or just plain old borax itself which 

is sold as a powder for you to dilute with 

water. 

Optional: 

• Glitter, or other particulate matter to add 

texture, for example sand. 

• Coloured ink 

To make: 

Gak results from a chemical reaction between 

the PVA glue and the borax. Failed attempts at 

making gak are often due to insufficient mixing, 

or not allowing time for this reaction to happen. 

1. Begin with your PVA glue, use an amount 

slightly smaller than the amount of gak 

you wish to end up with. 

2. Mix in any ink or glitter/particles that you 

want in your gak. 

3. Now add a small amount of your chosen 

borax carrier and mix well. 

4. Mix really well: you want the borax to 

mix with all of the glue. You will notice 

the consistency of the substance begin 

to change. At first it will seem sticky, with 

the mixture sticking to the sides of the 

container it is in and to the tool you are 

using to mix it with. Keep mixing. 

5. Add a little more of your borax carrier 

and repeat the mixing process, allowing 

plenty of time for the reaction to take place 

before adding any more borax. 

6. Continue this process until your gak 

reaches the desired consistency: this is 

when it forms a single lump in the bowl 

and no longer sticks to the sides. You will 

be able to lift it out of the bowl and knead 

it with your hands. 

If you add too much of 

your borax carrier your 

gak will go from too sticky 

to too slippery. You may be able to save your 

batch of gak by adding more PVA glue to 

make amends. Always mix really well and 

allow time for the reaction to take place. 

Safety 

Clearly gak is a substance made out of 

glue and detergent, it is not edible. Nor is it 

advisable to play with it for long periods of 

time. Horror stories can be found online of 

teenagers who spent their whole weekend 

making batches of gak to sell to their peers 

tell of hands burned by over exposure to 

the chemicals in the detergent. But used 

intermittently, and with hands washed after 

use, it is as safe and a lot of fun. (If you want 

to create a similar substance for someone 

who may be liable to put it in their mouth, 

you can find recipes for edible play dough 

online, or simply mix cornflour and water 

together to make a dough). 

Discussion 

So far you may be thinking you have 

the beginnings of a motivating science 

experiment but gak has a utility beyond 

offering a beginner-level introduction to 

chemical reactions. In Exploring the Impact 

the Senses have on Behaviour, we look at 

gak, and other sensory items, not for their 

science lesson potential, but for their uses in 

helping people to emotionally regulate. Here 

we are going to think of two sorts of people 

as we consider the usefulness of gak, the 

first one you are likely to find among your 

friends: 

Person one: 

Do you have a friend who is a fidget, the sort of 

person who at the cinema will twiddle their hair, 

who couldn’t sit at dinner without fiddling about 

with the cutlery or tapping their foot on the floor? 

Imagine this friend in an interview situation, 

facing all the stress of the adjudicating panel. 

Would they sit on their hands? Would they be 

embarrassed by their fidgetiness? Would it be 

exacerbated by the stress of the situation? 

All of us need to regulate our sensory systems 

in order to be able to access information from 

the world and be included successfully within 

society. Just as we would expect eyesight to 

differ between individuals, so we can expect 

other sensory systems to differ. A fidget may 

need more vestibular (balance and motion), 

proprioceptive (body mapping and movement) or 

tactile stimulation than the next person. In their 

fidgeting, they seek to regulate their systems so 

that they reach a point of homeostasis in which 

they are able to engage and concentrate. 

If your friend sits in that interview and focuses 

their attention on not fidgeting, they are likely 

to miss the nuances of the questions being 

thrown at them. If they can find a way to provide 

their body with its fidgeting needs, then their 

concentration is freed to focus on the interview. 

In the modern climate, gak offers us a way to 

allow children with significant sensory needs to 

have them met in a socially acceptable, even 

cool way! To take the comparison with vision 

again, in gak we have progressed from the old 

embarrassing bulky national health spectacles 

to the cool contemporary designer shades. Other 

contemporary fiddle toys have the potential to 

do the same: silly pencil toppers, fiddle spinners, 

along with the good old-fashioned blue tac, bent 

paper clip and rubber band. You may think you 

are running a tight ship by banning such things 

but if your ultimate aim is to improve 

behaviour in your classroom, you 

may find that adopting a more laid 

back attitude in response to them 

actually results in a better behaved 

class than rules that inhibit selfregulation. 

Person two: 

The second person we are thinking of may also 

be among your friends, but often times, these 

people find themselves isolated because their 

inability to regulate their systems damages their 

friendships. These are people who are constantly 

tense or on edge, people quick to snap, jumpy 

people. 

These people are likely to have had a traumatic 

early life, a life that has taught them that danger 

is around every corner. Neurodiverse conditions 

can also result in a hypersensitive response 

system, meaning people live with high levels of 

anxiety and feel the need to be constantly on 

guard and in control of the world around them. 

This person two feels a little bit tense all the 

time; it is not a feeling triggered by a particular 

event or altercation, it is something they have to 

cope with all day, every day, and it is exhausting. 

We used to believe that people should “let out” 

tensions by indulging them by, for example, 

hitting a punch bag. But we now understand that 

practicing hitting in response to feeling tense 

makes us – rather unsurprisingly – more likely 

to hit out when feeling tense. A couple of things 

are going on within this piece of advice that are 

worth unpicking to prevent misunderstanding: 1) 

Exercise is great for enabling self-regulation and 

will help someone to feel calmer. 2) Disciplines 

such as boxing and martial arts do not simply 

teach people to hit, they also teach people when 

to hit and are often beneficial to people looking 

to learn to control their behaviour to a greater 

extent. 

There are many strategies we can use to relieve 

tension for someone who is naturally prone to 

feeling tense: meditation practices can help to 

reprogramme the mind: exercise is wonderful, 

time spent in nature is also fantastic, but when it 

is not possible to go outdoors, for example 

in the middle of a maths lesson, then 

having the opportunity to knead 

gak, and to admire its colours, 

scent and sparkles – in itself a 

small dose of mindfulness – 

will help. And as with person 

one, the current trendiness of 

sensory toys provides us with 

intervention options that do 

not require us to single people 

out as different or weird, but 

enable us to provide for each 

according to their needs in the 

community. 

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 


Viral 

Meningitis 

Awareness 

Week 

The first full week in May 

(6th – 12th) is Viral Meningitis 

Awareness Week. It’s run by 

the charity, Meningitis Now, 

as an annual event aimed 

at “stopping lives being lost 

through meningitis and to make 

sure that sufferers and survivors 

get appropriate support.” 

As children under 5 are most at risk 

of developing meningitis, we think it’s 

important that all pre-schools are informed 

about the disease, its causes, symptoms 

and treatments. Most importantly, all early 

years professionals should know what to 

do if they suspect a child is suffering with 

meningitis. 

Take our meningitis quiz to see how much 

you know about the disease and then 

read on to find out more information and 

advice. (Answers at the end of the article). 

1. Meningitis is a disease which 

causes inflammation of the: 

a. Meniscus 

b. Meninges 

c. Metatarsals 

2. In the UK, Meningitis is most often 

caused by: 

a. Bacteria 

b. Viruses 

c. Fungi 

3. What percentage of people 

contracting bacterial meningitis may 

die (approximately)? 

a. 5% 

b. 10% 

c. 15% 

4. Babies and young children are at 

particular risk of meningitis due to 

their: 

a. Immature immune systems 

b. Milk teeth 

c. Developing DNA 

5. Septicaemia can occur with 

meningitis and cause a rash, which 

can be identified by: 

a. A urine test 

b. Counting the spots in a specified area 

c. Pressing a glass onto the skin to see 

if the rash disappears under pressure 

6. The most common types of 

meningitis can be prevented by: 

a. Vaccination 

b. Gene therapy 

c. Pre-natal diet 

7. Which of the following does NOT put 

you at increased risk of meningitis? 

a. The seasons 

b. Smoking 

c. Body mass index (BMI) 

8. Which of the following are 

symptoms of meningitis? 

a. Vomiting 

b. Dislike of bright lights 

c. Blank, staring or vacant look 

9. You always get a rash with 

meningitis: 

a. True 

b. False 

10. There is no treatment for viral 

meningitis, but what might help 

with recovery? 

a. Painkillers 

b. Injectable antibiotics 

c. Insulin therapy 

11. Which of the following can be longterm 

effects of meningitis? 

a. Acquired brain injury 

b. Learning and behaviour changes 

c. Weight gain 

12. What should you do if you suspect a 

child of having meningitis? 

a. Confine the child to bed until the 

symptoms dissipate 

b. Make an appointment to see your 

local GP 

c. Take them to hospital or dial 999 

What is meningitis? 

Meningitis is a serious illness that has 

the potential to cause death or disability 

within hours. It is the inflammation of 

the meninges, which are the protective 

membranes that surround the brain and 

the spinal cord, but can also lead to lifethreatening 

blood poisoning (known as 

septicaemia) which in fact, is the cause of 

a rash often associated with the bacterial 

form of meningitis. 

Meningitis can be caused by a number 

of different factors including bacteria, 

viruses and fungi and each type has 

a different prognosis. The most fatal 

is bacterial meningitis which can have 

devastating effects for survivors including 

acquired brain injury, seizures, learning 

difficulties, deafness and physical 

disability. 

Viral meningitis is the most common 

form and is usually less severe than 

the bacterial form as most patients 

recover without any permanent damage, 

although full recovery can take many 

weeks or months. There is no treatment 

for viral meningitis, but painkillers and 

rest can help. 

Who is at risk? 

Children under 5 are most at risk. The 

second most at-risk group for meningitis 

is teenagers and young people, with firstyear 

university students being particularly 

vulnerable. However, it can strike anyone, 

at any age and there are thousands of 

cases in the UK each year. 

Symptoms of meningitis 

The following have been identified as 

common symptoms of meningitis, but this 

is not an exhaustive list: 

• a high temperature (fever) of 38˚C 

(100.4˚F) or above 

• cold hands and feet, shivering 

• vomiting 

• headache 

• diarrhoea 

• irritability 

• rash that does not fade when a 

glass is rolled over it (but this will not 

always develop) 

• stiff neck 

• blank, staring or vacant look 

• dislike of bright lights 

• drowsiness or unresponsiveness 

• fits (seizures) 

Symptoms can appear in any order 

and sufferers do not always get all the 

symptoms. If in doubt, you should contact 

A&E or call 999. 

Prevention and treatment 

Prevention is always better than cure and 

there are several vaccinations available 

that offer protection against meningitis. 

These are usually administered to infants 

although other ‘catch-up’ and teenager/ 

adult programmes also exist. No vaccine 

is 100% effective but vaccinations have 

been shown to reduce meningitis 

incidence rates and one of the aims of 

meningitis charities is often to raise the 

vaccination rates, especially in children. 

Treatment for bacterial meningitis 

requires hospitalisation, intravenous 

antibiotics and fluids. Viral meningitis 

is usually treated with pain killers and 

rest, although antibiotics may be given 

in certain cases to rule out bacterial 

meningitis or secondary infections. 

Meningitis Aware Recognition Mark 

(MARM) for childcare providers 

Meningitis Now have launched the MARM 

toolkit to help nurseries, pre-schools and 

childminders learn more and inform their 

staff and parents about meningitis. 

To achieve this recognition mark, 

providers need to register their interest on 

the MARM webpage and then download 

and complete a checklist, which includes 

actions to take on: 

• Raising awareness internally 

• Raising awareness externally 

• Planning ahead 

This will confirm that the setting has 

demonstrated their awareness of 

meningitis, the issues surrounding it, 

and the actions they have taken. There 

are a lot of free resources available 

on the website to help you including 

PowerPoint presentations, information 

sheets, helpline numbers and videos. You 

can access these after you register your 

interest. 

To find out more about the condition, or to 

see how you can help, visit: 

www.meningitisnow.org 

www.meningitis.org 

www.comomeningitis.org 

www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis 

Answers: 1b, 2ab, 3b, 4a, 5c, 6a, 7c, 8abc, 9false, 

10a, 11ab, 12c. 


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