December 2020

Issue 73
DECEMBER 2020
FREE
Industry
Experts
A model for change -
neurological levels
of learning
Control struggles -
how to help young
children feel more secure
Benefits of sensory
rooms for children
with autism
+ lots more
Write for us
for a chance to win
£50
page 8
Christmas around the world
As we approach the end of 2020, many of us are now wondering what Christmas will
be like this year. To cheer us up, we’ve taken a festive trip around the 7 continents to
see what other families would traditionally be doing at Christmas.
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY • LULLABIES FOR SLEEPY EYES • THE NEW EDUCATION CURRICULUM

hello
welcome to our family
Hello and welcome to the December edition of the Parenta magazine!
The season of ‘peace and goodwill’ is upon us; and this month, we take a festive trip around the seven continents of
the world to discover how families would usually celebrate Christmas. However, it has certainly been a strange year
in so many ways and as we approach the end of 2020, people across the globe are wondering whether they will be
able to see their families during the festive period, or will many seasonal traditions be put on hold for a year?
Something that will definitely happen - pandemic or not - is the shortest day of the year (the Winter solstice) falling on 21st
December. Winter Solstice traditionally marks the start of the days becoming longer meaning it will start to get lighter again – a welcome
sight for us all!
It is also ‘Human Rights Day’ in December, and there is no better time than this season of peace and goodwill to teach the children in our
care about working together to build a more equal world and to embrace diversity. We have a wonderful ‘circle of hands’ craft for the
children to do on page 35 which symbolises unity and connection – and will look great as a decoration in your setting!
The nature-nurture debate is one that often divides opinions and will never wane: are our children a result of genes – who they are born
into - or are they mostly influenced by their environment? Industry expert Tamsin Grimmer looks at supporting children post-lockdown
using the six principles of nurture in her article on page 10.
We hope you enjoy our wintery, festive magazine this month – it really is packed with so much advice from our wonderful guest authors,
and all the articles have been 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. Please do send in pictures of your festive decorations!
Please feel free to share with friends, parents and colleagues – they can sign up to receive their own copy here!
Please stay safe everyone and we wish you season’s greetings and a happy new year.
Allan
Human
Rights Day
“All human beings are
born free and equal in
dignity and rights.”
The impact of
self-reflection
in early years
12
16
At difficult moments we
need to view children’s
behaviour as a symptom
of a deeper issue.
Celebrating Winter
Solstice
22
Winter Solstice falls on December
21st 2020 marking the shortest day
of the year. There are lots of fun
things to do to celebrate the day.
JUNE DECEMBER 2020 2020 ISSUE ISSUE 67 73
IN THIS EDITION
Regulars
8 Write
Child-friendly
for us for
smoothie
the chance to
win £50!
15 Write for us for a chance to win £50
8 Guest author winner announced
15 Guest author winner announced
34 ‘Pierogi’ dumplings
39 starf ish craf t
35 Human rights hand craft
News News
4 Preparations for the ‘new normal’ and
4 Childcare returning to news your setting and views
6 A round up of some news stories
that have caught our eye over the
Advice
month
Advice
6 Father’s Day at home
10 Children’s Art Week
12
12
World Oceans Day
Human Rights Day
20
18
Child Safety Week
Christmas around the world
26
22
Bike Week 2020
Celebrating Winter Solstice
26 34 Countdown Growing for wellbeing to the new Weekeducation
36 curriculum National Writing requirements Day - part 1
38 National Diabetes Week Christmas card recycle
Industry Experts
10 Supporting children post lockdown
16 Talking about difference: behavioural
using the six principles of nurture
difficulties
16 The impact of self-reflection in
18 Storytelling in music: using royalty and
early years
20
magic
A model for change - neurological
22 Furlough: The new ‘f’ word
levels of learning
24 28 Lullabies Three ways for to sleepy reduce eyes meltdowns
28 30 Control Promoting struggles positive behaviour – how to in help pre-school
young children children feel more secure
30 Benefits of sensory rooms for
children with autism
32 My Mummy is Autistic
36 Three ways to embodied resilience
Lullabies for sleepy eyes 24
Benefits of sensory rooms for children with autism 30
Three ways to embodied resilience 36
National Christmas card recycle 38

Childcare
news & views
Last year’s attendance figures
to decide distribution of
childcare funding from DfE
Early years childcare funding will be
distributed based on 2019’s attendance
figures, to avoid punishing schools and
other providers that saw a “small fraction”
of normal attendance because of Covid-19.
One in six childcare settings
fear closure by Christmas
without emergency funding
Nearly 17% of childcare settings fear they
will have to close their doors by Christmas,
with just over half saying they will need
emergency funding to stay open for the
next six months.
The survey by the Early Years Alliance
also found that only a quarter of childcare
providers expect to make any profit
between now and March, while two thirds
said that the government had not done
enough to support providers during the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The Alliance is calling for an emergency
Early Years Sufficiency Fund targeted at
those childcare providers at risk of closure.
Based on analysis of the 2,106 responses
to the survey, independent early years
research analysts Ceeda estimate that
around £240 million in total would be
needed for the fund over the next six
months.
Childcare settings have been hit by a fall
in demand this year due to the pandemic
with providers seeing a 21 per cent fall in
occupancy levels compared to this time
last year.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early
Years Alliance, said: “We are now at a
critical moment for the early years sector.
With demand for places still significantly
below what would typically be expected,
and no sign of things returning to normal
any time soon, many nurseries, preschools
and childminders are reaching the
point of no return.
He added that “there is absolutely no
excuse for the government’s continued
indifference towards the early years sector”
saying “quality early years provision is a
central part of our social infrastructure,
and should be treated as such. It’s not
too late for the government to show that it
recognises the value of the sector – both
to the young children who benefit from
quality early education, and the parents,
and particularly mothers, who benefit from
accessible care – and make the investment
needed to safeguard the many thousands
of providers in desperate need of support.”
This story can be read on parenta.com
here.
“Digital and remote support
can be ‘vital’ for new parents”:
Andrea Leadsom
Andrea Leadsom MP, chair of the Early
Years Healthy Development Review has
told Nursery World that new parents,
struggling to get the help they need during
the pandemic would benefit from ‘vital’
digital and remote support.
The Early Years Healthy Development
Review is considering ways in which the
power of technology can help give every
baby the best start in life.
For example, a digital version of the
traditional ‘Red Book’, which records
information on birth weight and
immunisations, ‘is on its way’ and ‘play
dating’ apps, using similar technology to
dating apps, are also being looked into.
Although digital support should ‘never
replace vital face-to-face support’, Ms
Leadsom said that the COVID-19 lockdown
has shown that it can ‘significantly add
to it’. She added; ‘We’re looking at much
better shared data and recordkeeping, and
the digital red book is potentially a key part
of that.’
Five options, in which technology could
really enhance and support the first 1001
critical days of a baby’s life were outlined in
a joint article with Ms Leadsom and Miriam
Cates, MP for Penistone & Stocksbridge, in
Conservative Home (12 November). These
include a new digital red book, digital
medical notes which can be ‘owned’ by
parents, a ‘play date’ app, a dedicated
early years section of the NHS website and
a dedicated early years helpline for NHS
111.
This story can be read on parenta.com
here.
Latest data released covering
attendance in education and
early years settings during
the coronavirus (COVID-19)
outbreak
The government has released it latest
figures for attendance in England’s
education and early years settings
from Monday 23 March to Thursday 12
November (excluding out of term dates).
The statistics, in their entirety can be found
here in the full publication, but the headline
figures for early years settings are as
follows:
Number of children attending early years
settings: 801,000
Up from 754,000 the previous week
(5.11.20)
Number of vulnerable children attending
early years settings: 30,000
Up from 26,000 the previous week (5.11.20)
Notes to these figures:
The 801,000 children which are currently
attending early years childcare settings is
approx. 61% of the number of children who
usually attend childcare in term time (1).
Due to many children attending early
years settings on a part-time basis, not all
children would have been in attendance on
the day of the data collection.
On a typical day in the autumn term
attendance is expected to be 887,000,
due to different and part-time patterns of
childcare during the week (2).
It is estimated that the 801,000 children
currently attending early years settings is
approximately 90% of the usual daily level.
(1) The number of children in term time was
estimated using outputs from the Childcare
and early years survey of parents: 2019 and
ONS National Population Projections: 2018
based.
(2) LAs are asked to send attendance in
EY settings on a typical day of the week.
The normal expected daily attendance has
been calculated based on estimates of the
average number of days a child spends in
formal childcare on any given day, using
the Childcare and early years survey of
parents: 2019.
This story can be read on parenta.com
here.
In a report for Telford and Wrekin’s Schools
Forum, Group Accountant Tim Davis
explains that the funding, given by the
local authority to the childcare provider, is
usually based on a headcount of eligible
children, but the Department for Education
is recommending January 2020 figures be
used next year because the coronavirus
may still be depressing attendance next
spring.
*UPDATE*
The government has confirmed that it is
planning to go back to basing funding
levels on actual attendance numbers as of
January 2021, though this remains under
review.
The Early Years Alliance, as part of its
ongoing lobbying and campaign work,
would like to gain a more detailed
understanding of what impact this planned
change would have on registered early
years providers and have produced a brief
survey on this issue. Here is the link
This story can be read on parenta.com
here.
4 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 5

A round up of some news
stories that have caught
our eye over the month
Story source and image credits to:
Nursery World, Worcester News,
Salisbury Journal, The Leader,
Real Fix
The opening of Bright Little Stars
Nursery in Barnet with guest,
the RT Hon Theresa Villiers MP
Prior to the second lockdown, Bright Little
Stars officially opened the doors to their
newest nursery in Barnet, with special
guest, the RT Theresa Villiers MP.
Little Adventurers teach children
– “It’s not all about the carving!”
The pre-school children from Little
Adventurers Nursery, Upminster had
fun celebrating Halloween by not just
carving the pumpkin but also working
out how to get the pumpkins from the
car and into their pre-school rooms.
Autumnal Joining Generations
Programme begins in Winchester
Children at Tops Day Nursery,
Winchester, have got in contact with St
Catherine’s View Care Home residents
after not being able to visit in person.
Tops Day Nurseries to remain
open during lockdown 2.0
In line with Government guidelines,
Tops Day Nurseries have pledged to
remain open where possible to ensure
stability and care for the children after
seeing early signs of anxiety after the
first lockdown was over.
Lest We Forget: Honouring
Remembrance Day
Milton Hall Montessori Nursery
School celebrated Remembrance Day
with the children. They listened to
stories about the war during a service
and laid their wreath as a mark of
respect.
Diwali -The Festival Of Lights
At Milton Hall Montessori
Nursery School…
At Milton Hall Montessori, the teachers
made Diwali celebrations special by
decorating the school with beautiful
hand-made diyas, making colourful
cards and dancing.
Ofsted sets out inspection plan
changes to every six years
The new plans will mean that
all nurseries, pre-schools and
childminders will have inspections
within six years of their last inspection..
Worcester nursery helping key
workers with 24/7 childcare
during the second lockdown
Open 24 hours a day throughout the
week, 365 days a year. The nursery
supports parents and families by
providing care out of normal hours.
Research project on COVID-19
impacts for childcare
A team of universities are wanting
to speak to childcare workers to
understand COVID-19 impacts on the
childcare sector to help influence a
future policy.
15 hours free childcare for parents
that apply with 2-year-olds
Better 2gether Funding will be available
for parents that have children who will
be turning 2 years old on/before 31st
December. The funding can be used
at local nurseries, pre-schools and
childminders.
Wrexham Nursery supporting
struggling families this winter
with food hamper donation
Rebbrook Day Nursery children
and parents all put together a food
hamper delivered to their local
foodbank to help the local families
struggling this year.
Six-year-old becomes Britain’s
youngest published author after
writing a book on how to handle
an autistic mum
Joanna Grace, and her son, have hit
the national headlines! Heath, 6, has
published a book called “My Mummy is
Autistic” – an original book which shows
his understanding of Jo’s autism.
6 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 7

Write for us!
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 a
£50 voucher to our “Guest Author of the Month”.
You can find all the details here: https://www.
parenta.com/sponsored-content/
Congratulations
to our guest author competition winner, Tamsin Grimmer!
Congratulations to Tamsin Grimmer, our guest
author of the month! Her article “COVID-19
– a chance to reconnect with nature and the
outdoors” encouraged us to enjoy the nature
around us, and promote a healthy outlook and
lifestyle. Well done Tamsin!
Online Training
courses with Linden
Early Years
Keeping children at the heart of
early childhood education and care
Linden Early Years are building up a selection of
online courses which Parenta readers can access for
60% off using code LDOFFER during the whole of
lockdown!
Go to https://bit.ly/3jVGZwm and type in the
discount code LDOFFER at the checkout!
A massive thank you to all of our guest authors
for writing for us. You can find all of the past
articles from our guest authors on our website:
www.parenta.com/parentablog/guest-authors
Twitter: @LindenEY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lindenearlyyears/
Website: https://www.lindenearlyyears.org/
Email: tamsin.grimmer@lindenlearning.org
8 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 9

Supporting children post
lockdown using the six
principles of nurture
The nature-nurture debate can often divide
opinions; are our children a result of genes
(whom they are born into), or are they
mostly influenced by their environment?
Whatever your opinion on this, I think most
people accept that the environment can
have a positive impact on our children and,
as educators, we do our best to ensure
that it is as nurturing as possible. And there
has never been a time when nurturing
children and supporting their wellbeing is
more important. In the midst of a global
pandemic, we must ensure that we support
our children and hold them in mind and
keep them in the centre of our practice.
So with this in mind, I find it helpful to reflect
upon the six principles of nurture which
were designed for use in nurture groups
in schools and settings (Lucas, Insley, &
Buckland, 2006). Within our early childhood
settings, we tend to adopt a nurturing
approach where we act as co-regulators
and help children to become more resilient
and it, in turn, raises their self-esteem and
contributes to a higher level of wellbeing.
I’m going to briefly touch on all six of these
principles now and share a few strategies
that we can use to support our children.
The six principles of
nurture
1. Children’s learning is understood
developmentally
2. The classroom/setting offers a safe
base
3. The importance of nurture for the
development of wellbeing
4. Language is a vital means of
communication
5. All behaviour is communication
6. The importance of transition in
children’s lives.
(Adapted from Lucas, Insley, & Buckland,
2006)
1. Children’s learning
is understood
developmentally
Our first nurture principle is about
developmentally-appropriate practice so
we need to start with the child and think
about individual children and their age
and stage of development. Bear in mind
the principles of the EYFS - every child
is a unique child, children learn to be
strong and independent through positive
relationships, children learn and develop
well in enabling environments and children
develop and learn in different ways and
at different rates. So at this time, when we
need to provide a nurturing curriculum,
rather than a catching up curriculum, we
must focus on children’s wellbeing and
provide activities and experiences which
begin with the child and are based on
what they can do. We can also include
opportunities to support children’s
wellbeing such as access to calm, safe
spaces, breathing techniques, sensory
play, mindfulness and yoga activities and
ensure that our settings openly talk about
our emotions and feelings.
2. The classroom/setting
offers a safe base
The second principle is referring to
attachment theory and ensuring that
our settings are nurturing places and
spaces. We want our settings to act as
a secure base for our children, however,
sadly, this is not the case for all children.
How securely attached a child feels will
have a direct influence on their behaviour.
Research has shown that children and
young people who have a good start
in life have significant advantages over
those who have experienced adverse
childhood experiences or trauma, or
those who have had difficulty forming
secure attachments. The environment that
children grow up within, or the nurturing
environment makes all the difference.
These children tend to do better at school,
attend regularly, form more meaningful
friendships and are significantly less likely
to be involved in crime or experience
physical or mental health problems.
Understanding attachment theory can
help us to understand why children
behave the way they do and help us to
remain more sensitive to their needs.
We can better understand how external
influences (relationships, stress, poverty,
neglect, emotional environment) can
affect children and this will then help us
to plan more effectively for them and use
appropriate strategies to support them –
intervening early if needed. Being aware of
this can help us to adapt our expectations
accordingly and use a range of strategies
to intervene sensitively.
3. The importance
of nurture for the
development of
wellbeing
When considering wellbeing, I find it
helpful to think about the whole child, so to
look at learning and wellbeing holistically
and provide a supportive emotional
environment. Here are a few ideas of how
to do this in practice:
• Ask about children’s experiences
during lockdown, perhaps families
may want to share photos or videos of
pictures or dens made of duvets and
airers!
• Respect children’s feelings and give
a clear message that all children are
valued and emotions accepted.
• Provide a predictable and secure
environment in which all adults
are consistent in their approach to
children’s behaviour.
• Support children with behavioural,
emotional and social difficulties
by reflecting on and meeting their
individual needs.
• Act as a role model and encourage
positive behaviour using emotion
coaching techniques.
• Provide activities and opportunities
that support children to recognise and
articulate their feelings and emotions.
• Use key person systems to ensure we
build strong, authentic relationships
with children and families.
• Offer understanding, reassurance
and security to all children at this time
and do not chastise any regression in
behaviour (wetting themselves, thumb
sucking or becoming excessively
clingy to a carer). This will pass with
time as the child feels more safe and
secure.
4. Language is a vital
means of communication
When nurturing children, we need to
reflect upon how we communicate with
them in ways that they fully understand.
In addition to spoken words we should
use gestures, pointing, body language,
posture, eye contact and movement (this
links with behaviour in principle 5). We
mustn’t assume that children know and
understand any new rules we may have
in place and we must share these with
them offering them reasons why we need
to change things. Children can be very
resilient and how we communicate with
them and their families will make a big
difference.
5. All behaviour is
communication
In addition to language, we communicate
through our actions and behaviour. If you
imagine an image of an iceberg – the
behaviours that you see are just the tip
and underneath what we see there is a lot
more going on. You might want to make
a note of a behaviour that you see and
try to unpick what is under the surface…
So the behaviour we see on the tip of the
iceberg could be hitting, biting, shouting,
screaming, aggressive behaviour, fighting,
a very quiet child or a child who appears
very clingy and tearful… but underneath
the waterline, the child could be trying to
get a message across. I feel angry, I am
hurt, I am hungry, I am tired, I need love,
I’m overwhelmed, I need a break, I want
that toy, I want a friend, I want to connect
with you and this works, I have these big
emotions and don’t know how to deal with
them…
We need to empathise and try to unpick
the behaviour and work out what our
children are trying to communicate with us.
6. The importance of
transition in children’s
lives
It would be easy for us to underestimate
the impact that transitions have. I really
like this quote by Daly, “Something adults
may consider to be a small or insignificant
event can be quite traumatic for children”
(Daly et al., 2004:111). So we have the really
BIG things like COVID-19 to worry about,
but sometimes it’s not the really big things
that will have the biggest impact on our
children, it can be the small things that are
really big for them. For example, having
to go through a different door into our
setting, or not being able to sit next to their
friend…
Therefore, we need to see the world and
our settings through our children’s eyes to
really try to understand how they will feel
and what will affect them most.
Looking to the future
If we bear in mind these six principles,
we will help to keep our children and
their wellbeing central to our practice. It
has been, and continues to be, a difficult
time for everyone, so we need to practise
empathy and using the principles of
nurture can enable us to do this. It will
take time for us all to get used to new
routines, rules and a new normal that
keeps changing. So let’s support our
children and families by providing a
nurturing environment that focuses on their
wellbeing.
References
• Daly, M., Byers, E. & Taylor, W. (2004)
Early years management in practice:
a handbook for early years managers
Oxford, UK: Heinemann.
• Lucas, S., Insley, K. and Buckland,
G. (2006) Nurture Group Principles
and Curriculum Guidelines Helping
Children to Achieve, nurtureuk.
Tamsin
Grimmer
Tamsin Grimmer is an experienced
early years consultant and trainer and
parent who is passionate about young
children’s learning and development.
She believes that all children deserve
practitioners who are inspiring,
dynamic, reflective and committed
to improving on their current best.
Tamsin particularly enjoys planning
and delivering training and supporting
early years practitioners and teachers
to improve outcomes for young
children.
Tamsin has written three books –
“Observing and Developing Schematic
Behaviour in Young Children” , “School
Readiness and the Characteristics
of Effective Learning” and “Calling
all Superheroes: Supporting and
Developing Superhero Play in the
Early Years” and is working on a
fourth looking at “Developing a Loving
Pedagogy in the Early Years”.
You can contact Tamsin via Twitter @
tamsingrimmer, her Facebook page,
website or email info@tamsingrimmer.
co.uk
10 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 11

Human Rights Day
What do you consider to be the most
important words ever written? Are they
in the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, The
Vedas or other holy book? Or are they the
words used in your marriage service, at a
family member’s funeral, or those in your
passport, allowing you to travel to foreign
places under the protection of your home
nation?
Everyone will have their own answer to
that question, but have you considered
how the following words might be
considered as the most important words
for ALL people?
“All human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights. They are endowed
with reason and conscience and should
act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood.”
These are the words from Article 1 of
the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, a document written in 1948 which
sets out “the fundamental rights and
freedoms inherent to all human beings
without distinction of race, colour, gender,
language, religion, political or other
opinion, national or social origin, property,
birth or any other status.”
In other words, it helps define a set of
principles for how human beings should
treat other human beings and is the
basis for human rights law. At the end
of the Second World War, the nations of
the world came together to try to ensure
peace and security across the globe and
with the atrocities of memories of two
world wars behind them, they established
the international organisation of the United
Nations as mechanism for governments
to “find areas of agreement and solve
problems together.” Various committees
and councils were formed, one of which
looked at the issue of human rights and
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
was born out of their collaborations. It was
adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly, made up of representatives
from different Member States around the
globe, on 10th December 1948. And whilst
it is not a legally binding document, it has
inspired more than 60 other human rights
agreements, accords and legislation.
It was drafted by eight men and one
woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, former First
Lady of the USA, who chaired the first
Human Rights Committee and it has been
translated into more than 500 languages,
making it the most translated document in
the world.
Explaining human rights to
children
One of the challenges in explaining
human rights to younger children is how
do you do so without scaring them about
the world they live in? Human history
is unfortunately full of cases of human
rights abuses perpetrated by humans on
other humans and there are still many
instances of inhuman degradation and
abuse occurring every minute of every
day. But we do not need to linger on this in
order to make the point. You can start by
looking at a simple topic, such as where
our food comes from, or how different
people live around the world, or what
education is like in other countries and you
will soon be able to explain that things
are not yet equal for everyone around
the world. Some of these differences are
due to varying culture and are celebrated
(like national foods such as pasta, curry
and croissants). Other differences are
due to inequalities, and that’s where
organisations like the United Nations are
trying to make the world a fairer place for
everyone by highlighting the inequality
and encouraging governments to tackle it.
Human Rights Day 2020
There are now 193 Member States of
the United Nations, and each year they
celebrate December 10th as Human Rights
Day. This year, the theme is “Recover
Better – Stand Up for Human Rights”
which obviously relates to the COVID-19
pandemic. The theme aims to make
human rights central to all recovery efforts
and to tackle “entrenched, systematic and
intergenerational inequalities, exclusions
and discrimination”.
The pandemic has wrecked lives across
the world, not just in exacting a heavy
death toll, but also by affecting the
economies, health systems, people’s
mental health and the way of live of
communities across the world. And as
is often the case, it is the poorest, least
educated, and least represented people
who suffer the most. By using the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights as a
standard to work to, we can work together
to build a fairer, more just world.
So in 2020, the UN is focusing on 4 basic
ideas to lead the pandemic recovery
process:
• End discrimination of any kind.
• Address inequalities, especially those
which have been exacerbated by the
pandemic.
• Encourage participation and solidarity
in the recovery process. “We’re all in
this together” after all.
• Promote sustainable development
which links in with the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals.
Ways to celebrate Human
Rights Day in your setting
1. Create a ‘circle of hands’ wreath
to symbolise unity and connection.
Ask the children to do handprints
on pieces of paper using different
colours. Cut them out and stick them
into a circle to display.
2. Use the hashtags
#Standup4humanrights and
#HumanRightsDay on your social
media messages and posts to raise
awareness.
3. Teach the children about human
rights through story books. The
human rights charity, Amnesty
International has a list of books for
younger children on their website
or you can use others such as “For
every child, a better world” by Kermit
the Frog,”, “Horton hears a Who” by
Dr. Seuss or “My Little Book of Big
Freedoms” by Chris Riddell.
4. Make a blessings tree. Take a dried
tree branch and paint it white. Then
ask the children about things they
value and write these on sticky notes
that you then attach to the tree. You
can use this to start up a conversation
about what is important to them.
5. Invite a leading member of your local
community in to give a talk to explain
what human rights means for them
and how it affects everyday life.
6. Model respect for human rights in
everything you do; from the way
you deal with colleagues to showing
respect, patience and empathy for all.
7. Download some campaign resources
to use here.
As ever, remember to send us your photos
too.
12 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 13

What our customers say
I have been in contact with all the team members at
Parenta on a regular basis and from start to finish the service
has been second to none. The team are very friendly, professional
and efficient. No issues raised have ever been left unresolved and
this has all resulted in a great partnership.
The team have always provided me with excellent customer service which in
my opinion is your core strength. The process has always been easy due to
their clear instructions.
I was particularly impressed with the service during lockdown as the Parenta
Team were always available. Their excellent service never faltered and the
team continued to respond in a very timely manner. This provided me
with a welcome stress and worry free process during a difficult time.
Samantha
has worked with
Squirrels Nursery for
many years and has
consistently provided an
excellent service. She is very
professional and friendly
as well as going the extra
mile to help and nothing is
too much trouble. Highly
recommended!
Penny, Scott,
Squirrels Nursery
and Preschool
Anita, Littlebrook Nurseries
I am so
glad that I had
the chance to do my
Level 3 childcare course
with Parenta, it has been
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smooth and efficient. Thanks
to Tina Butler everything was
always on time, from setting new
assignments to marking them. Tina
was very helpful during my course
and was always easy to contact
when needed. I had set goals for
myself and we have spoken about
this with Tina Butler that I wanted
to become a room leader, I am
happy and proud to say I have
become the baby room
leader!!
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is always answered in full. The
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supportive.
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Jungle Tots Day
Nursery
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to Jeanette for getting me
through my apprenticeship
after having such a struggle
with the many assessors I have
had. She has got me through
my apprenticeship in 8 weeks
and finally taught me in a way
that I could understand. I am
extremely thankful to her.
Sarah Long
Pippa Cain - amazing -
always had a fantastic
experience doing courses.
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Prospect House
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The impact of
self-ref lection
in early years
Like many parents (and practitioners) there are times when
things go smoothly with my children and then there are other
times when I honestly feel like I’m wading through mud. It’s like
we go in cycles of things going really well for so long and then
all of a sudden everything feels like a battle. At these difficult
times, our instinct can be to judge children’s behaviour as
unacceptable and to adopt new strategies to ‘fix’ it. However,
in my opinion, it is at these exact moments that we need to view
their behaviour as a symptom of a deeper issue.
For me, I have an ‘inside-out’ approach
to life. If something isn’t working, I believe
I need to look at myself first instead of
pointing the finger at anyone else. Through
challenging situations, as hard as they
can be, there are always lessons to learn
if we look for them. If someone is taking
advantage of me, the lesson might be that
I need to learn to say ‘no’ more and have
stronger boundaries. If someone makes
me feel inadequate, the lesson might be
that I need to build my own self-worth and
look intrinsically for validation, rather than
getting it from others. If someone is getting
frustrated with me, the lesson might
be that I actually need to communicate
more effectively. Now this approach to life
doesn’t mean that I take responsibility for
someone’s else’s bad behaviour. It simply
means that I look to see what the situation
is teaching me about myself so that I
can move forward in a different way and
hopefully avoid the same thing happening
again.
I also use this ‘inside out’ approach with
my parenting and teaching. If a child
is displaying challenging behaviour,
rather than just looking at their actions
and deeming it as ‘bad’, I would try to
gain an understanding of why they are
feeling or acting this way. I would also
dig deep and ask myself honestly if there
are any external factors (such as my
own behaviour or actions) that might be
contributing to the situation.
An example of this was when afternoons
with my children became stressful and
hard work. They were arguing constantly,
whining and generally being quite defiant.
In moments like this it is easy to fall into
the trap of seeing their behaviour as
the problem. However, it’s important to
remember that this is merely a symptom
of a deeper-rooted issue and as a
parent (or practitioner) I believe it is our
responsibility to see the bigger picture
and then provide everyone (including
ourselves) with an opportunity to learn
and grow.
On the surface, it looked like my children
were just acting up. However, when I did
some self-reflection, I realised that wasn’t
the case. As much as I was with my
children in an afternoon, I had become
distracted. I had a lot going on with my
business, Early Years Story Box, and had
lots of deadlines looming so my head
was in a spin. When I looked at things
closely, I realised that even though I was
with my children, I wasn’t actually being
present. My thoughts were focused on my
to-do list and I was trying to multi-task,
rather than giving them my full attention.
As hard as it was to admit that my own
behaviour was the problem, it was
necessary for things to get better. Sure
enough, as soon as I left my work at the
door and gave them my full attention, the
bickering and meltdowns reduced and
peace was restored. Like many people,
I was on autopilot juggling a million things.
However, by digging deep and looking
inwardly, rather than looking outwardly
at their behaviour, we not only solved the
problem, but we deepened our connection
in the process.
Another example of behaviour being a
symptom of a deeper issue was on my
daughter’s birthday. I’d arranged for her
friend to come over in the morning to play
for a bit before we went out. Everyone
was excited and we thought this would
be a lovely start to her day. As soon as
her friend arrived, my little girl became
unhappy and refused to let her play with
her new toys. It was an awful situation and
one that if I’m honest I didn’t really know
how to navigate. I felt bad for her friend
because she’d done nothing wrong and my
instant reaction was to feel upset that my
daughter had been mean. However, once
I stepped back, I could see exactly why this
had happened and how I could have done
things differently.
My daughter had got a new toy that she
had been wanting for ages. She hadn’t
been playing with it long before her friend
arrived and wanted to play with it too. Now
this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if
we put ourselves in her shoes, I think we
would feel the same. Whenever I am faced
with conflict, I always try to see things from
the other person’s point of view and think
of a comparative situation relating to my
own life. Her desire and excitement about
her new toy was equal to the feeling I had
when I was getting my new MacBook Pro.
I had wanted it for ages so when it arrived
it was the best feeling ever. If at that point
my friend came up to me and said she
wanted to use it too, I most certainly would
say that I wanted to use it properly myself
before I let anyone else get their hands on
it! When we get something new, it is human
nature to feel more protective of it because
we almost need to establish our own
possession of something before we share it
with anyone else.
After this realisation, my daughter’s
irrational behaviour made perfect sense.
With hindsight, I should have given her
time in the morning to explore her new
things before inviting her friend over. We
have since talked calmly about how she
spoke to her friend and how this made
her feel sad. However, by acknowledging
that I understood why she reacted the way
she did, it made her feel safe and heard,
which in turn meant that she too could
learn her own lesson through this about
communication and kindness.
Once we know better, we do better. It isn’t
about blame and reproach, but about
growing and developing. Looking inwardly
isn’t always easy, but the only thing we
can control in life is our own behaviour and
reactions. If we strive to be the best version
of ourselves, take responsibility for the part
that we play and treat people with kindness
and compassion we won’t go far wrong.
We will always make mistakes because
we are human. However, if we view our
mistakes as lessons and learn as we go,
we will always wake up the next day better
than we were the day before.
Stacey
Kelly
Stacey Kelly is a former teacher, a
parent to 2 beautiful babies and the
founder of Early Years Story Box, which
is a subscription website providing
children’s storybooks and early years
resources. She is passionate about
building children’s imagination,
creativity and self-belief and about
creating awareness of the impact
that the early years have on a child’s
future. Stacey loves her role as a
writer, illustrator and public speaker
and believes in the power of personal
development. She is also on a mission
to empower children to live a life full
of happiness and fulfilment, which is
why she launched the #ThankYouOaky
Gratitude Movement.
Sign up to Stacey’s Premium
Membership here and use the code
PARENTA20 to get 20% off or contact
Stacey for an online demo.
Email: stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com
or Telephone: 07765785595
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
earlyyearsstorybox
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/
eystorybox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.
com/earlyyearsstorybox
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
stacey-kelly-a84534b2/
16 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 17

Christmas around
the world
It has been a strange year in more ways than one and as we approach the end of 2020, many of us are
now wondering what Christmas will be like this year; will we be able to see our families or will the
traditional British Christmas, be the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic?
But if the traditional British Christmas is in jeopardy, how about Christmas in other countries and on
other continents? To cheer us all up, we’ve taken a festive trip around the 7 continents to see what other
families would traditionally be doing at Christmas.
Europe
We know how we celebrate in the UK,
but Finland is a snowy place for much of
the year, and you can be guaranteed a
white Christmas if you visit the country
in December. Many Finnish people (and
others) believe that Father Christmas lives
in the north of the country, in Lapland, so
a lot of children send letters to him each
year, which are delivered by the Finnish
post office.
Christmas Eve is the most important day
at Christmas and people traditionally eat
a porridge made from rice and milk, often
topped with more milk, cinnamon or butter.
Sometimes parents hide an almond in the
puddings and children love it if they ‘win’
the almond.
Finland gets dark at around 3pm on
Christmas Eve and a growing Christmas
tradition here is to visit the graves of
family members and light candles of
remembrance. Cemeteries are often lit up
with hundreds of candles burning brightly
as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day.
And what do the Scandinavian people do
after that? Well many of them warm up in
the traditional way – in the sauna!
Australasia
In the southern hemisphere, Christmas
comes at the height of summer, so many
people in New Zealand and Australia
celebrate Christmas with a BBQ on
the beach. Towns hold parades and
there is a carnival-like atmosphere with
marching bands and decorated floats.
Santa still traditionally visits with his
reindeer and many people leave out some
refreshments, but it is just as likely to be
a bottle of beer and some pineapple
chunks as some sherry and a mince pie!
One Christmas present that has gained
popularity in this part of the world in recent
years are ‘jandals’ which are New Zealand
sandals - even Santa is seen wearing
them at times!
North America
Christmas in North America is like the one
we know in the UK, with similar traditions
of Santa Claus delivering presents to
children who leave out their stockings by
the chimney. Many people decorate their
houses with lights and groups go around
the neighbourhood singing carols to raise
money for charities. Some communities
place lit candles on their pathways to
signify ‘lighting the way’ for Mary and
Joseph to find a safe place to rest for the
night (or to help Santa find his way too of
course!)
South America
South America is predominantly a Catholic
continent, so Christmas celebrations here
revolve around celebrating the birth of
Jesus. Many people attend Midnight Mass
on Christmas Eve which can end at 1am on
Christmas morning. Fireworks are also big
ways to celebrate Christmas too. In Brazil,
many people get a 13th month salary or
bonus at Christmas, so they get double
their salary at this time of year. The 6th of
January is also widely celebrated in South
America as Three Kings Day or Epiphany,
when the Three Kings traditionally visited
Jesus and left him gifts, and many children
do not get their Christmas presents until this
time, celebrating with a special Christmas
sponge cake called the kings’ cake.
Asia
In many Asian countries, Christmas is
celebrated as a secular holiday rather than
with any religious significance. However,
traditions are emerging, nevertheless.
In Japan for example, Christmas Day
is largely ignored but Christmas Eve is
considered a day for romantic couples akin
to Valentine’s Day here, where couples eat
out in restaurants. An advertising campaign
in Japan by KFC in recent years has also
made this a popular choice of Christmas
dinner too!
In other parts of Asia, such as Bali,
Christmas trees are made from chicken
feathers and fireworks are part of the
traditional Christmas fun.
Africa
There are many different religions in
Africa, and Christianity is only one of them.
Many Africans practice Islam and so do
not traditionally celebrate Christmas in
the same way that we do in Christian
European countries. However, in countries
like Nigeria, Zambia and South Africa,
where Christianity is the majority religion,
Christmas is celebrated by going to church,
exchanging gifts and a chance to spend
time with family, and share special meals.
Ethiopia and Egypt celebrate Christmas
on January 7th as they follow the Julian
calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar) as
opposed to the Gregorian calendar we use.
And in Senegal, which is mostly a Muslim
country, Christians celebrate Muslim
holidays and vice versa so Muslims often
put up Christmas trees in the mosques,
complete with tinsel and Santa Claus.
Antarctica
Finally, in Antarctica, Christmas comes in
the middle of summer, characterised by 24
hours of daylight. Even in the most northerly
parts of Antarctica, there is only about 1
hour of ‘dusk’ at this time of year and the
only people living here are scientists or
tourists. However, Christmas does not go
unmarked although the celebrations are
more muted since most people are on
working contracts, and there isn’t the same
commercial build up that exists in more
populated areas – (after all, what would
the penguins do with wrapping paper?)
Antarctic research also tends to be a
multinational affair, so Christmas traditions
can change with the research crews but
simple gifts are exchanged and there
may be a special meal and crew party.
Snow is guaranteed and the wildlife can
make Christmas in Antarctica a ‘once-ina-lifetime’
experience, connecting humans
together with their home planet in a simple,
communal way that is unrivalled anywhere
else on earth. But shh, rumour has it that
this is what Christmas is really all about
anyway!
We hope you have enjoyed our sojourn
around the world – perhaps you could
find out about the Christmas traditions of
families at your setting and share them with
the children.
Whatever you do, Happy Christmas!
18 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 19

“How can we improve parental engagement during this pandemic?”
A few weeks ago I was invited to work
with a nursery school leadership team for
a strategic planning workshop. Known for
excellent parental engagement, the school
had been struggling to engage some
families since the COVID-19 crisis. This
was partly because absence from nursery
had increased due to family anxiety and
ill health. Parents were not allowed on site
due to social distancing arrangements.
The SENCo was particularly concerned for
families who had children with complex
needs, including those with challenging
behaviours and family stress.
During a workshop, I introduced the model
of neurological levels of learning. This
model comes from Robert Dilts, a leading
A model for change -
neurological levels of learning
Neurological level
Environment
Place and time, where the team works,
sensory level
Behaviours
What each member does
Capabilities and skills
A combination of behaviours
Beliefs and values
Values are the emotional drivers; beliefs
are what we hold true
figure in the field of Neuro-linguistic
Programming (NLP). He recognised that it
is important for team leaders to operate
at multiple levels to achieve change. As
Albert Einstein quoted:
“You can never solve a problem with the
same kind of thinking that created the
problem in the first place.”
The six W questions are integral to the
model, to allow people to ask themselves
questions in different ways:
Where? When? What?
Why? How? Who?
The
question
Where/
when?
What?
Why?
How?
Founderstone nursery school
- what the team said
A seventh W question could be ‘For
whom?’ to determine the greater purpose/
mission.
I invited the team to consider their parental
engagement issue through this model.
The question asked was “How can we
improve parental engagement during this
pandemic?” The leaders recognised they
had done lots of work at the ‘environment’
level, making the school as safe as they
could. They had also informed parents of
the new safety guidance through a range
of communications (behaviour level).
However, as they attributed their question
further up the pyramid, they raised some
deeper, reflective questions for themselves
(in bold).
The welcoming building, COVID-19 safe, the families living in the
community, green outdoor space, happy voices, lots of 2-4 year-olds,
known people on site, safe place, large garden, smell of toast and
lunch cooking, school day and extended day.
Staff attendance remains excellent, children play and explore with
confidence, staff friendly with parents and visible on the gate, strong
information sharing from staff and leadership time regarding the
COVID-19 pandemic and nursery guidance.
Highly skilled and committed teachers and practitioners, family support
and children’s centre to provide effective early help, children learn well,
strong safeguarding culture, effective at parental engagement… or
are we?
School is important and children should learn. Everyone should come to
school. Our vision and strap line for the school talks about ‘possibilities
and opportunities for children and families’ but are we getting the
buy in from all families?
Once they got to the top I asked them to go
back down the order of the pyramid to gather
further reflections. The discussion continued
in earnest as they raised lots of questions
and assumptions about their practice:
These are some of the challenges the team
identified:
1. Purpose
Although our vision statement is visible in
every room, we cannot remember it, so it is
unlikely our stakeholders will!
2. Identity
The nursery has been a consistent resource
over the past 50 years, yet so much has
changed in the local community that our
newer families may not know who we are.
3. Beliefs and values
The internal beliefs and values of the school
are clear from the school perspective – that
education is important and children are
expected to attend every day. Do our families
feel the same way, or might we just be a
childcare service that allows the families to
work. Or is there an image that we are a
place where the most vulnerable children
attend? Or both?
4. Skills and capabilities
We have a strong reputation for supporting
families with complex social and educational
needs. But how do we get the buy-in
from families who won’t or don’t come or
disappear as soon as there is an issue, with
the COVID-19 crisis being a current and far
reaching one?
As a result, the team came up with some
reflective points to action. They produced 5
top tips:
1. Early years settings can never be still.
Constant challenge to your own practice
is an effective tool to make your practice
flexible and move with the times.
2. Parental engagement often follows
the 80/20 rule – 80% of families who
engage take up 20% of your time, and
20% of your families take up 80% of
your time. It is usually the same 20% of
children and families who you struggle
to make a difference with, and you can
invest in an individualised approach with
each of them.
3. Families with children with disabilities
or special needs can be particularly
sensitive during the current climate
– find out what they need to trust that
their child will be safe in your nursery.
4. Each family has its own set of beliefs and
values and these may not quite match
with yours or your schools. Parents
always want the best for their child, so
how can you help them get this? Do their
expectations align with those of your
setting?
5. Only send necessary communications
and keep them simple. Gather
perspectives on how your
communications are received by
engaged families from a range of
backgrounds – multi-cultural and
socio-economic, established and new to
area.
If you would like to try this model to create
change in your school, remember the six Ws
(+1, What?):
Where/when will you meet? (environment/
time) What will you focus on? (behaviours)
Why will you do it? (capabilities/skills)
How might you make it happen? (beliefs/
values)
Who will make it happen? (identify)
For whom are you doing it? (purpose/vision/
mission)
Ruth
Mercer
Ruth Mercer is a coach and
consultant, with a career background
in early education. Ruth is committed
to creating a positive learning
environment for staff, children and
families. She has a successful track
record of 1:1 coaching for leaders and
group coaching across the maintained
and PVI sector. She supports leaders
and managers in developing a
coaching approach in their settings
through bespoke consultancy and
introductory training on coaching and
mentoring for all staff.
Virtual course forthcoming:
Onwards and Upwards - Becoming an
Effective Leader in the EYFS (6 half-day
sessions over 6 months). Suitable for
EYFS leads in school, nursery school
teachers and reception teachers.
Please email ruthmercercoaching@
gmail.com for further details, to book a
space or request a bespoke option for
your school/setting.
Contact:
ruthmercercoaching@gmail.com
Website:
www.ruthmercercoaching.com
Identity
Who the team think they are
Who?
We are a safe place for children, a community hub, we are educators
and supporters of families but does everyone think so – what
about those we cannot reach?
References:
Purpose/mission
Part of something bigger
For
whom?
To provide service for the local authority and the community, to ‘narrow
the gap’ between the more advantaged and those with barriers to
learning, to remove barriers to learning; our vision for the school but
is the vision memorable and accessible for everyone who might
use our school and services?
• Diagram from NLPschool.com
• Dilts, R. (2003) From Coach to
Awakener (Appendix A ) Dilts Strategy
Group
20 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 21

Celebrating Winter
At the North Pole, there is continual night
from early October to early March so
there is little to define the changing days
other than knowledge that the days will
eventually get lighter, and Winter Solstice
traditionally marks the start of the days
becoming longer again.
Since the solstice is an astronomical event
rather than a calendar event, the exact
day and time of the solstice varies slightly
from year to year, but it generally falls
between the 21st and 23rd December.
People have been celebrating Winter
Solstice for thousands of years, and in the
Pagan religion, it forms one of the 8 main
festivals, known as Yule, or the rebirth.
At the end of the longest night, the sun is
promised to return, bringing back the light,
hope and promise of life. It has also been
celebrated as a turning point in the year by
many cultures around the world including
those in China, Iran, Peru, Japan and New
Mexico to name but a few.
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain,
Newgrange in Ireland and Machu Picchu
in Peru and just 3 ancient places
which are thought to be built with
astronomical principles in mind as
the placement of the stones and
the entrances are aligned to the
sun’s position on the Winter and
Summer Solstices.
Solstice
Winter Solstice falls on December 21st, 2020 marking the shortest day of the year in the northern
hemisphere and corresponding with the Summer Solstice or the longest day of the year in the southern
hemisphere. Of course, the actual length of the 21st December is exactly the same in both hemispheres,
but we are referring to the number of hours of ‘daylight’ rather than the number of hours in the day.
In the UK, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky and will be seen for just over 6 hours and 35 minutes
in Inverness, and a few more precious minutes the further south you head. It marks the time when the
North Pole is tilted at its furthest point from the sun, which will be at 10.02am.
How to celebrate Winter
Solstice in your setting
There are lots of fun things to do to
celebrate Winter Solstice and we’ve listed
a few to get you started.
Make an evergreen Yule wreath
Wreaths were traditional Yule decorations
long before commercial Christmas wreaths
and were made using evergreen leaves
and branches from different trees believed
to have healing or protective powers.
You can choose from things like pine
(healing and joy), mistletoe (healing and
protection), ivy (resurrection and rebirth),
yew (regeneration) and holly (protection
and everlasting life energy). You can also
decorate your setting by draping pieces
of evergreens around doorways and on
the walls. If you don’t want to use actual
pieces of greenery, you can make some
using green paper/card to represent the
different shrubs.
Decorate a Yule tree
The Yule tree was also a tradition long
before Prince Albert popularised the
Christmas tree for the masses in the 1800s.
They represented life in the depths of
mid-winter and were often thought to
house wood spirits. People brought them
into their houses for good luck (giving a
place for the wood spirits to keep warm for
the winter) and decorated them with food
and treats for the spirits too.
Celebrate the light
Winter Solstice celebrates the return of
the light and candles were traditionally
burnt to bring ‘back the light’ and remind
people that the sun would return. We don’t
recommend burning real candles in your
setting for obvious reasons, but you could
create a display of images and pictures
if the children draw some or make some
craft-candles by rolling up different pieces
of coloured paper. You can also make
paper lanterns similar to Chinese lanterns
using some pieces of coloured paper to
create a colourful, light-inspired display.
Celebrate with a circle or sun
dance
The Zuni native Americans celebrate
Winter Solstice as the beginning of their
year with a ceremonial dance called
Shalako. It a very spiritual ceremony lasting
for a number of days to give thanks, ask
for blessing from the gods, and celebrate
the sun returning. Other cultures around
the world celebrate with other dances,
such as the circle dances of English folk
dancing. You can lead the children in a
traditional circle dance, getting them to
hold on to piece of coloured ribbon (as
opposed to hands) and dance around a
pretend bonfire or the Yule tree. The circle
represents togetherness and can also
represent the returning sun.
Bake some Yule treats
As a midwinter feast, Yule has its fair
share of goodies to tuck into
including a chocolate Yule log,
plum pudding, and wassail,
a traditional apple cider
drink. Although wassail
traditionally contains
alcohol so is not
suitable for children,
there are nonalcoholic
versions
you can make too
which are quick and
easy and contain fruit
so are a great way to
increase your children’s
fruit and vegetable intake.
There are some delicious
Yule recipes here or a quick
search on the internet will bring
up many other wonderful winter
warmers.
Create some Yuletide crafts
If you don’t have the facilities to make a
real chocolate Yule log, why not make
a craft one using the inside of a kitchen
roll and some imagination? You can
also make some Yule cards, a model
of Stonehenge or its equivalent in card,
building blocks or paper or anything else
you can think of.
Share the love
Winter Solstice celebrates a connection
with the natural world, so remember
your local nature and make your own
bird feeders using nuts, seeds, dried fruit
and fat. You can even make them out of
cleaned out recycling objects such as old
plastic bottles, unused building blocks
and old cups and saucers. There are
some great ideas here with plenty
of different suggestions to keep
everyone happy. Remember to
put out water for birds in winter
too and to break the ice on
frozen water to help other
wildlife.
We hope you enjoy
celebrating Winter Solstice
in your setting. Remember
to send your photos to us at
hello@parenta.com.
For some more ideas see:
• https://www.backwoodsmama.
com/2017/12/7-wonderful-ways-tocelebrate-winter-solstice-with-kids.
html
• https://www.patheos.com/blogs/
naturessacredjourney/2016/12/kidfriendly-earth-friendly-yule-crafts/
22 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 23

Lullabies for sleepy eyes
It can be tricky getting little ones to sleep at any time. No excuse is needed, no reason
is necessary – they want to stay awake to stay near you. During uncertain times, when
routines go out of the window, it can be tricky to get ourselves as adults to settle, let alone
our little ones. And throw in a holiday like Christmas, Hannukah or Diwali, and it can be a
long, long month of family sleeplessness, agitation and upset.
Cue a cure: Musicaliti’s Lullaby Month! This December 2020, every day for 25 days, Musicaliti will release a lullaby that
you can use with your littlies at bedtime. Just like the Christmas carols of last year (still available on our YouTube Musicaliti
channel!), each day will feature a different lullaby – links will be available from our Facebook, Twitter, Insta and LinkedIn
pages. And as an added bonus, this link will take you to the free Musicaliti Lullaby ibook for a link to all of the lyrics of each
song: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lullabies-for-sleepy-eyes/id1539038332?ls=1
1. All The Pretty Little Horses
(American Lullaby)
Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry
Go to sleep, little baby
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses
2. All Through The Night
(Welsh lullaby)
Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night
3. Toora Loora Loora
(Irish Lullaby)
Over in Killarney many years ago
Me mother sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low
Just a simple little ditty
In her good old Irish way
And I’d give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day
4. Sleep, baby, sleep
(German Lullaby)
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Thy papa guards the sheep;
Thy mama shakes the dreamland tree
And from it fall sweet dreams for thee,
Sleep, baby, sleep
5. Frère Jacques (French lullaby)
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Ding, dang, dong! Ding, dang, dong!
6. Sleep, little one, sleep
(Dutch Lullaby)
Sleep, little one, sleep
Out of doors, there runs a sheep
A sheep with four white feet, that drinks its
milk so sweet
Sleep, little one sleep
7. Hava Nagila (Jewish Lullaby)
Hava Nagila, Hava Nagila
Hava Nagila, ve-nis-me-gha
Hava Nagila, Hava Nagila
Hava Nagila, ve-nis-me-gha
8. Nina Nana (Italian Lullaby)
Nina Nana Coco lo del la Mama,
Nina Nana Coco lo del Papa
Nina Nana Coco lo del la Mama,
Nina Nana Coco lo del Papa
9. Thula Thul (Zulu Lullaby)
Thula thul, thula baba, thula ‘mntwana
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni
Thula thul, thula baba, thula ‘mntwana
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni
10. Ally Bally Bee
(Scottish Lullaby)
Ally Bally, Ally Bally Bee
Sitting on your mummy’s knee
Greeting for a wee penny
To buy some Coulter’s candy
11. Lavender’s Blue
(English Lullaby)
Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, lavender’s
green
When you are King, dilly dilly, I shall be
Queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you
so?
‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told
me so
12. Mummy Loves
(South American Lullaby)
Mummy loves and daddy loves and
Everybody loves little baby
Brother loves and sister loves and
Everybody loves little baby
13. Golden Slumbers
Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise,
Sleep, pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby
14. Hush Little Baby
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring
15. Rock a bye baby
Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all
16. Little Boy Blue
Little boy blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cows in
the corn
Where is the boy who looks after the
sheep?
He’s under the haystack, fast asleep
Will you wake him? No, not I
For if I do, he’ll surely cry
17. Wee Willie Winkie
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown
Knocking at the windows, crying at the
locks
Are the children in their beds for it’s past
eight o’clock
18. Girls and boys come out to
play
Girls and boys come out to play
The moon is shining bright as day
Leave your supper and leave your sleep
And join your playfellows in the street
19. Twinkle Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
20. Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master and one for the dame
And one for the little boy who lives down
the lane
21. Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn’t know where to find them
Leave them alone
And they’ll come home
Wagging their tails behind them
22. You Are My Sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love
you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
23. Somewhere over the rainbow
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a
lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
really do come true
24. When you wish upon a star
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
25. Brahms’ Lullaby
Lullaby, and good night
With pink roses bedight
With lilies o’erspread
Is my baby’s sweet head
Lay you down now, and rest
May your slumber be blessed
Lay you down now, and rest
May your slumber be blessed
Wishing you a festive season, whichever holiday you celebrate,
with the hope that you get to Dream A Little Dream!
Frances
Turnbull
Musician, researcher and author,
Frances Turnbull, is a self-taught
guitarist who has played contemporary
and community music from the age
of 12. She delivers music sessions to
the early years and KS1. Trained in the
music education techniques of Kodály
(specialist singing), Dalcroze
(specialist movement) and Orff
(specialist percussion instruments), she
has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
(Open University) and a Master’s degree
in Education (University of Cambridge).
She runs a local community choir, the
Bolton Warblers, and delivers the Sound
Sense initiative “A choir in every care
home” within local care and residential
homes, supporting health and wellbeing
through her community interest
company.
She has represented the early years
music community at the House of
Commons, advocating for recognition
for early years music educators, and
her table of progressive music skills
for under 7s features in her curriculum
books.
Frances is the author of “Learning with
Music: Games and activities for the
early years“, published by Routledge,
August 2017.
www.musicaliti.co.uk
24 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 25

Countdown to the new education
curriculum requirements
– the revised Early Years Foundation Stage coming in 2021 – Part 1
In our new series, we look at the changes coming to the EYFS, what it means for you and your
staff, your setting and the children you look after.
Where are we now?
Change is a part of life. Some would
argue that changes are what drives
society forward, improving life one
small step at a time. In early years and
education, we are used to changes;
last year the Government made
changes to the Ofsted Inspection
Framework and prior to that, there
were changes to the GCSE grading
system, abandoning the decades-old
A – G grades in favour of 1 – 9. Before
that there were levels, the introduction
of the National Curriculum and so on
and so forth.
In early years education, we have had
Birth to 3 and the Curriculum Guidance
for the Foundation Stage (3-5 years),
Stepping Stones and in reception there
was the Foundation Stage profile.
The current statutory requirement, the
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
was first proposed in 2008, and has
been revised and updated several
times since (2012, 2014 and 2017).
With each successive update, there
have inevitably been changes to daily
practice; policies have been rewritten,
staff retrained, and paperwork or
technology altered in some way.
Some have welcomed the reforms;
others have suggested improvements
and yet others have resisted change
throughout.
The reality is, however, that in
September 2021, early years settings
in England will need to comply with a
revised EYFS Framework and this will
apply by law to all settings in England.
There are 9 months to go.
So where are we with the changes,
and what do you need to know? Over
a series of articles in coming months,
we look at some of these changes in
more detail, what it means for your
setting and what you should be doing
to prepare, starting with the current,
changeable situation.
According to the DfE, the new
EYFS Framework will outline “the
standards that school and childcare
providers must meet for the learning,
development and care of children from
birth to 5”.
The reforms are designed to:
• improve outcomes at 5 years old
• improve language development
for all children but particularly
for children from disadvantaged
backgrounds
• reduce workload for teachers and
childcare practitioners
The initial document proposing
changes was first published in
October 2018 and, as with any major
change of this nature, the Government
launched a consultation period
between October 2019 and the end
of January 2020, seeking input from
various stakeholders on the changes
they proposed to make, and many
industry bodies, nursery settings and
childminders gave feedback on the
proposed changes.
The consultation covered:
• proposed revisions to the
educational programmes
• proposed revisions to the Early
Learning Goals
• proposed changes to the
assessment and moderation
process for the Early Years
Foundation Stage Profile
• and a proposed change to
the safeguarding and welfare
requirements to promote good oral
health
In October 2019, the ‘early years
coalition’ published its response to the
Government EYFS consultation which
you can read here and the consultation
process officially began.
A response to this EYFS Reforms
consultation was published on 1st
July 2020. However, many early
years organisations have been
‘disappointed’ with the response to the
consultations, and there have been
petitions set up to revoke the proposed
changes.
Several industry organisations have
concerns about the changes going
ahead. Kinderley.co.uk sums them up
as:
• worries about the reforms leading
to a narrow curriculum with high
pressure for children to learn and
reception teachers to teach to the
Early Learning Goals (ELGs)
• claims that the goals are not
developmentally appropriate for
five-year-olds (never mind the
summer-born children, or those
with EAL or SEND), especially in
areas such as mathematics and
literacy
• concerns about retaining the
Characteristics of Effective
Learning and that the reforms
will lead to children learning from
books or by rote
The Early Years Alliance published
its response to the changes here,
summarising the changes for the
different documents and its response
to them.
Alongside the consultation, the
Government also asked for some
settings to become “early adopters”
meaning that these settings would
adopt the new framework a year early
(from September 2020) and feedback
their experience of it before the final
publication of the revised document
later in 2021.
There were 2 separate areas which
settings could choose to adopt early,
and they could choose one or both of
the areas, depending on their setting,
the age of their children, and their
preferences. These were:
• Revised EYFS Framework (From
birth to 5)
• Reception Baseline Assessment
(for settings with reception
classes)
The Government also published the
Early years foundation stage profile
2021 handbook EYFS reforms early
adopter version June 2021 to help
settings implement the changes.
Approximately 20% of the sector
(2800 schools) chose to become early
adopters of the new framework and
have been effectively trialling it since
September 2020. But with coronavirus
affecting all aspects of daily life and
nurseries having to introduce COVIDsecure
practices, along with the
challenges faced if staff are off sick or
self-isolating, the introduction of this
has not been without its problems.
How has COVID affected the
changes?
The new framework is still due to
come into force in September 2021,
and the early adopters are using
this framework currently. However,
due to concerns about coronavirus,
the Government also published 2
documents earlier in the year that are
relevant to childcare settings and their
fulfilment of the current EYFS.
These were:
• Actions for Early Years and
Childcare Providers during the
Coronavirus Outbreak which
includes new, temporary changes
to the EYFS requirements and
which has most recently been
updated on November 5th.
Amendments are intended to
give the early years sector some
flexibility to respond to changes in
workforce availability and potential
fluctuations in demand while
ensuring children are kept safe
and allow for some changes in a
setting’s compliance with certain
areas of the existing EYFS
• Early Years Foundation Stage:
Coronavirus Disapplications, which
contains full details of the changes
and what this means in practice
for settings
The guidance states that early years
providers should fully familiarise
themselves with these changes to
ensure they understand the flexibilities
available to them and are meeting
the modified requirements during the
coronavirus outbreak.
The following areas of the EYFS
statutory requirements are affected
by the temporary changes during the
pandemic.
Section 5.1 – disapplication
of learning and development
requirements - early years providers
should use reasonable endeavours
to meet the existing learning and
development requirements, instead of
this being something they ‘must do’.
Section 5.2 – Assessment progress
check at age 2 - the progress
check at age 2 will not need to be
undertaken during any period of
intervention related to coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Section 7.1 – staff qualifications
and ratios – these may be adjusted in
certain circumstances.
Section 7.2 – Paediatric first aid
– the requirements for the provision
of qualified staff in some age
groups may be altered in certain
circumstances.
As some point in the future, these
disapplications will cease and at that
point, providers will need to again
follow existing EYFS statutory guidance.
You can also read a summary of
disapplication changes here.
Look out for part 2 of this series
looking at the changes to
“Development Matters.”
26 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 27

Control struggles –
how to help young children
feel more secure
As adults we are currently experiencing more uncertainty than we have perhaps ever known
before. Due to the global pandemic things are getting changed at the drop of a hat – events
are cancelled, the rules regarding whether or not we can socialise can change, and we don’t
know when life will begin to go back to normal, if ever. The complete lack of control we are
experiencing is leaving adults feeling angry, frustrated, stressed and many are suffering high
levels of anxiety.
Gina
Smith
That feeling that comes from lack of
control is what life can be like for a lot of
children. Without realising it, it is so easy
to give our children no control. We choose
what is going to happen in their day, who
they are going to be with, what they are
going to eat and what activities they will
get to choose from. Before arriving at
your setting, a child will very often have
had somebody else choose what they
are going to wear, what they are going to
have for breakfast, who is dropping them
off and who is picking them up. When
they arrive at your setting they don’t know
for certain what adults are going to be in
today and which children are going to be
in. Can you imagine how frustrating and
unsettling that is? Especially if you are not
told or don’t understand what is going
to be happening. Now throw COVID into
that mix: all the cancellations, change in
routine, not seeing people you are used to
seeing. Everything in young children’s lives
is out of control. Some children deal with
this by trying to take back control, and this
presents itself as them trying to have their
own way and becoming very angry or
upset when it doesn’t happen.
Many of the events described above are
things that we cannot give children a
choice over – they don’t get to decide who
takes them to and from your setting. We
can, however, help support them through
the feelings that this lack of control can
bring, and help them feel control in other
ways. If there is a particular child in your
setting that is becoming very angry, it may
be that they are struggling with the lack of
control in their lives. Here are some ways
you can help them with this:
• Recognise their feelings – how do you
feel when there is a power struggle?
Frustrated? Angry? Well, children feel
the same. We need to help them
recognise this feeling if they are going
to have a chance of dealing with it.
Label it for them – ‘I can see that you
are feeling angry’ and empathise – ‘it
is hard when you have to stop doing
something that you are enjoying’.
• Remain calm, yet assertive to
demonstrate a sense of safety. As
we’ve just established, the child is
likely to be feeling some big, strong
emotions. If you meet them with
similar emotions, the situation will only
escalate. You need to remain calm.
At the same time, remaining firm with
your decision will give the child the
security that they need.
• Tell them or show them what is
happening in a way that they can
understand, so that their day isn’t
an unknown. The child will have
been hearing your voice all morning
and may find it hard to process
language. Using a different method
of communication can work wonders
when you are trying to show them
what is happening. This might mean
showing them using visual symbols,
photos, through signing or by
physically walking them through the
steps. A visual timetable on the wall is
brilliant at helping a child understand
what is happening in their day and
therefore feel more in control.
• Give warnings before transition.
Imagine that you were really enjoying
an activity and then you got told to
stop what you were doing straight
away to change to doing something
less fun. How would that make you
feel? Don’t expect a child to just stop
what they are doing as soon as you
ask them to. They need time to prepare
for the transition, just as you would.
Communicate to them what is going to
be happening, and then use a visual
timer such as a sand timer to show
them how long they’ve got before they
need to change activity.
• Give them some control. This is really
important. You need to let go of
the things that don’t really make a
difference to you and allow the child to
have some control over the little things
that mean the world to them. If you
can, let them choose what colour cup
they will have, what song we will sing
today, which activity they do first. They
don’t have bills to worry about and a
family to support – the colour of their
cup might be massively important to
them so, where possible, let them have
control over it.
• Show them respect by asking their
opinion – showing them that their
feelings really matter and will affect
the outcome. This will help them feel
valued and let them know that they do
have some control in your setting.
• Offer choice. If you are facing a battle
because the child really doesn’t want
to do what you have asked, offer them
a choice. You can do this, or that – that
way they get an element of control but
ultimately will still have to do what you
asked.
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
gina@createvisualsaids.com
• Give responsibility/ask for their help
– there is no better way of making
a child feel valued than by showing
them how much you need their help.
If you can give them an element of
responsibility, no matter how small, it
will make all the difference to helping
them feel more settled and secure.
As always, the biggest step in helping a
child is understanding. If you and the staff
around you can take time to understand
the reasons behind a behaviour, we can
go a really long way toward supporting
that child. At the end of the day we just
need to remember that behaviour is a form
of communication so if we can understand
what is bothering the child, we can help
address the behaviour.
28 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 29

Benef its of sensory
2
TIP: It’s a great bonding opportunity for
parents with one or more children. Playing
with them will help you learn what they do
and don’t like.
rooms for children
They are stimulating
5
Six benefits of sensory rooms
A sensory room is a specially designed,
safe space that provides children and
people affected with autism with the right
environment that helps stimulate their
neural development. For many people,
sensory development is, mostly, fully
achieved by the age of 5. However, children
under this age bracket have a difficult time
managing their sensory information. They
may need these types of safe spaces
to help them get acquainted with and
manage such sensory information.
with autism
These rooms are also great for individuals
diagnosed with any form of autism that
may hinder their ability to perceive and
process sensory information.
Benefits of having a sensory
room
Sensory rooms have been around
since the 1970s in the Netherlands, and
they were known as Snoezelen. Aptus
Treatment Centre for Adults and Children
with Complex Disabilities and many other
institutions found out through studies
that adults with autism and children, by
extension, can significantly benefit from
an environment that offers regulated and
integrated sensory inputs.
Setting aside a playroom for your kid is
great. However, you could also design it
in such a way that your child gets to learn
critical cognitive abilities while having
fun at the same time. Doing this will put
them one step ahead of their peers and,
at the same time, make it a pleasurable
everyday experience. Here are some of the
benefits of having a sensory room as your
child’s play area.
1
Sensory rooms are calming
Noise pollution is a huge deal, especially if
you live around cities. Sometimes the noise
you encounter in your daily routine can be
overwhelming, making you wish you got a
few hours of quiet to get your thoughts in
order. This experience is multiplied tenfold
when it comes to your child.
Children find it very difficult to process
all this information at once and, as a
result, become quite agitated in this type
of environment. Providing them with a
safe space with soft lighting and proper
ventilation can keep them calm and
concentrate more on playing and
problem-solving skills.
TIP: Soundproof your sensory space to
keep out any loud noises that may scare
your child.
While most adults have learned to tune
their attention to these sensory inputs as
they need them, children can’t because
they haven’t learned how to. You could
incorporate a few items in your sensory
room, such as toys that they can play with
and colourful, stimulating lighting patterns
that can help them explore the world
around them.
TIP: Have enough sensory-stimulating toys
in your child’s sensory room to encourage
them to play and keep them occupied.
3
It can improve your child’s
focus
Many children are hyperactive and can find
it difficult concentrating on one task over
an extended period, which is also true for
autistic individuals. Setting aside a sensory
space for children will help them learn how
to interact with the environment, which will
equip them with skills to help them in
real-life situations.
TIP: Guide your children while they play and
help them stay focused until they complete
tasks.
4
Improve socialisation skills
Sensory areas can be great places for
children to interact, socialise, and bond.
They provide a free environment where
children can run around and play safely
with other children while bonding.
Given the right tools, this can help them
improve their motor skills, verbal skills,
hand-to-eye coordination, and many other
skills that will help them become healthier
both physically and mentally.
Help in cognitive development
Sensory spaces expose your child to
cognitively-stimulating experiences that
help them process sensory inputs from
the environment and learn how to react
to them. Acquiring these skills will help
them explore and learn about cause and
effect and how their actions affect the
environment.
TIP: Include pieces that your child can use
to play cognitive games to improve their
cognitive understanding.
6
Motor skills development
Muscle development can be a significant
challenge for people with sensory
problems. Providing a safe space where
they can practice balancing through
jumping, bouncing, and being stable can
be useful for their development.
TIP: Help your child develop motor skills
by encouraging them to perform simple
exercises such as running.
Ava
Wadaby
Ava is a contributing writer for
Autism Parenting Magazine. She
researches and writes about autism
as she works to understand the
challenges of her son who was
diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. She
also regularly conducts activities with
children in her neighbourhood, focusing
on their learning and development.
Conclusion:
Your child’s sensory system is very delicate.
It helps them learn and sort out critical
sensory data to better relate to their
environment. Providing them with access
to a controlled sensory area will help them
have fun safely and learn how to manage
their sensory skills when they get out into
the real world.
30 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 31

My Mummy is Autistic
the trolley. I was still two sentences back
and didn’t hear his “stop.” Consequently I
caught his foot as he dismounted.
perfect. In his simple drawing I could see
he understood how overwhelming that
crush of words can be for me.
I am autistic. The pertinence of this to you
is that having an autistic brain means I
am capable of taking in vast amounts of
information and organising this. A skill I
use when I write articles about the sensory
world for Parenta.
Experience has taught me to introduce
my autism in that way. At the doctors I
explain the significance of differences in
my language processing. On a night out, I
might explain the apparent lack of filter in
what I am willing to talk about.
If I do not introduce myself in this way
then people’s pre-existing presumptions
of what autism means will colour how
they view me. I often worry that prejudices
will undermine what people think of me
professionally.
When my son was 4 years old, the
pertinence of my autism to him became
apparent in a supermarket when I ran over
his foot with a trolley!
He and I have a system when we go
shopping: he writes a list, and I push
the trolley. Originally this was my way of
keeping him entertained. He would carry
a list of scribbles around and I would chat
to him about it, encouraging him to cross
things off the “list” as we went.
My playing his shopping list stopped when
one day I happened to ask him at the
checkout if we had forgotten anything.
(I wanted the checkout lady to see how
cute he looked checking his list). He read
through his list of scribbles and informed
me that we had forgotten the cucumber.
The checkout lady regarded the items on
the belt. He was right!
Once I knew the list was real I milked it.
He writes the list, he rides on the front
of the trolley directing me, grabbing
things, checking them off. Basically I am
a princess when I go shopping, all I have
to do is push the trolley, he does the rest!
He loves the power. It has led to some
puzzling conversations in the aisles.
Another parent looked at me like I had
grown a third head as I asked my then
3-year-old whether we could get crisps
and was told very firmly “No, they’re not on
my list.”
I process language slower than a
neurotypical might. In a conversation, it
is as if I have skim read what is said, I do
take in everything but often only after the
conversation has ended. Like everyone,
when I am tired, this slows further.
One day I was tired. I was gratefully
pushing the trolley whilst my son dealt with
the shop. I was newly home from being
away for a couple of nights delivering
training and he had exciting news to tell
me. I was watching him closely from my
end of the trolley. Trying to keep up with
the story. At some point, mid-sentence, he
saw an item we needed, broke from what
he was saying to say “stop” and leapt off
He wasn’t badly hurt, more offended. “But
mummy I said stop.” I apologised, and
made a fuss over his foot. We continued
the shop. I realised I couldn’t promise
him I wouldn’t do the same again. As
we were leaving the shop I explained to
him how words queue up in my head
and have to wait their turn to be heard.
He had recently started school so the
notion of lining up meant a lot to him. He
looked at me suspiciously. It was the sort
of nonsense an adult makes up to excuse
their misdemeanours.
The next morning I checked his
understanding, asking him if he
remembered what had happened. “Yes
you ran over my foot” (oh good! He
remembered). I asked if he knew why,
“Your brain is broken.” “Not broken”
I corrected “it works differently.” He
sighed, “Yes I know….” (This was not our
first conversation about disability and
difference) He began to explain and draw
his explanation to prove his understanding
to me. The drawing of words in the air
squashing up against each other as they
jostled for a position in my brain, was
The summer holidays were just starting. I
am a primary school teacher by trade so
of course I was worried his writing skills
might fade over the long break. “That’s
really good,” I told him “I think you could
explain my brain to other people, shall
we make a book?” And so a small project
began, with him writing a page each
day. I expected us to stick them together
ourselves at the end and have a ‘book’,
but as it grew I wondered about sending it
to a publishers.
I never imagined it would be published by
Routledge and foreworded so beautifully
by Chris Packham. It is unusual in the
world of books about autism. It is not a
‘capable’ adult talking about a ‘disabled’
child. It is a child clearly explaining and
understanding a difference in an adult.
People connected with me on Facebook,
will know that in the land of social media
I refer to my son as “the small assistant.”
The stated aim of The Sensory Projects is
to contribute to a world where people are
understood in spite of difference. Perhaps I
should rename it The Sensory Projects and
Sons!
20% Discount Code
BSM20
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 special school 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 four practitioner
books: “Multiple Multisensory Rooms:
Myth Busting the Magic”, “Sensory
Stories for Children and Teens”,
“Sensory-Being for Sensory Beings”
and “Sharing Sensory Stories and
Conversations with People with
Dementia”. and two inclusive sensory
story children’s books: “Voyage to
Arghan” and “Ernest and I”. There is
new book coming out soon called ‘”The
Subtle Spectrum” and her son has
recently become the UK’s youngest
published author with his book, “My
Mummy is Autistic”.
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
32 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 33

‘Pierogi’ dumplings
In this month’s magazine we look at how people celebrate Christmas around the
world. And what better way to celebrate than with food?! From Panettone in Italy
and Tamales in Costa Rica to Melomakarona in Greece!
We have decided to make pierogi, as our ‘in-house’ chef is Polish, and she loves
making them! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Human Rights
hand craft
This year you might have heard about human rights violations in the news. It’s a
hard topic to discuss in your setting or at home, but we believe that children should
be made aware of basic human rights. So, this December we wanted to create a
craft that will show how human rights are important, and make them easy for the
children to understand.
You will need:
• 300g Plain
flour
• 200ml Warm
water
• 500g Potatoes
– boiled and
cooled down
• 1 Small white
onion -
chopped
• Butter
• Salt and
pepper
• 150 – 200g
Full fat Polish
curd cheese
(twarog)
Instructions:
1. Add butter to a frying pan and fry
the onion until soft on a medium
heat.
2. Put flour into a bowl and slowly
start adding water and keep
mixing it until it’s all combined.
3. Take the flour mixture out of the
bowl and put it on a clean kitchen
surface. Start working on the flour
mixture with your hands until
you create a nice soft ball and
the flour no longer sticks to your
hands. Once you are done with
the mixture, put it aside and cover
it with a clean cloth so it doesn’t
dry out.
4. Now we’re going to do the filling.
Put potatoes into a clean bowl
and mash them – make sure the
mixture is all nice and smooth.
Add fried onion and curd cheese
and continue to mix.
5. Split your flour mixture into 2 and
roll it out until quite thin.
6. Using a glass, cut circles out of
the mixture.
7. Now you can add a bit of filling on
top of the cut-out circle and gently
bring the edges of it together to
create a semicircle. Make sure
the edges are sticking properly to
avoid the filling coming out during
boiling.
8. Pour water into a pan with some
salt. Once boiling gently add your
pierogi to the pan and boil them
for 3- 5 minutes. Once done, take
them out and make sure there’s
no water around them.
9. You can serve them on their own
or you can choose from different
way of serving, eg. pouring
melted butter on them or frying
them with some onion.
You will need:
• Coloured craft paper
• Scissors
• Pens/markers
Instructions:
1. Pick the coloured paper you’d like
to use and then draw an outline
of your hand.
2. Carefully cut out the outline of
your hand with scissors.
3. Using the pen or marker, let
children write words that they
associate with human rights –
you could do this after an activity
or story time where this topic has
been introduced.
4. You can attach all the hands on
the wall and display them.
5. Send us your pictures!
34 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 35

Three ways
to embodied
resilience
During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of changes
have happened within our environments and our working
practices. Even though we understand these changes and the
reasons for them, they can still be unsettling. Some people may
have felt unsupported or overwhelmed; having to adapt in
order to protect children and their families from a very real
threat. This all takes an emotional toll.
Katie
White
We are very good at using the word
resilience, but maybe feel less able to
promote resilience on a daily basis. I’m
going to give you three simple strategies
for feeling more resilient, strategies that
can help both adults and children.
Have you found yourself feeling more
tired than usual after a day at work? No
surprise! Not only are you managing the
daily stresses of life, (paying bills, meeting
deadlines, tending to family), you also feel
under threat by something that is beyond
your control. Living in survival mode can
leave us feeling exhausted. Stress clouds
our ability to think clearly, be present or
have perspective.
Giving time for mindful moments
throughout the day can help to get you,
and the children you support, out of
the whirling chatter of the brain (where
all the worries live) and into your body,
which exists in the present moment. In
other words, mindfulness helps you to
feel embodied, and in feeling embodied,
you will feel more resilient. When you
are present, you signal to your body that
you’re feeling safe, if this is practiced
daily it can give your brain and body a
rest from the stress and an opportunity to
recalibrate.
Try practicing these exercises for yourself
alongside the children, modelling the
behaviour for the children will help them to
connect with the present moment too.
The pat down
1
Tell the children that all our worries are like
little bubbles on our bodies and to get rid
of them we are going to burst each and
every one of them!
Use the flats of your hands and pat firmly
all over your body. Do not be afraid to pat
yourself quite hard. Obviously we do not
want any injuries but a good firm pat will
stimulate your deeper tissues and really let
you know that you are here. You can direct
the children “Let’s burst the worry bubbles
on this leg, now on our other leg” pat
down your body from top to toe.
Once all the worry bubbles have burst.
Show the children how to wipe them off.
Cup your hands around your arms, legs
etc and wipe firmly as if cleaning your skin
of muck.
This practice really brings you into an
awareness of your body. It acts like a self
massage and the process of consciously
separating yourself from the worries is a
great reminder that we are bodies, not
worries.
2
The self-soother
This is a cuddle that everyone can give
themselves, it works well at the start of a
circle time or when children are lining up to
wash their hands.
Simply get them to place one hand under
their armpit, and cup their other hand on
top of their opposite forearm. Then get
them to give themselves a big squeeze,
mimicking the feel of a big cuddle.
This exercise generates a comforting
feeling of security, as well as embodied
presence.
Circle of calm
3
In this exercise you breathe in slowly
and deeply through your nose and then
smoothly and steadily out through your
mouth, in response to a circle drawn in the
air. Have the children watch you for their
cue and model what to do.
Extend your arm so that you are drawing a
really big circle, breathe in as you draw the
upwards arc of the circle and out as you
draw the downwards arc. Aim to breathe
out for slightly longer than you breathe in.
A nice variation is to start off with a
relatively small circle and gradually make it
bigger following the rhythm of your breath.
When we control our breathing, it helps
to control our heart rate and regulate our
autonomic nervous system making us feel
calm (even if we are anything but calm!)
All of these exercises help to bring you
out of your head and into an embodied
presence.
Katie Rose White is a Laughter
Facilitator and founder of The Best
Medicine. She works predominantly
with carers, teachers and healthcare
professionals - teaching playful
strategies for boosting mood,
strengthening resilience and
improving wellbeing. She provides
practical workshops, interactive talks
and training days - fusing therapeutic
laughter techniques, playful games
and activities, and mindfulness-based
practices. The techniques are not
only designed to equip participants
with tools for managing their stress,
but can also be used and adapted to
the needs of the people that they are
supporting.
thebestmedicine@outlook.com
www.twitter.com/bestmedicine1
http://www.facebook.com/
thebestmedicinecornwall
When I have facilitated these exercises
with teachers and parents on my
training days, they have been able to
feel a physical difference immediately.
Supporting your own wellbeing as well
as the wellbeing of the children, is all the
more important in strange times like these.
If you are curious to learn more, I offer
a range of training sessions and online
workshops for teams and individuals.
36 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 37

National Christmas
card recycle
Did you know?
• The first person known to receive
a written Christmas greeting was
James I in 1611. He and his son were
sent a decorated manuscript with a
Christmas and New Year greeting by
Michael Maier, a German physician
• Over 200 years later, the
celebrated inventor, Sir Henry Cole,
commissioned some Christmasthemed
greeting cards, illustrated by
John Callcott Horsley in May 1843.
Cole had been instrumental in setting
up The Post Office 3 years earlier, so
this was a shrewd business move, as
some 2,050 cards sold that year for a
shilling each, distributed by the new
postal service for one penny
• By the 1860s, Christmas cards were
common and by 1870, the cost of
sending a postcard or Christmas card
had dropped to only half a penny,
meaning even more people could
send them
• In the early 1900s, it was popular to
send handmade cards which were
often delivered by hand because of
their delicate decorations
• In 2001, one of Cole’s original cards
(sent to his grandmother), sold for a
record £22,500 at auction
• According to the Greeting Card
Association, every year the UK spends
£1.7 billion on 2 billion greeting cards
to plant over 140,000 trees – the
equivalent, in carbon emission terms,
of taking more than 5,000 cars off the
road
• Charity Christmas cards originated in
Denmark and now raise an estimated
£50 million each year for charities
We Brits love to send greetings cards, and
despite sales declining in recent years, we
still all love to send each other a traditional
Christmas greeting. But what happens to
all those Christmas cards, packaging boxes
and wrapping paper once the lights on the
Christmas trees have finally faded? And
where does the paper come from in the
first place? How can we be sure we are not
adding to the problems facing our world as
we come together in celebration?
The answer to these questions lies in the
choices we make both before, during
and after the festive season. The hard
truth is that our reliance on consumerism
and physical goods is costing a lot more
than money, and we are currently in a
climate emergency that threatens not just
Christmas, but our entire way of life. Global
warming is happening at a faster rate than
ever:
• Global annual temperature has
increased at an average rate of 0.07°C
(0.13°F) per decade since 1880 and
over twice that rate +0.18°C (+0.32°F)
since 1981
• From 1900 to 1980, a new temperature
record was set on average every 13.5
years; since 1981, it has increased to
every 3 years
And whilst some politicians still argue about
the cause, their rhetoric does nothing to
stop the polar ice caps from melting, our
sea levels rising and our forests from being
destroyed. We are all being called upon to
‘do our bit’ to limit our impact on the natural
world, to try to reverse the changes and
save our planet before it is too late. And
what better time to make a change than
at Christmas, a time of love, tolerance, and
hope for the future?
Start small, start with YOU!
Many of us are concerned about global
warming and the impact we have on the
environment and we may find ourselves
talking to our friends and family about it,
possibly even getting into an argument
or two about the merits of one possible
solution over another. But then how many
of us leave the light on unnecessarily at
times? Or forget our shopping bags and
need to buy new ones, or turn the heating
up instead of putting on a jumper? We
may feel small and insignificant on our
own, but when we work together, we can
create a momentum of change that can not
only ‘move mountains’ but the seas, rivers,
forests and everything in between too.
Recycling Christmas cards is one easy way
to make a difference. With no Woodland
Trust initiative currently, the onus is on
us as consumers to choose cards that
are sourced sustainably and recycle our
wrapping paper and cards through the
proper channels such as a local council
recycling centre. So here are our top tips for
‘going greener’ this Christmas.
1. Buy cards and packaging which carry
the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
kitemark which certifies products that
are made with materials from wellmanaged
forests and/or recycled
sources. It applies to wood, paper and
other forest products too.
2. Why not try making your own cards
and wrapping paper using old
magazines, newspapers or reusing
delivery packages?
3. Collect all your recycling together
and either put into your recycling
bin or make a trip to your local
recycling centre. You may need
to check opening times and
what they recycle now,
as a lot of centres have
consolidated operations to comply with
COVID-secure requirements. Reducing
the number of times you travel also
helps the environment, so you might
want to organise a collection of old
Christmas cards and wrapping paper
at your setting to help get the little
ones involved too. Children will model
adults’ behaviour, so this is a great
opportunity to set a good example.
4. If you want to recycle the cards
yourself, you can cut them up to make
gift tags for next year. You can even
reuse those bows and ribbons too.
This is a lovely craft activity which helps
get the children into good habits.
5. Remember you can’t recycle things
that have glitter or embellishments
such as ribbons, bows, or jewels so
remove these items before recycling.
6. Folded up paper takes up less
space than scrunched up paper so
encourage everyone to fold up their
discarded paper to help with storage.
Remember to recycle your Christmas trees
too and to plan your Christmas shopping
to reduce waste. Zero-waste shops are
becoming more popular nowadays so
do a search online to find out where your
nearest one is and how it can help you cut
down on packaging generally.
Finally, remember that ‘every little helps’
to coin a well-known phrase, but when it
comes to saving the environment, it is so
true.
• The conservation charity, the
Woodland Trust, in conjunction with
Marks and Spencer ran a recycling
campaign (2008 – 2016) which
recycled more than 600 million
Christmas cards and
raised enough money
38 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 39

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