Well I'm back! Sorry it's been so long but life here has been crazy. Next year I am moving to Year One, and as EYFS/Year One lead I am definitely on a mission to extend the amazing work we have developed in our EYFS classes (which has seen us named finalists at the Nursery World Awards as EYFS School Team of the Year) beyond the reception door and into the KS1 Classroom...but hey ho that's another journey and another blog.
Today's blog is all about the growing sea of Early Years power that's about to hit a shore very near you! Any of you who use social media (so I'm guessing all of you as you are reading this) will know that every day sees your FB or Twitter feed full of even more research, even more news stories, even more groups calling for action, concerned about the state of Early Years education and the effects that a pressured approach is having not just on the children themselves (and the adults they grow into) but their families and also the practitioners working in schools and settings.
Many stories seem to be coming out of the US about parents opting out of testing, or from Australia about the changes to school age, Scotland has the Upstart Kindergarten to age 7 campaign growing from strength to strength, and in my own little part of the world my campaign #ExtendEYFSto7 has around 28k supporters now across two petitions (see below for links).
It is fair to say there are many of us out there battling against the tide. So this got me thinking. We may have different Governments, and have different curriculum's to follow, but we are all fighting against the same thing...the decline of play, the increase of developmentally inappropriate practice. In fact such an increase, that this type of "too-much-too-soon", formal, top down approach, is fast becoming the norm, whilst those of us who follow the tried and tested, research and theory based, developmentally appropriate paths set out by our EYs founding mothers and fathers eg Isaacs, Montessori, Steiner, Piaget, Froebel et al...are actually seen as revolutionary and different???!!! What a sad state of affairs when we have to defend and explain why PLAY is the WAY (and it IS the only way in my opinion) and when those of us who actually "let" young children play are seen as rebels and mavericks! I have even been asked how we get away with it....
So any how all of this got me thinking....What about if we all joined forces from around the globe, standing together to say: Enough is enough! Give back play! Give back good mental health! Give back childhood! Give back the joy of teaching and learning!
So late the other evening, I did something that would never have been possible in the days of those founding early years mothers and fathers. I came across a post featuring Australian and American leading advocates side by side, talking about a global campaign.... and I reached out from the comfort of my home across the globe to these folk and others who are standing with us in our battle...and supported this simple idea. Let's all work together to lead something global!
Well we are speaking and all I can say is watch this space!
"Individually we are one drop...together we are an ocean...!" Ryunosuke Satoro
(One of my favourite quotes) Well guess what the waves are growing, so I'm just wondering if your surfboard is ready, cos its time to ride!
Useful FB pages to join and follow:
Importance of play (Australia)
Defending Early Years (USA)
Dance with me in the heart (NZ):
Protecting Childhood (Australia)
Upstart Scotland
Save Childhood Network (UK)
Tasmanians say NO to a lower school starting age (Australia)
And of course don't forget my very own little EYs haven : Keeping Early Years Unique
So come on, join the movement! Join hands around the world and show the power of play to those who doubt us and who are damaging our precious children, our future with their relentless focus on results through dangerous and developmentally inappropriate practice!
Keep on talking..this matters!
Change.org internationally accessible petition #ExtendEYFSto7
UK Parliament and Government site petition #ExtendEYFSto7
Got an idea of where to go next? Get in touch!
