Play!

by FAFU

Issue #03 | June 2013

2 fair fun

PLAY! by FAFU

Page

CONTENT

Iceland – a Child-like Country

How Does Stress Affect Learning?

Marching To the Beat of My Own Unique Drum

Laufskálar Nursery

What´s new: Imynda

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It is unlocked and there is no sign-in clipboard.

Children sometimes play out of sight – in the playground or in a room with no adults around.

Children sometimes climb up the slide.

Children often climb on top of dens, fences and other structures around the playground.

Here are some fun facts about an average Icelandic playschool

All children will go out in all weather – and they need to bring their own waterproofs, snowsuit, mittens, hats, wool socks, boots and extra clothes. It’s a part of their standard equipment.

There is no documentation of “learning journeys”

Children stay in playschool until the fall of year 6.

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Icelandic people are a lot less interested in bureaucracy than many of their neighbours. It’s more of a go with the flow and see what happens atmosphere. So when the early education system was structured it developed in a more intuitive and

cultural way and managed to escape political influence for some time.

The main difference between the early years education system in Iceland and the UK is that in Iceland the majority of the playschools (nurseries) are publically run whereas in the UK the majority are private. Icelandic practitioners also tend to be more educated then their colleagues in the UK. About 50% of practitioners in an average playschool either have a B.Ed. or Master’s degree in early education. What also makes Iceland special is that teachers are trusted to educate children to their best ability so there is no gruelling paperwork and no inspections. There is nothing even similar to OFSTED run in the country!

Iceland – a child-like countryIceland is in many ways a unique place. It is a fairly big island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with its own language and the population of a small city in the UK. Iceland is probably most famous for its natural resources and unusual landscape but there is something about Iceland that makes it even more special. It’s a child-like country that celebrates children’s independence and it is one of the safest places on earth to grow up in. Free range!

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If learning had an enemy, it would be stress. When we get stressed our brain gets into defensive mode and fights off all information that is not vital for our survival. It’s not logical in the modern world where our main stress inducers are crowded schedules and loud public spaces. But in that situation the brain relies on its original evolution and only react to stimuli, thus failing to reflect, wonder and store new knowledge.

Modern living has introduced a new kind of stress to childhood. Many children have schedules that would be ambitious for any adult to follow and their free play time is decreasing year by year. Free play is the best stress reliever for children and even in war times children have always had that magical hideaway of imaginative play. This decrease in free play will have a negative long term effect on

children’s ability to learn on a deeper level and acquire important skills. Play is vital for all human development and especially for those first years in our lives. Studies show that play is hardwired into our genetic code. As humans, we crave the need to play because it is instinctive and fundamental to human existence. With regular play, our problem-solving and adaptive abilities will be in much better shape to handle this complex world, and we are much more likely to choose healthy answers to challenging situations as they arise. The reason for this is that play teaches us how to manage or “transform” our negative emotions, and it is the foundation for sound mental, physical, and emotional health. Play can make work seem like pleasure, and aside from this, it is just plain fun! It creates laughter and freedom that can instantly reduce stress and add a feeling of relaxation to our daily living.

How Does Stress Affect Learning?

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When children can repeatedly play out the issues they are struggling to understand, they can make sense of them and gradually be able to set them aside. From the serious problems of a disturbed child (Axline, 1964) to the more mundane struggles of young children everywhere, childhood play is one of the best techniques available to work through stress (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2005).

As caregivers we need to think about how we can support the individual child to feel free and calm in a stressful world. The best way to do that is to offer more time for deep, imaginative and engaging play.

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Vala Björk Gunnarsdóttir is an early years teacher and room leader in Laufskálar Nursery in Reykjavik, Iceland. She has 23 children in her class and they are all about to turn four. She also takes part in daily operations and planning for the whole year with the other managers in the nursery.

Vala Björk finds it most important for children to learn to have a positive interaction with other children and believes that teachers should support and strengthen their social development during their early years education. She also feels that it is very important that children learn to stand up for themselves, speak their mind and stop other children when they are treated poorly.

A typical day for Vala’s class starts the day with breakfast and free play. Laufskálar is all about flexibility and they encourage children to explore the whole building and play with children in other classes as well as

their own. When all the children have settled in, they split

into smaller groups depending on what they want to play with.

They can choose from a variety of options like unit blocks, role play, clay

Laufskálar Nursery

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moulding or the art workshop. Some children go outside while others stay inside fully devoted to their interest. After lunch they all rest for a while before continuing with their projects or play.

Outdoor learning is important at Laufskálar Nursery. Mainly because outdoor play offers different challenges to children than indoor play can. They learn to understand weather conditions and grow to respect nature while playing outside. Being outside every day will also improves their health and makes them stronger. There are different rules outside than inside and being able to run and scream can be very liberating to small children.

“John Dewey’s philosophy on children’s experiences has also had a huge impact on me as a preschool teacher. I am devoted to creating environments for children that offer rich and diverse experiences so that they can explore and take on challenging projects. I think it is important that the children can try to

do things themselves, but that they also receive

support and guidance when they need it. “

I am inspired by Nel Noddings’s ethics about care in education. She believes that care should be the foundation for all learning. Care and kindness are

in my opinion very important when it comes to working with young children, and I myself have

made a real effort to be there for the children I work with. During play I try to position myself so the children have easy access to me and can come and get hugs when they want. I try to be a lot on the floor with the

children, both as an observer and as a participant in the play and I always try to go down to their

eye level when I talk to them or listen to what

they have to say.

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Elizabeth Nunberg is an energetic, open and inspiring American girl from the Midwest. With two young children and an Icelandic husband she decided to move to Iceland for a 3-5 year adventure. That was 13 years ago and she might be about to become Icelandic!

Elizabeth has been working in the Icelandic early education since 2003 when she started introducing English to pre-schoolers at Hjalli nursery. She has a BA in Media and Communication Studies from the University of Minnesota but always felt out of place in that profession. It wasn´t until she got into early education and started learning

and experimenting with “unschooling” that she recognised her natural talent to inspire learning in creative and out of the box ways.

“It’s not so different from what I was used to, but then I’m a child

of the late 60s. In the 5 years of parenting

my boys in the states during the late 90s, the childhood culture in the US had become in my eyes

very sheltered and controlled. The cultural

acceptance of micro scheduling a child’s time with

extra activities, starting them off early on a 9 to 5 path. Labelling one as a “Soccer Mom or Dad” (A Parent who is continuously driving their children from one event to another) became a

Marching To the Beat of My Own Unique Drum

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badge of honour. This was not a life style choice I wanted for our family.

I welcomed the free spirit of the childhood culture in Iceland, both for my children and for myself. It was so freeing and liberating for our family. In the states I felt the need to be busy just to be busy. Iceland provides leisure and action but what I find here is children take on their own direction and responsibilities at a very young age. They find their own rhythm, bringing forth a sense confidence that is self-developed and practiced.

In my experience, US education follows the cultural trend of sheltered and controlled environments. The 3 Rs (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) and testing often takes precedence over the Arts and Physical Activity.In Iceland, the balance between all subjects are equally honoured and offered throughout the curriculum and grades.”

Elizabeth is inspired by educational pedagogies that honour the whole child: Body, Mind and Spirit. She seeks out learning environments in which the child can lead, explore and engage their curiosity at their pace. The teacher becomes more of

a facilitator, a conductor of sorts that guides each

child to play their own music.

“It was during the early school years for my children that I was introduced

to Montessori and Howard Gardner’s

philosophy of Multiple Intelligence. That knowledge

had a tremendous effect on me as an individual and supported me in marching to the beat of my own unique drum as well as recognizing my children’s individual learning style.”

My first impression of Iceland back then was one of

openness, both in terms of landscape and individuals;

I found both extremely unique.

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We just launched our new product line, Imynda, at Bournemouth Nursery Show last April.

Imynda came to life after our collaboration with Naturally Learning. They have been developing a creative dance program for some time now mixing together outstanding practise, dance and storytelling to support practitioners in introducing more movement and creativity to the youngest children.

Imynda

PLAY! by FAFU

What’s new:

If you are interested in getting more information on

the training, please contact

Mandy Richardson at

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Imynda is a collection of silk wings, ribbon bracelets and parachutes that are smaller and more manageable than the ones that have been available on the market. The Imynda parachutes are made from real silk and they flow beautifully as well as being see-through.

UK tel. 020 3603 3857 | IS tel. 546 0745 | [email protected] | www.fafuplay.com fair fun

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PLAY!by FAFU

Issue #01 | September 2012

by FAFU

Issue #02 | November 2012