Month: November 2020

Falkirk Home Bubble Sing-A-Long

Join in Falkirk with our new #SingatHomeFC Campaign!

We know that singing is a valuable experience in ELC. Due to our current circumstances this won’t be happening as regularly as normal. Hence our mission to encourage our Falkirk families and children to sing at home! Some of our Falkirk Froebel Family have connected as a community of early years practitioners to produce songs, rhymes and music to share with our families through a sing at home campaign.

We have been supported from our wonderful colleagues at Speech and Language Therapy services, YMI and Falkirk High School music teachers to collaborate and produce a series of Sing at home sways.

Each sway will have a minimum of either two lullaby’s, rhymes or songs, with real instruments to accompany them, illustrations, along with Makaton signs for actions. Thank you to all of the fabulous #fabfalkirkfolk that helped make this happen.

We plan to create a series of 8 sways which will be shared over a period of time. Our first Sing at home sway is being launched on St Andrews Day 30th November 2020 hence the  Scottish song choices.

There is also the link to the Froebel Trust  pamphlet which explains the many benefits to songs rhymes and finger plays through a Froebelian perspective.

Helena MacPhail (EYP at Sacred Heart ELC) has been focusing on singing as part of her pedagogue project and her Froebel in Childhood Practice course. Helena has used different resources, including singing spoons, which have been a great success as provocations for sparking spontaneous singing with children. I wonder what ideas our Falkirk practitioners have for encouraging families to sing at home? Remember to share and tag us in your tweets @FalkirkFroebel and use #SingatHomeFC

So Team Falkirk- what do we need you to do?

  • Use this link to access the first sway- https://sway.office.com/OC88PTwNg5qdprXC?ref=Link Send the link to your families to encourage them to sing together at home. You might use different platforms to communicate with your families such as Seesaw and the link can be easily shared this way. You can also use twitter to encourage families to join in.
  • Ask families to share photographs and videos of them taking part in the Sing at Home songs. You can then share this with us on twitter by tagging @FalkirkFroebel and using the #SingatHomeFC
  • Join in too!! Why not get your own family to join in and share your fabulous singing voices with us!

Let’s go Falkirk! #WeAreFalkirk

 

Children’s Play

“Children’s play is crucial to Scotland’s
wellbeing; socially, economically and
environmentally. Children learn as they play
and bringing more play into the school day
helps foster children’s natural curiosity and
motivation to learn.”

(Maree Todd MSP,  in Play Scotland’s Playful Pedgogy: a guide to getting started , September 2020)

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In Falkirk we have embraced play as a vehicle for learning in our early learning and early primary settings for many years.   Our ambition is for children in Falkirk to experience a broad, stimulating curriculum which is informed by their prior learning and interests about the world around them.  As highly skilled practitioners who ask thoughtful questions and facilitate learning with depth, challenge and application we aim to support and guide every child to progress their learning.  We provide a developmentally appropriate approach to teaching in learning; informed by research which shows that young children learn best through play and first hand experiences (Bruce, 2015).    Our Play is the Way approach supports and extends children’s learning by providing them with regular opportunities to:

  • make their own choices and decisions;
  • return to experiences over time to deepen learning and practice skills;
  • discuss thoughts, ask questions and extend their ideas

Adapted from Practice guidance materials for Play Pedagogy in the early stages of primary school (Falkirk Council 2020)

This approach is described in research as play pedagogy and in Falkirk, Play is the Way is our play pedagogy brand.  Through following #playisthewayFC on Twitter, it is clear to see the passion and commitment Falkirk educators have for play pedagogy  and we are so proud of the many inspiring and motivating spaces, experiences and interactions being provided for Falkirk’s children.  Here are just a couple of recent examples from #playisthewayFC.

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For more information about play pedagogy click on the links in the text above or access Play is the Way – the full story  for more detailed information and guidance (Glow sign-in required to access Falkirk Council materials).

#wonderisers