Why we should all get reading this April

Nathalie Smith
Early years Consultant
@NathalieSSmith

April seems to be the time to think about reading, with Hans Christian Andersen's birthday marking international book day on the 2nd and ‘Drop everything and read’, where families are encouraged to put 30 minutes aside and enjoy books together, on the 16th.

So why is reading for pleasure from a young age so important? 

 

The OECD  survey of adult skills published in 2013 showed that England came in at a disappointing 47th out of 65 counties on the measure of the number of young adults that read for enjoyment. The survey also found that the difference in reading ability between those who never read for enjoyment or pleasure, compared to those that read for half an hour a day (because they are told to), was the equivalent to a whole year of schooling. This lack of reading for pleasure has the potential to have a large impact on the literacy skills of our young people which can also impact their future prospects with regards to further education and employment. If encouraging our children and young people to read more can have a positive influence on this, why wouldn’t we encourage it?

The internet in our children’s world

Claire Burgess
@belles28
Early Years Consultancy Manager

How do we keep children safe online? 

Today is Safer Internet Day and Norland has been working with Corsham Primary School to develop some training for teachers, teaching assistants, parents and children about how to stay safe when online.

What if?

Claire Burgess
@belles28
Early Years Consultancy Manager 

The news provides a constant reminder that the world isn’t always a safe place and that sometimes the worst can happen. But how do we as nannies and parents / carers prepare ourselves and our children for the worst without scaring them?

A personal reflection on the important role of a key person

Elspeth Pitman  
@ElspethPitman 

Early Years Consultant 

Should we give children the opportunity to choose their own key person? 

Recently I had the pleasure of going to Tanzania for a week to help run a children’s programme at a Conference for Missionaries. We, 5 volunteers, had the privilege of entertaining 27 children ranging between the ages of 12 months to 14 years. Due to my Early Years background and Norland training I took on the responsibility for making sure our five youngest children, all under the age of 3 years, were well cared for.

This experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on some of the best practice we at Norland College promote throughout our training. The two areas of best practice which I found most useful during my time in Tanzania were, careful observation of each individual child’s needs and regular reflection on the care and environment provided. Both of these areas of best practice proved to be invaluable throughout my week in Tanzania to help provide the best possible care we could under the circumstances. 

Transitions, especially short terms ones, are particularly hard for young children as they are often not fully aware of what is going on and why they are being left in a different situation with adults they have not met before. The situation reminded me of a quote by Elinor Goldschmied (2001, p. 37) “We can never remind ourselves too often that a child, particularly a very young child and almost totally dependent one, is the only person in the nursery who cannot understand why he is there.” 

With this reflection in mind, and bearing in mind the children had never met us before, whilst I at first said I would act as key person for the youngest of children, we decided that we would initially keep all the children in one room together to see how they settled. Our initial instinct proved to be invaluable; the youngest of our children would often only settle if sitting right next to, or even on the same chair as, their sibling. Being in the same room all together also meant that the youngest children could settle or be comforted by the adult they felt most comfortable with – in effect choosing their own key person. The beneficial effect of this was clearly seen in a little boy of 18 months who, from day 1, would only settle with our only male volunteer. We facilitated this choice of key person for this little boy as much as possible and by the 4^th and final day of the programme we all celebrated the confidence this little boy had developed. Helping this little boy build a secure attachment to one adult helped him to feel more secure in his whole surrounding and to explore and play independently with all of the adults in the room.

It is important as an Early Years Practitioner and Nanny we make sure that through the best practice of careful observation we are supporting young children through times of transition as sensitively as possible. Recent research (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2014) has shown that high levels of the hormone Cortisol, produced through stressful situations, can initially reduce young children’s ability to play, learn and develop. Whilst we cannot remove all stresses on young children, as this is part of life, we should endeavour to reduce it as much as possible to allow play, learning and development to flourish in each individual child in our care.  This was something which I certainly observed to be true with the little boy in our care during just 1 week.

The key person practice is not uncommon in nursery settings, but it did make me reflect upon whether there is always the facilitation for a young child to choose their own key person if it would benefit the child? This does not mean that any one practitioner is better than another, but as individuals we do gravitate more towards some people than others. Parents who are choosing their nanny and in effect key person for their children might also consider the Norland recommendation of having the nanny spend a day (or more) with the children and family as part of the interviewing process. This will provide the opportunity for the parents and nanny not only to see whether they will be happy working together, but also the opportunity for the parents to see whether the children warm to the particular nanny’s personality and style to fully allow the ‘key person’ relationship, and therefore the children, to thrive.

What is Inclusion and why is it so important in the Early Years?

Anne Purdon
Curriculum Leader 

What is inclusion? This is the question we will be posing to our second year students, Set 38, when they return to college after half term. Our second years have been spending the first half of this semester in placement and they will have been working with children from a diverse range of backgrounds of different ages and abilities. As early years practitioners it is vital that our students consider how they can support all children to achieve their potential and how they can help to remove any barriers that might exist to their learning and development.

But what does it really mean to value diversity and promote equal opportunities for all? Aristotle said that ‘‘There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.” Inclusion, according to Rodgers &Wilmot (2011, p2) ‘… is the process by which we value all individuals, recognising their unique attributes, qualities and ways of being.’

When we work with children we must never assume they are all the same and treat them as such. In order to value diversity and promote equal opportunities we need to value each child equally but treat them differently according to their needs. We need to get to know each individual child so well that we can respond to their individual needs and treat them in the unique way in which they as individuals can thrive.

It is important that our students take on board the fact that inclusion is a right, not a luxury as underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and the Every Disabled Child Matters Inclusion Charter 2015.**

As we continue with the lectures for this module we will be discovering how we can ensure every child is included. A fundamental building block for inclusion is showing respect; this involves recognising that each family we work with has a different set of beliefs and values. By allowing children to make their own choices and respecting those choices we can raise their self-esteem in the knowledge that secure emotional development is vital for a child’s learning and development. We know that’s true for adults too don’t we? When we feel good about ourselves, when we feel valued in what we are doing, we can achieve so much more.


**The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 requires us to adopt an inclusive approach; for example Article 2 states that ‘Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.’ (UNICEF,1989). In addition The Every Disabled Child Matters Inclusion Charter states that ‘All children have the right to be included in every aspect of society. Disabled children should not have to ask or fight to be included in the things that other children do.’ (EDCM, 2015)

Behaviour Management - Norland's Approach

Elspeth Pitman 

@ElspethPitman

Early Years Consultant 

One of the hot topics parents always ask is what the ‘Norland secret’ is in regards to behaviour management and in truth there isn’t one! We know that no two children and no two families are the same and individual approaches need to be carefully considered before they are applied to any family or child.

However, there are two top tips that we at Norland think can help to manage any children’s behaviour:

First, it is important to try and understand why the child’s behaviour might be occurring. A child’s behaviour will be a reaction to something in their lives, find out what this ‘something’ is so you can look at treating the cause. Some common ‘causes’ include, the child feeling unwell or being over-tired; there being unrealistic pressures on them or if they are receiving mixed confusing messages. Understanding why a child is displaying behaviours we may deem unacceptable will help you avoid the situation in the future and help to explain to the child what behaviours you would expect in that situation and help them learn.

For example, a toddler might be at the stage where we start to teach them to be more independent with potty training and feeding themselves, yet they might find themselves being told off for spilling their drink as they try to help themselves. Here the toddler is confused about what is expected of them, one minute they are being told to be independent and the next they are being told off for doing so. This is where the toddler’s behaviour is likely to be labelled with the famous ‘toddler tantrums’ and shrugged off as being a phase. But are we considering the child’s self-esteem and their innate desire to learn and succeed in what they see the adults doing in the world around them? They should be praised and encouraged to try again and perhaps consider how you can help the toddler achieve this next time without spilling.  

Having a better understanding of why children behave the way they do can often be quite empowering in managing children’s behaviour. Children are not born ‘naughty’, a word we would not recommend using as it labels the child and isn’t helpful for the child in understanding what they need to do differently. A child who is given attention when being disruptive, or is not given clear guidance on what behaviour is desired instead, will be likely to continue with the unwanted behaviour.

Second, try and notice and acknowledge the positive things your child is doing. This might seem to be an obvious piece of advice, but it is often one that we forget to do in the busy day to day. When a child is playing nicely our default tends to be to leave them to it in fear that we might interrupt their play. Children are often told what to stop doing, but we forget to tell them what they should be doing instead! When giving praise it is also important to make sure it is specific, ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’ is not wrong, but it is not very clear. A young child who is doing 100 things in a minute will not be able to pick out which of their 100 actions they are doing well, so make sure you tell them.

For example, ‘well done, you are eating very nicely’. At this moment we might even choose to ignore the fact that the child a moment earlier dropped some food on the floor. The child is more likely to continue to eat nicely in order to receive more praise and less likely to continue to drop food on the floor, which is not receiving any attention.

It is worth considering the emotional impact continual negative feedback can have on a child. What are we telling them if they are predominantly given attention when doing what they shouldn’t be doing and constantly told ‘no’, ‘don’t or ‘stop’. This is teaching the child what to stop doing but not teaching them what they should be doing instead. There is also the danger that the child will start to view themselves in a negative light believing that they cannot do anything right which ultimately might result in low self-esteem.

I have seen huge success within families who implement these two top tips, often resulting in a more harmonious day for all. The adult invariably has a better understanding of the child’s reasons for displaying unwanted behaviour and can support the child in learning to manage this behaviour. This will lead to less frustration from both the adult and child with a more positive atmosphere throughout the day. It is ultimately important to remember that children are not born understanding the complexities of the world and need a loving and consistent environment in which they feel safe to get things wrong, are taught how to do things in a better way and allowed to try again.

I believe that the Norland motto ‘Love Never Faileth’, which our founder Emily Ward bequeathed to all Norlanders in 1892, is still relevant today in all aspects of our care and education of children. With this motto in mind, all Norland Nannies are also expected to uphold the Norland Code of Professional Responsibilities when managing behaviour to ensure that physical and emotional wellbeing of the child is never compromised. Both parents and children should be treated with the upmost respect at all times recognising their unique nature as individuals.

How to make up a Carriage Pram

Tamzin, Meghan, Jenny, Danielle, Meg and Gemma, Norland second year students #Set37, have been perfecting their pram making up skills on our new Silver Cross Balmoral pram. They took some time out in the Norland garden to share this 'how to' 10 step plan.

Jenny and Tamzin

Step 1
Lower the hood and remove the apron and harness.






Step 2

Using a freshly laundered flat sheet, place the sheet on the mattress, folding the sheet neatly under the mattress, long sides first. Make sure the sheet is flat and wrinkle free to ensure comfort for the baby.

Step 3
Take a muslin cloth, fold it in half and place it on top of the sheet at the head of the pram. Make sure the seams of the muslin are at the top (again to ensure comfort for baby).
Secure by folding under the mattress.

Meghan and Gemma

Step 4
Place the top sheet over the pram with the seam at the upper most. Place a blanket over the top allowing for the sheet to fold over the top of the blanket.
Fold the top of the sheet over the blanket.

Step 5
Tuck in one long side of the sheet and blanket under the mattress.





Step 6
Fold the bottom end over the blanket and roll the blanket and sheet to one side ready for tucking in a baby.

Step 7
Re-attach the harness, ensuring the buckles are on top for ease of strapping up to harness and making it more comfortable for baby to lie on. 

Meg and Danielle

Step 8
Place the baby on top of the straps and do up the harness, adjusting the straps as necessary.

Step 9
Roll the blanket over baby and tuck in at the bottom and other side. 

Step 10 

Replace the hood and apron and you're ready to go! 

 

Thanks ladies!!