Calm vs Clutter At Curiosity Approach settings we often talk about visual noise! ⚠️ What is it ? Can your eyes SEE it, can they FEEL how LOUD it is ? We encourage and empower mindful reflection, to view children’s play spaces with FRESH eyes. 👀 To ask you to mindfully reflect and look at the whole picture! Change the lens and remove the normality sunglasses that can make us immune and oblivious to how it truly FEELS! Sensory overload ? LESS is MORE and we encourage educators to reflect on all areas of provision and practice. WHY we do what we do and WHO does it serve ? A study by Carnegie Mellon University talks about the impact of overly decorated classrooms and how this visual noise can impact a child’s ability to concentrate and well being Below are a range of Curiosity Approach settings, early childhood centres who are part of our community, each demonstrating we are all unique yet with the same vision, to work tirelessly to create calm tranquil spaces that feel like an extension of home. We recognise the needs of the WHOLE child, mind body soul. 💖 A space and place that meets their nervous systems needs z Unlearn and relearn a new way. Small changes can make a profound impact Click the link to learn more 👇🏽 https://page.thecuriosityapproach.com/masterplan-journey

“Somewhere along the way childhood became louder, faster, more overstimulating Children were given more toys, more technology, more entertainment…yet somehow less imagination 💭 So we chose a different path..... Instead of filling our environments with toys, we filled them with possibility. A mirror that becomes a portal to another world🪞🌎 A suitcase waiting for adventures🧳🗺️ A dressing table inviting children to become whoever they want to be 👗👘 Treasures that don’t flash, beep or entertain 🪎💎 Because when we stop filling spaces with plastic and start filling them with possibility... ✨ Play becomes deeper ✨ Stories become richer ✨ Childhood comes alive The best play was never found in a toy....it was always found in a child’s imagination.” And that’s why our environments look different These images and words are from Sesame lane Regency Street Kippa ring Share your thought

Unpopular opinion (maybe?) Just because we’ve "always done it that way" doesn’t mean it’s actually developmentally appropriate or meaningful for children. Let’s be honest for a second. Early childhood education is beautifully rich in tradition, but it’s also flooded with a lot of outdated practices. I know I did a lot of them in my early careers 😉 We often inherit them from old ways of working, well-meaning mentors, or just the ingrained habits of a new centre we've joined. But if we are being completely real with ourselves? A lot of these old-school routines were actually designed for adult convenience, not child development. Let's gently look at a few examples👇🏽 The phrase “Zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket” (or fingers on lips): We use these catchphrases to get quick silence, but do they really teach self-regulation, or do they just pause the noise? 🤫🤐 The 30-minute calendar routine: Expecting 3-year-olds to sit cross legged and recite the days of the week when they don’t truly understand the concept of "yesterday" yet. The "cookie-cutter" crafts (or "craptivities"): Twenty identical, pre-cut paper plate ladybirds where an adult did 90% of the work. It looks lovely on a display board for parents, but it can completely crush a child's actual, messy creativity. Isn’t it time to celebrate the process instead of the end result? What about the obsession with "shushing" children? Equating a silent room with a successful classroom. The truth is, true childhood is loud. Authentic play is naturally noisy! 🥳 Evolving your practice isn't a betrayal of your past self. It’s actually the heart of our job. It’s about reflection and the courage to step outside our comfort zone. To try something else. It takes real guts to look at a routine you’ve used for five years, admit it’s no longer serving the children, and to adopt a new way of doing things. This isn't about feeling guilty for what we used to do; it’s about having the professional integrity to do better once we know better.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 ‘𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀?’ Why bother? At The Curiosity Approach we believe learning shouldn’t be something forced upon children while sat neatly in chairs, at a table. Here’s WHY ⬇️ We need to push the tables aside and let children use their whole bodies to investigate. To lift heavy crates, climb trees, use ninja lines, scramble over logs and mix mud in the garden. This is how they build real strength! Since when did early childhood become an office job? 📋💻 Let children experience the joy and happiness of being a child! To experience, investigate and explore this crazy incredible world they find themselves in! Did you know that you cannot have fine motor control (holding a pencil) without gross motor stability (a strong core and shoulder stability)? A child builds the muscles needed to write by moving! By pushing wheelbarrows, climbing, clambering and manipulating real loose parts, not by sitting in a chair tracing dotted lines on a laminated worksheet. Why are we keeping children sat at tables for extended periods of time? Bev Bos said “Children don’t learn through their bottoms” 🍑 Children will learn far more through play, exploring through experiences and conversations that have context and meaning. Through things that are relevant and fun. Not sat at a table with a worksheet or a "craptivity" being expected to conform, sit still and do the exact same thing, at the exact same time as everyone else. They are individuals who all learn at their own pace at their own time and when it actually interests THEM. Let us reflect on practice, reflect on WHY we do what we do ? To defend a child’s right to PLAY and to recognise through play they ARE learning! Let them be little. The Curiosity Approach doors are open, If you and your entire team would like to embark on a journey of professional development and reflective practice. To join a community that cheers you on and shows you the steps to make meaningful change.