raukiya
Home from Home
Nurseries and providers who adopt the approach replicate a child’s home environment, rather than that of a typical school.
Settings should be nurturing safe spaces, where children feel loved and at ease. These learning environments are fundamental within all aspects of a child’s social, emotional, and academic development. To make the children feel comfortable and relaxed, fill your spaces with pictures of the children and their families and pets in unique frames. (Remember to follow your setting’s safeguarding policies, and UK GDPR regulations when doing so.)
Calm and Safe Spaces
Overstimulating environments can be distracting to some children with SEND, and can cause feelings of upset and anger. The Curiosity Approach, therefore, favours calm and tranquil spaces, rather than the more traditional, bright and busy early years environments.
Developing a sense of belonging and safety are also key values of the approach. Hellyn and Bennett took inspiration from Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum of New Zealand, when creating The Curiosity Approach. Te Whariki advocates the benefit of creating a personalised and safe environment for children, where respect and diversity are valued. When children feel loved and secure, they are much more likely to excel.
Child-centred
Hellyn and Bennett believe that the child must lie at the heart of the learning experience. Activities should not be set up just because they’ll look pretty on social media – there should be a reason why the play has been created, and this should be linked to the child’s current interests. For example, you might set up an invitation for learning filled with unique mirrors, flowers picked from the garden, and paint. You might do this because one of the children enjoyed making daisy chains with her mother at the weekend, and has also shown a recent fascination with mirrors and reflections.
Accessible
Resources and invitations for learning should be easy for the children to access. They should be presented at their level, so that the children can explore them independently. This promotes active learning as the children are engineering their own play, and following their own interests.
Embrace and expect mess
Hellyn and Bennett ask their Curiosity Approach settings to welcome disorder as it will have occurred as a result of a child’s strong connection to their play. Children can help you to wash or clean down outdoor equipment, but activities should not be avoided just because they may create mess.
