A1-094 Webinar

Cultivating Curiosity, Playfulness and Professional Love in Early Childhood Environments

Curiosity? Curiosity drives children's desire to explore, to ask questions and to play. Children learn most deeply when they are following their natural curiosity as it places them at the centre of their learning.

Are your early childhood environments thoughtfully considered?

Do you reflect on your environments in terms of interactions, experiences and spaces?

Do they promote;

Curiosity? Curiosity drives children's desire to explore, to ask questions and to play. Children learn most deeply when they are following their natural curiosity as it places them at the centre of their learning.

Playfulness? Play cannot be pinned down into a neat, measurable definition. Reflecting on Tina Bruce's “12 features of play approach”, does your environment support a clear play pedagogy?

Centred around love? – Reflecting on Dr Jools Page thinking on “Professional Love”, are loving relationships developed in settings between children and adults.

Recognising that carefully considered and designed play spaces encourage optimal learning and development, Karen has shared first-hand her experience of how she and her teams at Kirktonholme Centres weave their thinking about curiosity, playfulness, and professional love throughout both their indoor and outdoor environments. She has shared various images to enlighten you about the thinking behind the design and curriculum.

About the presenter

Karen Flynn

Introducing Karen Flynn, General Manager/Director of Kirktonholme Childcare. Karen prides herself on remaining a practitioner at heart who ensures that whatever the challenges the children remain front and centre of her delivery for the last thirty-eight years.

Kirktonholme Childcare is a group of ten nurseries and two Forest schools situated within Glasgow City and close neighbouring areas in the West of Scotland. Over the past twenty-one years Karen has been integral to the growth of this nursery group, expanding gradually from one service to twelve, each with their own distinctive and unique environments designed by Karen and her teams to meet the needs of the children and families within the individual communities.

For the past five years Karen has also worked part-time for Glasgow Clyde College as a college lecturer delivering Scotland’s PDA Level 9 Childhood Practice qualification. This qualification when successfully completed allows the graduates to gain the registration to lead a service.

Listen to how the educators write love notes to the parents about what the child has achieved. Love this!

— THERESE

The way these qualities shape not only children's learning, but also their sense of identity, belonging and confidence.

— FAYE

The focus on curiosity, playfulness and professional love felt deeply affirming. I appreciated how theory was grounded in real, reflective practice and connected to everyday educator–child interactions.

— MARTIN

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Cultivating Curiosity, Playfulness and Professional Love in Early Childhood Environments