Ceol ‘Step into Music’, the Award-Winning Music Programme for the Early Years Step into Music is a great introductory course for preschool children to learn to listen and respond to music as well as composition and performance. It is also approved by the Department of Education for Early Start as it is transitional to the […]

For our Friday Freebie this week we provide a summary of the links to Aistear themes and aims for the activity of puzzle-solving. We hope this will give you some idea of how the Aistear framework can relate to everyday play activities in your service and help you with your future observations and coordinating with […]

We are excited to announce that we have become an Amazon Associate which means we will be showcasing great offers on books and other products from Amazon in addition to the great products we already carry. By providing links to Amazon products, we receive a small reward from Amazon but there is no markup on […]

Early in the school year, it’s a good idea to review your documentation and paperwork. There are two very important aspects to this: One, that your service is ready should you get a visit from inspectors, and, Two, that you are not vulnerable to legal issues if various circumstances arise. The third and also important […]

As you know, under regulation, you are required to risk assess ANY Garda Vetting disclosure where there was a conviction, however minor. This risk assessment should be kept confidentially on the employee’s file if the person is employed. We now have a risk assessment form that we have added to our Employee Management Pack. In […]

Today’s Friday Freebie brings you some wonderful ideas for finger-painting activities! Children of all ages love to get directly involved with their hands right in the paint. Finger-painting is beneficial for developing sensory integration (for instance relating touch to spatial relationships and colours), hand-eye coordination, learning about colours and textures, and is just plain fun. […]

September can be such a busy time for early years educators all over the country making sure the learning environment is inviting, children are settled and your paperwork is up to scratch! So much of what you need to get off to a brilliant start is available through our Early Years Shop. Here is a […]

Using the Family Tree activity is a great way to start a conversation about the diversity of children and their family situations. For example, we aim to ensure that all children, including children with a disability, will be able to meaningfully participate in our settings (apart from exceptional situations where specialised provision is required for […]

One Finger One Thumb is a Curriculum Plan with lots of great games and activities on the theme of building fine motor skills. Easy-to-set-up play spaces and games for a range of ages, finger exercises and many more. Creating security and teaching young children guidelines for safety regarding their bodies and touch can be a […]

The Pre-Employment Health Self-Declaration Form has been newly updated and added to our employment pack which contains a wide selection of records needed to run a compliant and professional service. The full pack can be purchased here: insert link More employers are realising the advantages of using a pre-employment health self-declaration Traditionally the domain of […]

Many Early Years providers have been asking us for help with the paperwork relating to the government-funded Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). Most of the queries we’ve gotten have been specifically to do with some guidance in handling employment of staff. Our new Inclusion Pack will give you some excellent policies and templates to work […]

Cornflour Gloop (some know it as “oobleck”) is an amazing substance known as a colloidal solution. Colloidal solutions are mixtures of fine particles (cornflour) with water that are very peculiar! When cornflour gloop is under pressure (such as if you press on it with your hands) it feels like a solid but as soon as […]

Due the phenomenal success of our most recent publication “My Learning Journey” we have launched Edition 2 and they are flying off the shelf! Providers, Educators, Parents and Children are loving it! Large ‘Oversize’ A3 publication giving it the ‘wow’ factor Space to insert the name of your service on the front cover Lots of […]

Outdoor play is great for continuing the education of your children in a healthy environment. Use the opportunities for them to explore their surroundings, to engage in imaginative and role play activities and to experience using different toys and musical instruments. Introduce music and dance activities with our Ceol and Funky Feet packages from the […]

Summer is a great time to review your records and get ready for September. Our Child Registration Form is comprehensive and covers many compliance areas on one form! It incorporates an “All About Me” section so you can capture as much information as possible in advance to allow you get to know the children attending. […]

The guide details how and where documents should be kept and what needs to be displayed. We have included a new Sleep Policy in the pack. This has been developed in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years services) Regulations 2016. The pack contains the following: Sleep Policy Safe Sleep Practices Sudden Infant […]