Category: Early Years Shop News

Over a period of time Canavan Byrne have observed, from conducting research within the Early Years Sector and from feedback on training courses carried out with services currently working in the Early Years Sector, that the same questions regarding curriculum are asked over and over again.

With that in mind, Canavan Byrne devised an easy way to answer these questions and have made it available in the form of this great training video that is now available to purchase online on The Early Years Shop . This amazing new training video was made in collaboration with an award-winning setting that has received 4 excellents in their most recent DES inspection and who is fully compliant with Tusla.

The video aims to answer those recurring questions received from educators and explores all components of a successful curriculum. It is worth noting that for the purpose of this training video Canavan Byrne features their specially designed learning journals. However, services can also compile their own records by using scrapbooks.

The most frequently asked questions in the Curriculum Planning Video Training

So what are the questions that services ask over and over again? The questions all relate to Curriculum and how Early Years Services can devise an effective curriculum in a busy Early Years Setting. Some of the most frequently asked questions are;

1. How do I devise an effective and stimulating curriculum in a busy early years setting?
2. How do I develop a curriculum inspired by children’s emerging interests?
3. How do I create an environment where children can learn through play, enquiry and exploration?
4. How do I provide a stimulating, more child led space where children are free to fuel their own learning, curiosities and interests?
5. How do I put theory into practice?

The training video sets out to answer all of the above questions over 5 chapters to include: How Young Children Learn, The Impact the Physical Environment has on Learning, The Emergent Curriculum, The Emergent Curriculum in Action and Documenting Your Curriculum. The video sets out to guide you on how to plan your curriculum and how you should promote and use the Aistear and Síolta Practice when planning, implementing, recording and reflecting on your curriculum plans.

After watching the video, take a short evaluation quiz and receive a downloadable Certificate of Completion from Canavan Byrne, personalised with your name and the date of completion.

It is important to keep up to date with the ever changing news of the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic but you don’t have to be consumed by it all day long. Make a conscious effort to put some space aside in your daily routine and use the time to prepare and plan for when you do go back to your classroom. It might only be for an hour each day but it will help you greatly. Not just for being better organised when you do go back but also to give your own mind a break from the constant stream of news and reports that we are exposed to on a daily basis! 

Early Years services have a great opportunity to give children a love for life-long learning. Early Years curriculum is an important part of the learning process of a child as essentially it is everything that children learn while at Early Years Services. Curriculums can be child or adult-led and can be planned or done on the spot. The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide supports services to use Aistear and Síolta together to build an emergent and inquiry based curriculum. This type of curriculum uses children’s and practitioners’ interests, questions and experiences as starting points for curriculum planning.Typically curriculum planning can be short, medium or long term;

• Short Term Curriculum Planning
  Short Term Curriculum Planning involves responding to children’s current interests and enquiries, events and news in their families and their community.
• Medium Term Curriculum Planning
  Medium Term Curriculum Planning may include some project work such as building a city, celebrating Diwali if there are children in the service who celebrate it, birthday celebrations, Spring,  Easter and Summer to name but a few. 
• Long Term Curriculum Planning
  Long-term planning outlines what a setting plans to do to support children’s learning and development over a long period of time and to acknowledge and reward their achievements. The long term plan is based on the setting’s mission statement and Curriculum Statement. Planning for big school and graduation ceremonies are an important part of this planning.

You will find a number of Curriculum Plans on our online shop that have been developed by Canavan Byrne to support your curriculum planning. These curriculum plans are specifically designed to support Aistear, Síolta and Montessori learnings. Each activity clearly outlines what learning area from Aistear and Montessori is supported. These curriculum plans are not prescribed templates, instead they are a bank of curriculum ideas that can be used to respond to children’s needs. All Curriculum Packs include observation sheets that you can print off and have to hand for when you are observing individual children in your classroom.

There is also the Curriculum Planning Toolkit which is a great guide to assist you with your Curriculum Planning and includes templates for your short, medium and long term plans. To help with your preparation and planning for returning to school there is now 25% off all curriculum planning products on the Early Years Shop. We have curriculum plans on various themes such as Spring, Summer, Easter, Celebrating Difference as well as role play Curriculum Plans such as Outer Space, At the Cinema and At The Hospital. Check out our various packs now at the Early Years Shop !