Opinion: Editor's view
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
New variations on a classic resource confirm the reasons for its appeal.
We know that many practitioners struggle to find really inspiringresources for the birth-to-three age group. There's too much that relieson plastic or gimmickry, or that is covered in numbers and letters in aspurious attempt to be 'educational'.
Treasure baskets, however, are a fantastic way of engaging babies withan array of natural and age-appropriate materials. In this week's Triedand Tested (pages 14-16), nurseries, children's centres and childmindershave explored a range of commercially available treasure baskets withtheir youngest children and give their verdicts.
Some of the products fit treasure basket originator Elinor Goldschmied'sprescription and others have adapted the original concept, but allproved to be very valuable resources for the settings who tried themout.
Whether you buy a ready-made treasure basket or put one togetheryourself, these are, as Julian Grenier of Kate Greenaway Children'sCentre says, 'high-quality resources with no batteries'.
There will be plenty of high-quality resources on display at the NurseryWorld Show 2009, being held at London's Business Design Centre on 23 and24 January. The exhibition is dedicated to the early years sector. Youcan find out more and register initial interest atwww.nurseryworld.co.uk.
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