Opinion: To the point - The joy of creativity

Not long ago, at my daughter's Year Three parents' evening I told the teacher how much she had been enjoying taking part in woodwork in the junior school. But it seemed a shame, I added, that having learned good cutting and joining skills in nursery, she had no further opportunity to use a saw for the next three years of her schooling. I probably did not express myself very well, because the teacher's first response was an expression of shock, followed by saying something like 'just imagine, nursery children running around with saws. It doesn't bear thinking about'.

A couple of weeks ago at Kate Greenaway, we had one of those absolutely joyful days that make nursery education so much fun. We are building a climbing frame around one of the trees; our tireless outdoor learning consultant Wendy Titman has worked with an amazing group of people to get the children involved in splitting the wood, shaving it, shaping it and sanding it down. The children listened very carefully to safety instructions and maintained the highest levels of concentration throughout. The only dodgy moment during the whole day was when the press photographer asked a child to look up at the camera and smile - while she was busy sawing. Luckily no fingers were harmed in the making of the newspaper picture.

Joe, who had worked hard all day with the children, rounded things off with a wonderful story underneath the tree, based on an Aboriginal legend. The day ended with a mix of song, dance and story. Some children were hanging on every word, and others were copying actions and creating their own dances around the edges. While climbing frames usually arrive ready-made, this is taking shape and will always be bumpy and grainy, giving the children a deep understanding of the properties of wood and the skills of woodworking.

My only regret is that so much creativity, enthusiasm and potential can end up being machined out of young children. But it need not be - and if you have a few spare minutes, put 'Creative development with Paige' into your search engine to watch a beautiful video clip on the QCA's website. Watching our children hard at work on the climbing frame and seeing Paige's morning in reception class reminded me just how inspiring early years education in England can be.

Julian Grenier is head of Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre, London