A Home Away From Home

Would you live where you work?

If you consider the child who spends anywhere from 8-10 or more hours a day in a centre, five days a week, then it becomes obvious that they are not simply filling in a few hours each day in an ECE centre. They are living there.

With this in mind, how then do we plan the environment?

Our solution is twofold. The first is to make it as homelike as possible. Throw out the fancy catalogues geared at institutions such as school and early childhood centres when purchasing furniture and shop where you would for your home. Some of the things that we have done include purchasing knitted and crocheted blankets from second hand shops (much nicer to wrap babies in); using real cups and plates (most adults would prefer to drink out of a glass rather than a plastic cup – so why not our children?); making the centre beautiful with flowers, candles and soft furnishings; and making it more like a home and less like an institution.

Music too is important. Children’s songs have their place, but do we really need to listen to Barney or The Wiggles for eight hours every day? We tire of it – and I think children do too. Introduce different styles of music. We have noticed that when classical music is played as background music our children are calmer and more settled. Teachers too. We have had children who only fall asleep to Beethoven!

The second is to make the most of the outdoor environment. Think back to your childhood. In all likelihood you spent it outdoors, barefooted, playing in mud, amongst trees, picking flowers and pretty weeds, studying the clouds, making what you could out of what was available, and only going inside for meals. Recreate this for your children. Provide decent wet weather gear so that children can be outside in all weather and remain clean and dry.

Yes, we need to consider health and safety, but surely there are ways and means of providing an environment that allows children to freely explore while also minimising the risks?

A recent New Zealand study has shown that today’s parents are possibly the last generation to have experienced “free-range play” unless something happens soon within our centres and society. Let’s make that change.