Sandra Hesterman

Combining nature pedagogy and education for sustainable development, this Western Australian action research project brought together children aged 3-6 years with their local community to plant, monitor, observe, care, create, and be part of a pocket forest on their school site. Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the project allowed for rich engagement in hands-on learning to promote agency and citizen science, while enabling authentic connection to nature. Utilising nature journaling with regular Zentangle™ practice alongside curriculum learning areas and priorities, children were able to express their creativity as part of their learning. This rich, place-based provocation offers an environment in which children’s rights are respected, their lived experiences are drawn upon, and their voices are heard. It is hoped that the deep connection and understanding of their local natural world will inspire future citizen scientists. Los resultados muestran la capacidad infantil para resignificar su trayectoria, comprender la situación sanitaria y las medidas (aunque estas no consideraron la primera infancia), identificando la vulneración de los derechos a la educación y al juego. Los efectos fueron mayores en el quintil 2, pero en ambos contextos se percibe una proyección positiva hacia la primaria. La investigación destaca la relevancia de la perspectiva infantil para ayudar a pensar futuras decisiones en el ámbito educativo en momentos de crisis.

This study investigates the knowledge and experiences of 11 teachers in China, facilitating online learning for young children aged two to six in Early Childhood Education (ECE) during the COVID- 19 pandemic. The pandemic caused global school closures, prompting a swift move to online education. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was used as an analytical tool to investigate how ECE teachers incorporated information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate play-based learning in a virtual environment. A multi-case study approach was employed, collecting qualitative data from five international schools implementing three curricula. The study aimed to uncover the strategies teachers used, identify the challenges they faced in sustaining playbased pedagogy online, and highlight the potential of ICT in fostering engagement and developmental learning for young children. The findings offer insights into the challenges and opportunities of online teaching for young children, offering practical guidance for creating effective online environments that support play-based learning within diverse curricula. This research contributes to a broader understanding of online pedagogy for young learners in crisis contexts.

In 2019, ECA convened a multidisciplinary Advisory Group, with national and international expertise (find more details at www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eca-statement-on-play), to advise on ECA’s first Statement on Play for the early childhood sector. The Advisory Group, many critical friends and contributors helped discuss and sift ideas, identify evidence, resources and gaps in understanding and practice. ECA thanks all who contributed to and shaped our thinking.

The Statement reflects ECA’s commitment to protect and promote the right of every child in Australia to play. It also builds on ECA’s previous work on the rights of the child, inclusivity, digital play, equality (along with SNAICC—National Voice for Our Children) and particularly on the ECA WA Play Strategy.

The Statement draws on robust evidence from diverse disciplines on the essential nature of play and its impact on every child’s wellbeing, learning and development. It contains important work by Australian and international researchers and practitioners as well as the efforts of international and national bodies to recognise the importance of play to children.

These include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No 17 on the Child’s Right to Play, the International Play Association, the World Health Organization and the Learning Through Play advocacy brief by UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation. Sources cited are listed at the end of this Statement and each principle has a section on follow-up resources. For a wider range of references, research and guides on play, play theorists and practice, go to ECA’s play resources page: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eca-statement-on-play.

ECA recognises the need to continue building on this Statement, develop more culturally nuanced understandings of play, and invest in educator play resources. We invite those of you with different play traditions and diverse contexts to share your experience with us, so that together we can better understand play in every child’s learning, wellbeing and development. Our aim is a Statement that helps ‘find’ play and to share rather than limit it.