It’s Father’s Day again . . .
Father’s Day! Time to get out the glue and glitter! Time to get the card-making production line running efficiently! Yes?
Maybe . . .
If you’ve been following these posts about events and celebrations (and whether and how to celebrate them) for a while, you might’ve noticed a bit of a formula for reflection. At its simplest, it looks something like this:
- Reflect with your team about the children and families in your setting. Ask, is this event meaningful to our children and families, and if so how?
- In light of your knowledge about the children and families in your setting, critically reflect on the anti-bias goals and how they resonate with the event in question. Will celebrating the event promote confidence, family pride and positive social identities for children and educators? Will it nurture children’s ability to express comfort and joy with human diversity? Will it empower children and educators to be able to both recognise and act against unfairness, discrimination and prejudice? (Scarlet, 2020)
- Reflect together with your team on whether celebrating this event means overlooking other more meaningful or significant events, or children’s daily play and learning. There is only so much time in the day and only so much space in the curriculum! Are there other events that are more significant in your community? Are you overlooking children’s daily celebrations, for example, learning a skill, finding an exciting insect, writing a new song?
With the shops filling up with Father’s Day gifts and cards, it’s time to start asking questions like these. If you are a centre director, ensure your teams have time to think and discuss together.
Although engaging in constant cycles of critical reflection may seem like more work than just getting out the glue and glitter, reflecting together as a team will ensure your curriculum is higher quality and higher equity. Now that’s priceless!
Reflective questions
Where do celebrations sit in your philosophy and when do you consult with children and families?
How does your approach acknowledge he diversity of children, families, the community and the wider world around you? (Huddy & Mathers, 2020, p.120)
References
Huddy, T., & Mathers, S. (2020). To celebrate or not to celebrate . . . that is the question. In R. R. Scarlet (Ed.), The anti-bias approach in early childhood (4th ed., pp. 115-120). Multiverse Publishing. https://multiverse.com.au/product/the-anti-bias-approach-in-early-childhood-4th-edition/
Scarlet, R. R. (Ed.). (2020). The anti-bias approach in early childhood (4th ed.). Multiverse Publishing. https://multiverse.com.au/product/the-anti-bias-approach-in-early-childhood-4th-edition/
