What’s Cooking in the Mud Kitchen?

Come and explore how to celebrate diversity through play dough and clay, sand play, water play, and the outdoor mud kitchen. In this lively and interactive workshop, participants have the opportunity to dialogue, explore sensory materials, children’s literature, and reflect on a ‘pedagogy of listening’, and learn alongside children and their families. We will focus on celebrating differences, culture, traditions and collaborative dialogue, to value multiple perspectives. Participants will be invited to reflect on what it looks like when we employ a pedagogy of listening, as well as to reflect on personal biases, privilege, and how that impacts our practice; focusing on how we can create spaces characterised by safety and respect for all.

Living Inquiries:

Well-being and Belonging
Others, Materials and the World
Identities, Social Responsibility and Diversity

Pathways:

Joy in relationships with people, place, materials and ideas.
Every child is a gift.
Interests and inquiries.
Spaces, objects, and materials.
Time for engagement.

Individual differences.

Suitable for family child care providers working with children of all ages, from infants/toddlers to school age children, including children with extra support needs.

Facilitator: Melanie Van Eyk

Melanie is a LNR owner and forest practitioner. She has worked for 20 years with children in a variety of capacities including children’s centres, preschools, forest schools, and family child care. Her philosophy includes a focus on collaboration, trauma informed practice, citizenship, play, the environment as a third teacher and friend, and wonder.