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School Refusal Avoidance Anxiety Specialist Teacher Tips

School Refusal: What Every Parent and Teacher Should Know About School Anxiety in Children

by In The Real Wonderland4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Blog Articles Play-Based Learning, Mentoring and Coaching - Child Development 14 April 202318 July 2023Comments are Disabled

A Specialist Teacher’s Top Tips on School Avoidance I first met Leo(*) in 2022 when his parents sought my help due to his school refusal, which escalated after the Covid lockdowns. Leo’s parents first suspected something was wrong when he began experiencing frequent tummy aches at home and school. Things worsened when he began vomiting …

Finding a neurodivergent affirming teacher - a free checklist for parents

How To Find a Neurodivergent Affirming Teacher, School or Program – A Free Checklist

by In The Real Wonderland0 - 1 year old, 2 years old, 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Blog Articles Play-Based Learning, Free Play-Based Learning Samples and Resources, Mentoring and Coaching - Child Development 11 April 202318 April 2023Comments are Disabled

For Autistic, ADHD, 2e and Gifted and other Neurodivergent Children. Most parents want to ensure their child is receiving the best education possible. For those with a neurodivergent child, it can be even more challenging to find a teacher who understands their unique needs and can provide a learning environment that is supportive, safe, and …

What is The Best Way to Learn to Read and Write. Science of Reading v. Play-Based Learning.

The Best Way to Learn to Read and Write: The Science-of-Reading v. Play-Based Learning

by In The Real WonderlandBlog Articles Play-Based Learning, Free Play-Based Learning Resources 21 March 202326 March 2023Comments are Disabled

To thrive in today’s information age, children must learn to read and write proficiently. However, there is an ongoing debate over the most effective approach to teaching literacy in English-speaking countries. This has lead to what is commonly known as the reading wars. On one side of this debate is Balanced Literacy, with questionable teaching …

Art Supplies To Build Children's Autonomy Through Choice-Based Art. Image of a young child painting their body with paint, against a colourful background of paint splashes and spills.

From Mess to Mastery: Using Art Supplies to Unlock Your Child’s Creativity With Choice-Based Art

by In The Real Wonderland3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Art Play Ideas, Blog Articles Play-Based Learning, Construction Play Ideas, Exploratory Play Ideas, Fine Motor Play Ideas, Free Play-Based Learning Resources, Play Recipes, Materials, Objects, Toys and Supplies, Play Supplies, Problem Solving Play Ideas, Sensory Play Ideas, Sorting and Aligning Play Ideas 2 February 202311 February 2023Comments are Disabled

Providing choice-based art supplies and experiences is a wonderful way to support children’s creativity, skills, and self-expression. However, this type of open-ended art can be challenging to facilitate. The first step is to choose the open-ended art supplies for choice-based art-making. Even then, concerns about mess can make it difficult for adults to support free …

List of essential art supplies. Image shows a range of colourful art supplies including pastels, paint bruses, feathers, yarn, googly eyes, jewels and origami.

Nurturing Creativity: The Essential Art Supplies List for Kids

by In The Real Wonderland3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Art Play Ideas, Blog Articles Play-Based Learning, Construction Play Ideas, Exploratory Play Ideas, Fine Motor Play Ideas, Free Play-Based Learning Resources, Free Play-Based Learning Samples and Resources, Play Recipes, Materials, Objects, Toys and Supplies, Play Supplies, Problem Solving Play Ideas, Sensory Play Ideas, Sorting and Aligning Play Ideas 1 February 202312 February 2023Comments are Disabled

As a play-based teacher who values children’s autonomy, I am frequently asked what are the essential supplies needed to support children’s creative play and open expression. The truthful answer is that creativity can be supported with whatever you have on hand. Having some open-ended materials is important – but there really is no special or …

How To Introduce Loose Parts Play-Based Learning

by In The Real Wonderland0 - 1 year old, 2 years old, 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Art Play Ideas, Blog Articles Play-Based Learning, Construction Play Ideas, Dilemma and Conflict Play Ideas, Exploratory Play Ideas, Fantasy Play Ideas, Fine Motor Play Ideas, Free Play-Based Learning Samples and Resources, Game play ideas, Gross Motor Play Ideas, Loose Parts Play, Play Recipes, Materials, Objects, Toys and Supplies, Problem Solving Play Ideas, Role Play Ideas, Sensory Play Ideas, Sorting and Aligning Play Ideas 13 January 202317 January 2023Comments are Disabled

Loose parts play as a pathway for learning Families and teachers are increasingly interested in how loose parts play-based learning can be introduced to children. Researchers have found that when children engage in high quality play, they extend their social skills, language abilities, identity development, executive function, problem-solving, and academic foundations (Hassinger-Das et al., 2019). …

Different types of play. Image of a young child opening a treasure chest.

Using different types of play to support children’s learning, attention, development, and wellbeing.

by In The Real WonderlandBlog Articles Play-Based Learning 6 October 20226 November 2022Comments are Disabled

A backlash about different types of play (and play-based learning) is brewing in many parenting and teacher communities. In one camp, we have those who view play-based learning as a specialist type of teaching. In this world, play and play-based learning requires particular equipment, skills, or approaches. Here, ‘play’ is viewed as a productive activity …

Children's attention and choice. Image of a young child gazing in wonder at a magical underwater world of their own imagining.

Who owns your eyeballs? A story about children’s agency and choice.

by In The Real WonderlandBlog Articles Play-Based Learning 12 September 202212 April 2023Comments are Disabled

A while back, I was visiting a preschool to prepare for a workshop that I was providing their educators about children’s agency and choice. As I moved around the preschool room I noticed they had a list of around 70 ‘rules’ for children. Each rule was meticulously typed on a file-card, and individually laminated before …

A young child paying attention to a book. The text lists different types of attention including sustained attention, flow, orienting, alternating attention and divided attention. Sustained attention and flow are grouped as being important to improve a child's attention for learning and wellbeing.

How to improve a child’s attention for learning

by In The Real WonderlandBlog Articles Play-Based Learning 2 September 202230 September 2022Comments are Disabled

How can teachers and homeschool educators improve their child’s attention for learning? The answer to this question depends, to some extent, on how long we might typically expect a child be able to hold their attention on a learning task. A common rule-of-thumb used by many teachers, is that a child should be able to …