Tuesday March 26 7 - 9 PM $45.00
Before movies, television and the internet, shadow play was one way of sharing stories with others. Come explore a two-thousand-year art form and discover how exciting this can be for children and adults today. Working with a variety of materials, as well as colour and sound we will experience the excitement of storytelling. Everyone will create at least one shadow puppet to use and to keep. This session supports the Nova Scotia Curriculum Framework learning goal of “Language and Communication” through the strategy ‘Children express ideas and make meaning using a variety of media.’
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Annette Comeau is founder of Carton Creative Education Consulting and has been working in childcare for 22 years. She has an ECE Diploma and degrees in Fine Art, Art Education and Graphic Design from NSCAD University. She is currently working as the EYCDC’s Early Years Program Specialist. Annette is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and is passionate about making art with children and adults.
Register Here

Friday March 29 9:00-4:00
Saturday March 30 9:00-4:00
Lunch Provided

Session 1 (leaders)

Module 1: Pedagogical Leadership

‘Pedagogical Leaders demonstrate credible knowledge of the teaching and learning process and draw on those principles to guide individuals and groups.’ (Coughlin and Woodburn, 2016)
This module, designed for any type of leader in our field who is working in a regulated child care setting or Pre-primary Program, will focus on how pedagogical leadership supports educators in reflecting upon, and learning more about, their practices with children.

We will address - through experiences and dialogue – the questions: What is an effective pedagogical leader? How do we work through growth and change in positive ways? How do we encourage innovative practices?

Module 2: Image of the Child

‘A person’s Image of the Child….is influenced by that person’s experiences, culture, values and beliefs’ (N.S Early Learning Curriculum Framework, p11).
This statement about the Image of the Child from the curriculum framework is foundational for the practices described within the document. In this module, we will use reflection and dialogue to work through our own images of children and how these are made visible in our day to day interactions, routines, decision-making, and responses to children.

We will address – through experiences and dialogue - the questions: What is your ‘Image of the Child’? Why does this image matter? How do our images and practices align with the Framework? What difference does it make to our daily practice? How does the Image of the Child affect the role of an educator or leader?

This session is being hosted by Jane Norman College / Early Years Support Centre. Please contact [email protected] for more details.

Participants will experience many ways to bring light and shadow experiences into their classrooms, there will be ideas for all age groups, including infants and toddlers. Come learn how to mix colour with light and find out about the many creative possibilities... In addition participants will learn how to create an inexpensive light box using simple, easily sourced materials.

** To register please contact Justine MacDonald at [email protected] or call 902.690.2514**

Workshop #7 (of an 8 part series)
This workshop will look at curriculum planning.Participants will be introduced to invitations, provocations, zones of investigation and common projects. They will be challenged to re-think their own curriculum planning keeping in mind that children are fully capable of directing their own learning and that teachers serve children best when acting in a facilitator capacity.

2-Part Series Tuesday April 2 & 16 7 - 9 PM $80

Imagine functional and beautiful classrooms that invite children to think, create, and explore… Now, let’s not imagine. Let’s make it happen!
Join us for a two-session workshop filled with practical tips and support as you work on developing aspects of your learning environment.
Olha Khaperska is a consultant who created Beautiful Classrooms, a classroom makeover service, to help teaching teams implement positive changes in their learning environments. She draws on her experience in advertising, publishing, lighting and knitwear design together with her knowledge of early learning that was tested in various classrooms.

Olha has a degree in Management, an ECE diploma, and an Early Childhood Administrator Certificate. She currently works as a Lead ECE in the Pre-Primary program.
Register Here

Friday April 5 9:00-4:00
Saturday April 6 9:00-4:00
Lunch Provided

Session 2 (for leaders)

Module 3: Exploring our Early Years Practices and Connecting them to Capable, Confident and Curious: Nova Scotia’s Early Learning Curriculum Framework.

Early years practices vary widely across our province, and yet we all have something in common: A desire to provide the best programs possible for all our children. What does the Framework say about putting our good intentions into practice? What does this look like in our everyday work?
In this module, educators will examine six aspects of the Framework: Responsiveness to Children, Intentional Teaching, Relationships with people, materials and the world, Connecting our Image of the Child to what we actually do, Play as a way of Learning, and the Role of Families, Community and Culture. All of these aspects can be tied in concrete ways to our everyday work with children, and we will use activities and dialogue – including the Reflective Planning Cycle - to assist with making these topics come to life.
Leaders will also engage with these topics, but in addition will have the opportunity to consider how to support such practices in the workplace, how to bring families into decision-making processes, the development of communities of practice as a support system, and the role of pedagogical leadership as our classroom practices begin to shift and adjust.

Module 4: The Learning Environment and how it Supports Children’s Thinking, Ideas, and Engagement

This module will examine not only the physical environment (i.e. materials, furniture and space) but also the ‘non-visible’ aspects of the spaces where we work with children. How does an environment help to build relationships? Include all children and their interests and diversities? Encourage innovative thinking, for both children and adults? How does it make our philosophies visible?
Educators will consider all these questions with the goal of adjusting both indoor and outdoor environments in response to children, providing invitations that scaffold their thinking and learning, considering the role of beauty in our environments, and developing inquiries with children where the environment plays the important role of ‘third teacher,’ along with their families and their communities.
Leaders will consider the same topics, while also considering ‘whole centre’ aspects of the environment, how to include families and community, and how to develop an environment that supports a culture of reflection and innovation for their staff.

This session is being hosted by Jane Norman College / Early Years Support Centre. Please contact [email protected] for more details.

Lunch Provided

Session 2 (for leaders)

Module 3: Exploring our Early Years Practices and Connecting them to Capable, Confident and Curious: Nova Scotia’s Early Learning Curriculum Framework.

Early years practices vary widely across our province, and yet we all have something in common: A desire to provide the best programs possible for all our children. What does the Framework say about putting our good intentions into practice? What does this look like in our everyday work?
In this module, educators will examine six aspects of the Framework: Responsiveness to Children, Intentional Teaching, Relationships with people, materials and the world, Connecting our Image of the Child to what we actually do, Play as a way of Learning, and the Role of Families, Community and Culture. All of these aspects can be tied in concrete ways to our everyday work with children, and we will use activities and dialogue – including the Reflective Planning Cycle - to assist with making these topics come to life.
Leaders will also engage with these topics, but in addition will have the opportunity to consider how to support such practices in the workplace, how to bring families into decision-making processes, the development of communities of practice as a support system, and the role of pedagogical leadership as our classroom practices begin to shift and adjust.

Module 4: The Learning Environment and how it Supports Children’s Thinking, Ideas, and Engagement

This module will examine not only the physical environment (i.e. materials, furniture and space) but also the ‘non-visible’ aspects of the spaces where we work with children. How does an environment help to build relationships? Include all children and their interests and diversities? Encourage innovative thinking, for both children and adults? How does it make our philosophies visible?
Educators will consider all these questions with the goal of adjusting both indoor and outdoor environments in response to children, providing invitations that scaffold their thinking and learning, considering the role of beauty in our environments, and developing inquiries with children where the environment plays the important role of ‘third teacher,’ along with their families and their communities.
Leaders will consider the same topics, while also considering ‘whole centre’ aspects of the environment, how to include families and community, and how to develop an environment that supports a culture of reflection and innovation for their staff.

Module 3
Leader Training
April 6th, 2019
9am - 4pm (Lunch Provided)

This module is being hosted by NSCC Kingstec Campus/ Early Childhood Development Support Centre
Please contact [email protected] for more details.