January 28 (7 to 9 PM)
$40

War, weapon, and super-hero play – Do we do that here?

This session is for early childhood educators inpreschool settings who are uncomfortable with war, weapon, and super-hero playbut know that forbidding it isn’t working.

Does your centrehave a policy that says No to war, weapons, and super-hero play? If not, isthere an unwritten rule about whether it’s allowed or not? If we are saying‘No’, what are we trying to prevent? Do all staff members agree and enforce thesame practice? Does it feel like “Whack-a-mole” trying to prevent this kind ofplay – no matter how many times you say ‘No’, it keeps happening? What harmmight we be causing with our unending ‘No’?

This workshop willsummarize some key research and provide examples to foster discussion on thischallenging topic. Bring examples of current play struggles and be prepared tochallenge your assumptions and practice.

Tanya Moxley is an ambassadorfor the importance of unstructured loose parts play for children’s successfulgrowth & development. In 2015, while working with the Halifax RegionalSchool Board’s Excel program for Before & After School Care, she wasinvited to introduce the ‘loose parts play’ concept to 18 Excel programs. The success of that venture has turned into a small business providing loos partsadventure play sessions for childcare centres, day camps and after-schoolprograms, as well as offering professional development for educators and recreationstaff, and support to parents in letting their children take on more risk.Tanya has completed the Playworker Development Course, through Pop-up AdventurePlay in the UK.

Workshop #5 (of an 8 part series)
This workshop will examine the traditional atelier, the role of the atelierista and the value that art education brings to the early learning environment. Participants will get an opportunity to work with authentic clay, learning about its' properties, how to work effectively with it and how to incorporate it into their programs.

February 4 & March 3 (7 to 9 PM)
$80.00

Anintroduction to inclusion through a modern lens to accompany the QualityMatters process. We will explore how to identify and promote inclusion in yourclassroom with practical steps and smart goals. A guide to creating aninclusion bulletin board and tools for success are included in this workshop tosupport continuous quality improvement and bring inclusion into action.

PamArchibald- Pam hasbeen working in the childcare field for over 25 years in a variety of settings.She is a motivated and knowledgeable Early Childhood Educator with a passionfor supporting families. She has extensive practice in the field and is anexperienced leader and collaborative team player. She is a lifelong learner witha desire to inspire others while striving to contribute and advocate forchildren and families. She was self-employed for many years as a previous ownerof a childcare center and is currently a director of a center in Bedford.

Sonia Hage-Cameron has been working in the childcare field forover 20 years in a wide variety of capacities. After graduating with her BA andMA in Child and Youth Studies, specializing in Special Needs, she held avariety of positions including working at the IWK, NSCECE and HRSB. Her roleshave included Developmental Coordinator, a college instructor at NSCECE,Community Outreach Worker with HRSB and Child Mental Health Worker at the IWK.For the past several years, Sonia has been the owner/operator of childcarecentres in Bedford and Wedgewood.

Workshop #5 (of an 8 part series)
This workshop will examine the traditional atelier, the role of the atelierista and the value that art education brings to the early learning environment. Participants will get an opportunity to work with authentic clay, learning about its' properties, how to work effectively with it and how to incorporate it into their programs.