Characteristics of Effective Learning

May 24, 2021

Our ‘Key Authors’

Our Key Authors are the selection of books we have analysed and chosen to be part of the core curriculum we use at Our Monkey Club. These authors and their books help us to extend our children’s literacy skills due to their skills as a…

May 24, 2021

Stories and Their Importance to Literacy

Anyone that knows me, knows I love books. My favourite place to relax is in a second-hand bookshop surrounded by mismatched shelving and rickety stairs with books piled on every step. Hay on Wye is my spiritual home as it is the largest collection of…

September 28, 2020

Learning How to Learn

Learning how to learn is vital to success in life and the understanding and actively supporting the development of the characteristics of effective learning is a key focus at Our Monkey Club. A recent review of the last 10 years of early years research conducted…

September 28, 2020

The wonderful world of messy learning

“A child’s early experiences at touching and being touched, through their infancy, toddler and pre school years are incredibly important for not only developing tactile sensitivity, motor skills and understanding the physical world but also for their overall health and emotional well being.” Elliot (1999, p 123)

July 26, 2020

Schema: The way children learn about their world

Each parent, watching their 2, 3 or 4-year-old, recognises the frenetic pace and fleeting attention they seem to apply to every activity they choose. A child left to its own devices may one minute be in the toy box throwing each toy into the corner, emptying…

April 30, 2020

What does ‘Ready for School’ mean?

Cathy Nutbrown, Children’s Rights and Education (1996) <i>"There is a mischievous mistruth in the belief that doing certain things early helps children get ready for the next stage. The best way to help a child to get ready to be 5 is to let her…

March 31, 2020

Our Youngest Children’s Play: Treasure Baskets and Loose Parts Play

At Our Monkey Club we understand the need for children to experience real, everyday items for the development of their understanding of the world. Without the opportunity to feel metal, glass, rubber, cardboard, wool, wood and many other materials how a child cannot understand the…