Been busy

We've not posted in a while as we've been so busy this month that we haven't had time to write about it! What have we been doing? Well........

• Weekly Targeted sessions in nurseries and children's centres in Stafford, South Staffs, Lichfield, Burntwood, East Staffs and Tamworth areas
• Universal sessions in Children's Centres in Lichfield, Burntwood, East Staffs and Tamworth including Chatter Tots, Stories and Songs and Baby Talkers
• Bookstart in Stafford for families of toddlers 12m to 3 years
• Early Words Together in South Staffs, Lichfield and Burntwood. This is a new project from the National Literacy Trust for families of children aged 2 -5 years
• The Transition project in Tamworth: a really exciting initiative to help children and families plus network with nurseries and schools
• Various specialist assessments and reports for second opinions and tribunals
• Assessing children for a new channel 4 programme by Maverick TV called 'Born this way?'
• Specialist assessment and therapy in a secure mental health unit
• Individual and group therapy sessions in schools, children's homes and nurseries
• Therapy sessions for the LEA
• Training including Elklan 'working with under 3s' ideal for think two staff. It's accredited at level 2 or 3. We've also been running signing workshops and practical sessions on developing language through play in local nurseries.
• Plus taken on 20 new referrals in March

Erm... I think that's all!

Thank you very much to the team for all their hard work and dedication

We'll update progress on each shortly!

Early Words Together:coming together nicely

The Early Words together project is in full swing at the Lichfield and South Staffs Children's Centres now. It is a superb new initiative from the National Literacy Trust to help families develop their skills in order to help their children at home. Studies have shown that parents are a huge influence on children's educational success, so if they can help from very early on, it will have a knock one effect to school progress and beyond. The NLT call it the 'home learning environment' or HLE.

The 6 week programme looks at the importance of sharing books, how nursery rhymes are  still important, mark making, choosing stories and also includes a visit from the library staff.

Many people think that libraries are quiet places where children should be seen and not heard but in fact, they actively encourage families. The library staff use puppets to show children the positives of joining the library so they can have access to new books every week.

The feedback from the families so far has been very positive, 'I think its really useful to know about these things,' said Anne-Marie, mum of 2 pre-schoolers. The sessions will be fully evaluated both internally and externally as part of a pilot project running until next March. If successful, it will be run nationwide.

Early Words Together: can you help me please? I need volunteers for this great project.

We are looking for volunteers to help with this very worthwhile initiative. No experience necessary as all training given. You would only be required to pass a safeguarding check, as I'm sure you'd understand is essential for anyone working with children.

https://audioboo.fm/boos/1736197-early-words-together

Please ring Kerry on 01543 421830   or Becky 01922 415632

Or email info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk or LibbyHill1@aol.com

Babies do need more books and less TV!

Annette Karmiloff-Smith  said on Radio 4 yesterday that babies learn from  TV more than books. Now, may be this just a  lady who is looking for some attention, working on the old premise that any publicity is good publicity BUT this is such an important topic and one which will keep cropping up over and over.

Let's set the record straight: Babies can't learn to communicate from TV, they need the stimulation of their parents speech and to be held too for bonding and attachment. Sharing a book, therefore,  is an excellent opportunity for interaction. May be Ms Karmiloff-Smith thinks we're talking about actually reading the book. I'm talking about using the book in the interaction.

There have been many, many research studies on the influence that sharing a book has on their educational growth, and in almost all of the studies done, reading to children as early as four months of age has been ‘proven not only as a good parent-child bonding, but as giving the child a good educational start in life’ (Maria-Helen Goyetche, owner of Early Childhood Education, 2009).  :

General points:

1. Babies: There’s no such thing as too early. It’s good to start showing babies pictures and talking about them as soon as they focus her eyes on the pattern on a jumper or the change-mat. It’s part of parent –child interaction. Sue Gerhardt, discusses the major adverse implications on the developing brain if there is not this type of quality interaction, (‘Why love matters’, 2004) 

2. Toddlers: discovering new words, learning to "read" pictures to find the meanings of words or the answers to questions hiding behind those thrilling pull-tabs: where's the kitten gone?

3. Pre-schoolers: a realisation that pictures on the page are the introduction to print; being read to helps the child toward written language at this age just as it helps towards spoken language two years previously.

I've written more on this several times now (http://www.smarttalkersblog.com/2010/06/reading-is-important-too.html ) so I won't go on but please don't  let that ludicrous headline from yesterday put you off reading with your little one!