From Italy With Love: Insights And Reflections From Our Reggio Emilia Study Tour
“You go there to learn about children — but you come back remembering who you are, and why you do what you do.”
Harriet, Early Years Educator at Atelier
In this very special episode of Atelier Talks, we’re reflecting on our recent team study trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy: the city that inspires so much of our practice and pedagogy here at Atelier. Clare & Laura are joined by Harriet and Rosie, two of our incredible team members who have walked the cobbled streets of Reggio and returned home enriched by the experience.
Together we explore what it feels like to immerse yourself in a global community of educators and return with a renewed sense of energy and inspiration for your early years practice.
Whether you’ve visited Reggio yourself, or are simply curious about what it really means to be Reggio-inspired in a UK nursery setting, you’ll finish this episode brimming with ideas.
In this episode::
- What it’s like to step inside the Loris Malaguzzi Centre for the first time
- Reflections from the infant-toddler centres and what it’s like to observe learning in action
- Why Reggio’s approach is as much about values and culture as it is about methods
- Real stories of international connections and cross-cultural dialogue between educators
- What intelligent setups and environments that speak really look like
- How our team are already transforming their spaces with the “Reggio lens”
- What we learned about process over product, and the radical power of respect
- The ripple effect of deep learning and why we believe study tours grow entire teams, not just individuals
- Standing on the shoulders of giants
The thinking behind Atelier's pedagogy draws deeply from the Reggio Emilia philosophy and wider foundational theorists. This episode references the work of:
- Loris Malaguzzi – founder of the Reggio Emilia approach and the concept of the hundred languages of children
- Reggio Children & the Loris Malaguzzi Centre – for inspiring our architectural, social, and relational design thinking
- The Reggio Atelieristas – for reimagining creativity, representation and research in early childhood
Find out more:
Find out more:
Website and newsletter: ateliernursery.co.uk
Instagram: @ateliernurseryltd
Consultancy enquiries: Contact us via our website
Together, we’ll unlock the potential for incredible growth and learning.
Atelier Talks is a Decibelle Creative original podcast
Proudly produced by Decibelle Creative – decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative
Keywords: Reggio Emilia UK, early years study trip, Reggio Children, Loris Malaguzzi Centre, early years inspiration, international early childhood education, Reggio philosophy, early years leadership, environment as third teacher, hundred languages, process over product, atelierista, reflective practice EYFS, intelligent environments, emotionally intelligent early years, early years consultancy UK
Transcript
>> Clare: Welcome to Atelier Talks, the Early Years
Speaker:Collective.
Speaker:>> Clare: This is the podcast brought to you.
Speaker:>> Clare: By the Atelier Nursery team, exploring the art and
Speaker:science of early years education. We're here to
Speaker:share knowledge and insights from our unique
Speaker:research led approach. So if you're passionate
Speaker:about early years education, you're in the right
Speaker:place. Let's find out what's in store for you on
Speaker:today's episode.
Speaker:>> Clare: Hello and welcome to Atelier Talks. Today we're
Speaker:very excited to be bringing you a special episode
Speaker:recorded directly from our nursery and bath, where
Speaker:we're joined by the lovely Rosie and Harriet.
Speaker:>> Rosie & Harriet: Hello.
Speaker:>> Clare: And coming to us as well, we've got Laura, who's
Speaker:joining us from Chippenham as well.
Speaker:>> Laura: Hello.
Speaker:>> Clare: So we've asked Laura to join us today to give us
Speaker:the insight of the educational platforms that's
Speaker:happening at her Chippenham nursery. But we've got
Speaker:Harriet and Raisie joining us today because they
Speaker:are freshly back from a study tour in Reggio
Speaker:Emilia. So thank you, Harriet, for joining us.
Speaker:Even though you're probably slightly exhausted and
Speaker:slightly overwhelmed with all of the learning
Speaker:you've got going on, I'm excited. And then, Rosie,
Speaker:you went to Reggio, was it, two years ago?
Speaker:>> Rosie: Yeah, two and a half years ago. April 2023. So,
Speaker:yeah, it was amazing. not quite as fresh in my
Speaker:head as Harriet, but definitely got the core
Speaker:memories of what an incredible experience. It was
Speaker:brilliant.
Speaker:>> Clare: And since that time, Rosie you've kind of grown in
Speaker:your roles and your responsibilities at Tilio, So
Speaker:you were a deputy when you first went to Reggio
Speaker:and you're now one of our managers, so you're kind
Speaker:of leading that provision and that Reggio
Speaker:experience that our children have here at Tilio.
Speaker:>> Rosie: Yeah, absolutely. It's really exciting having more
Speaker:people from the team slowly joining and going to
Speaker:Regio as well, and kind of building on the,
Speaker:knowledge that we have really as a whole staff
Speaker:team.
Speaker:>> Clare: So, Harriet, take us then, for our listeners who
Speaker:might not have been to Reggio, some of them might
Speaker:have been to Reggio many times. Take us to that
Speaker:very first moment when you arrived in Reggio
Speaker:Emilia. What were your first thoughts, your first
Speaker:impressions when you kind of stepped into that
Speaker:city that's just immersed in children's learning?
Speaker:>> Harriet: I think from the get go, you can feel how special
Speaker:it is. Like, especially when we were on our way on
Speaker:our first day. Like, you can feel the excitement
Speaker:of everyone there who's there with you for the
Speaker:study tour, but also all the Italian professionals
Speaker:who are there and they're just so passionate and
Speaker:it's just contagious, that kind of passion and
Speaker:excitement and you can really feel there's
Speaker:something special there in the town. Like it's
Speaker:just really focused, on, children. But the value
Speaker:of children. It has a particular culture.
Speaker:>> Clare: We were talking, weren't we, Rosie? Just as this,
Speaker:podcast started. And I think, Harriet, it's a
Speaker:really lovely way in which you summarise that up,
Speaker:that particular culture of children. Rosie did you
Speaker:have that same experience? Because you were going
Speaker:with Annabelle at the time, weren't you, who was
Speaker:one of our, senior staff in Chippenham. And so we
Speaker:were looking at that cross pollination across
Speaker:sites. And Harriet, you went as well with a member
Speaker:of our Chippenham team and Beth, who's one of our
Speaker:leadership team. So did you have those same kind
Speaker:of feelings when you walked into that city?
Speaker:>> Rosie: Oh, absolutely. I think Harriet summed up really
Speaker:well. There's that whole community which kind of
Speaker:all has that shared excitement and love for
Speaker:children and Reggio, Regio philosophy there. And
Speaker:you can sense that straight away. And just being
Speaker:in such a big learning community of over a
Speaker:thousand people as well, from all around the world
Speaker:is so exciting to be part of that.
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah. Because everyone's there for that same
Speaker:reason. They want to learn, they're really excited
Speaker:and it just feels really special. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Clare: So when you close your eyes and you think about
Speaker:that first morning of the study tour, and I
Speaker:thought what was brilliant was we set up this
Speaker:like, little WhatsApp group, didn't we, before
Speaker:they all left? And there was great excitement
Speaker:coming in from Mia about how she was feeling
Speaker:around it. Ah. And Beth was kind of, she was
Speaker:organising a little bit and making sure everybody
Speaker:was at the meeting point at all of the right time.
Speaker:But when you kind of take yourself back in, what
Speaker:was that, that kind of, that emotional reaction to
Speaker:what was happening? Was there like a moment that
Speaker:really stood out for you for that very first time?
Speaker:>> Harriet: I think when I first walked into the conference
Speaker:centre, because it's the Loris Malaguzzi Centre, I
Speaker:think I was amazed by the space in general because
Speaker:it's such a beautiful centre. And then when you
Speaker:walk into the auditorium and you've just got that
Speaker:buzzing of everyone, that was just the thing that
Speaker:I was like, oh, I'm really here, I'm really doing
Speaker:it. And, I just can't wait to do it. It was like,
Speaker:it was just so.
Speaker:>> Clare: Exciting because you both separately, obviously on
Speaker:different years, applied for the opportunity. So
Speaker:looking I guess, kind of looking back, because we
Speaker:posed that question to the team almost a year in
Speaker:advance about who would like to go. And, one of
Speaker:the things that we do atelier is we don't just
Speaker:kind of make that assumption for people that
Speaker:they'd enjoy it because not only is it a week away
Speaker:from home and their families, you know, it's quite
Speaker:an intense experience. You know, there's lectures
Speaker:that start from about 9:00 clock and run until 4,
Speaker:4:30. you're in and out of the infant toddler
Speaker:centres. There's learning opportunities that take
Speaker:place into the evenings. that. It's a.
Speaker:>> Clare: Isn't.
Speaker:>> Clare: It's a brilliant thing, but it's a. It's a long
Speaker:and intense day, isn't it?
Speaker:>> Harriet: I was feeling nervous before, like, just the. That
Speaker:feeling of, strangely, just whether you're going
Speaker:to be able to cope with it, even though you are
Speaker:excited. But it almost dissolved as soon as I
Speaker:walked into the lecture hall. It was just so
Speaker:buzzing that I was like, oh, no, I'm here, I'm
Speaker:going to learn. I'm so excited. So, yeah, it was
Speaker:great.
Speaker:>> Rosie: I think it's quite reassuring being with people
Speaker:that are, like minded in a way, because you know
Speaker:that you're all there for the same reason. You all
Speaker:care hugely about children, about pedagogy, so
Speaker:you're in the right place, even though it's
Speaker:somewhere new and alien to you.
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah. And that Reggio, itself is so unique,
Speaker:really, and special that even though. Even when.
Speaker:If you'd met people who'd been there before and.
Speaker:Or from settings who have been Reggio media for a
Speaker:long time. But you also meet people who have never
Speaker:heard of the approach until that year or have
Speaker:never been before, who have only just started
Speaker:implementing it into their settings. And then I
Speaker:met people who were just there for, their own
Speaker:personal. They wanted to learn as a homeschooling
Speaker:parent or just to better their understanding
Speaker:because they worked in a museum with children. So
Speaker:it was like, lovely to see you. Just felt all in
Speaker:the same boat anyway, so all my nerves, everything
Speaker:just dissolved. I think it's a great place to go,
Speaker:even if you are nervous.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it's something. I loved what you said
Speaker:there, Harriet, is that bit about sometimes we
Speaker:have to come out of that comfort zone. And that
Speaker:bit about actually remembering that learning can
Speaker:be really magical, but can also be quite. It can
Speaker:be quite daunting. It can, you know, can provoke
Speaker:lots of different emotion in us. And I think for
Speaker:those of you, or for those of us that are
Speaker:listening who haven't ever been to Reggio before,
Speaker:you know, when you first walk in, everybody within
Speaker:the town knows about the Loris Malaguzzi Centre
Speaker:because it's such a central point of everything
Speaker:they're doing. And so you almost feel like a real
Speaker:sense of privilege, don't you, that you're there
Speaker:and you're walking in and they've got this
Speaker:beautiful kind of spiral, staircase that goes down
Speaker:and out from the front and the greens that sit out
Speaker:the side. And you kind of see everybody arriving
Speaker:and everybody's got their matching tape bags and
Speaker:their journals and everyone's kind of ready for it
Speaker:and you walk in and raise it. Take us through when
Speaker:you first walk through those doors, because it's
Speaker:quite. It's quite a sensational building in its
Speaker:own right, isn't it?
Speaker:>> Rosie: It's a stunning space architecturally. and you get
Speaker:to go in, I think for the first day we had a
Speaker:little look around all the. That's kind of like
Speaker:mini ateliers and, and really kind of creative
Speaker:spaces that are quite inspiring around the Loris
Speaker:Malaguzzi Centre. And then they've got a really,
Speaker:really gorgeous gift shop full of really well
Speaker:curated, beautiful books and they've got the
Speaker:textbooks all about Reggio, but lots of amazing
Speaker:children's books as well. So we just kept looking
Speaker:in there, obviously. Spending money.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yeah, spend a lot of money. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Rosie: So definitely, if anyone goes, bring your own
Speaker:money to spend in that lovely gift shop. But,
Speaker:yeah, it's just really inspiring. And then you've
Speaker:got the lovely 100 languages poem kind of on a big
Speaker:installation in the centre, which is just
Speaker:beautiful. So we all had our picture there
Speaker:excitedly. And then you go into the actual kind of
Speaker:lecture hall. Is that the word? And it's just
Speaker:huge. It's just bigger than anything I'd
Speaker:experienced before. When I was at uni. It was sort
Speaker:of like 200 people maybe in a lecture, tops. But
Speaker:it was 1,500 people and they'd have a microphone
Speaker:to kind of talk to different people. And. Yeah,
Speaker:obviously, yeah, the main speakers have
Speaker:microphones as well. So you're just so aware.
Speaker:Aware of what a huge, well, opportunity is, but
Speaker:also the amount of people there. It's crazy.
Speaker:>> Clare: So what did it feel like when you think about. You
Speaker:know, I know when I. My last study tool, There
Speaker:was, yeah, 1500 people. I think there were 48
Speaker:different languages spoken amongst all of those
Speaker:that were attending. So for me, not only was the
Speaker:learning I was having from ratio so overwhelmingly
Speaker:exciting and fabulous because we were immersed in
Speaker:everything that we believe in and everything that
Speaker:we want to kind of achieve. But it was also that
Speaker:international community. So it was, you know, our
Speaker:colleagues from New Zealand or our colleagues
Speaker:from, America, or our colleagues coming in from
Speaker:Europe or, you know, in from Asia, and this whole
Speaker:mix and diverse community where so many educators
Speaker:are working within different restraints with
Speaker:different curriculums from a different political
Speaker:kind of pathway. Did you. Did you manage to have
Speaker:any of that engagement with any of your other
Speaker:colleagues there, or was it.
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah, I managed to actually, because at the start,
Speaker:it's like Rosie said, they have. They got everyone
Speaker:to stand up and read out all the different
Speaker:countries and there was like a huge welcome. So
Speaker:immediately you kind of felt connected to
Speaker:everyone, even if they were from the other side of
Speaker:the world. you felt connected and in the same
Speaker:boat. So. And it was quite good because you got to
Speaker:split off into different workshops and different
Speaker:tours. So I ended up getting to chat to, lots of
Speaker:different people from loads of different places.
Speaker:And it was really nice to be. You find, no matter
Speaker:what the setting, you know, and all different
Speaker:curriculum, like. You said, you still had those
Speaker:same. Values and you were all there for the same
Speaker:reason. But it was super interesting to see. Where
Speaker:everyone was working from. there's lots of people
Speaker:from New York, some people from Korea. Everywhere
Speaker:that I spoke to, it was really insightful to get a
Speaker:glimpse of how they were working. And we. And we
Speaker:would talk about what we learned that day, what we
Speaker:were going to take back to our settings. And. And
Speaker:they were all really interested in our setting,
Speaker:actually. And it was. It was really nice to feel
Speaker:really, really proud of where I work and say,
Speaker:well, yeah, actually we do this. And, so it was
Speaker:really nice to connect with. It's such a huge
Speaker:variety. But like I say, it's. You found that you
Speaker:had more in common than you had, different, no
Speaker:matter what.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it's really interesting because I met a
Speaker:completely, round of me. I'll be really honest, I
Speaker:was feeling a bit grouch. It was like on day four,
Speaker:I was already a bit exhausted, quite tired, and
Speaker:ended up. We were on the buses and we were heading
Speaker:out, and when we went, we weren't able to see the
Speaker:settings in situ with children. So that was
Speaker:something they changed for the first time since
Speaker:COVID this year for you guys. and so it was kind
Speaker:of at the end of the day, we got to do our school
Speaker:tours after all of the Lectures had happened and
Speaker:the schools had actually been closed for the day
Speaker:and I was sat next to this lady on the bus and she
Speaker:must have, like, she must have tried to sense my.
Speaker:My kind of childishness and she was trying to chat
Speaker:to me and she just sort of said, oh, you know,
Speaker:where. Where are you from? So I said, oh, atelier.
Speaker:And she kind of looked at me, she went, oh, no,
Speaker:no, no, where, where are you from? Thinking I
Speaker:meant the ateliers, in the infant toddler centres.
Speaker:And I said, oh, no, we've got a nursery in Bath
Speaker:and one in Wiltshire. We're called Atelier. She
Speaker:just sort of fixed I seem to follow you on
Speaker:Instagram. And then she pulled up our Instagram
Speaker:page and she was like, I knew I did. You've got
Speaker:the pottery wheels and, and you had the baby on
Speaker:the sewing machine. And I was like, yeah, that's
Speaker:her. And we kind of got chatting on this shared
Speaker:bit and now she's actually one of the people that
Speaker:I kind of follow all the time. She was working at
Speaker:an international school in Asia and she's now
Speaker:moved, actually she's in Vietnam now. But even
Speaker:those connections, past those bits and, you know,
Speaker:we met a really lovely Rachel who was in,
Speaker:Australia when I happened to go back to Milan at
Speaker:the weekend for lots of different other reasons
Speaker:apart from studying. and I remember her sort of
Speaker:saying, oh, when you're, when you're in Meiji,
Speaker:when you come back, because we have to fly home by
Speaker:Milan, just, you know, make sure you go down, onto
Speaker:the canals and all of those kinds of memories and
Speaker:those connections of the people that, you know, I
Speaker:met the year before will kind of come back. It's a
Speaker:special place. It's a special place for building
Speaker:relationships.
Speaker:>> Rosie: Absolutely.
Speaker:>> Rosie: We, we're really lucky, actually. Myself and
Speaker:Annabelle, we met some friends pretty much
Speaker:straight away and they were.
Speaker:>> Speaker D: A group of other women.
Speaker:>> Rosie: One, well, one was a manager, from the uk. Well,
Speaker:they're all from the uk, actually. With her,
Speaker:practitioner with her. And then we had a couple of
Speaker:early years lecturers from Wales, and a primary
Speaker:school teacher as well. So all British are really
Speaker:lovely women. And I think we were just all got on
Speaker:so well, went to dinner every night together after
Speaker:the lectures and schools. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Rosie: So it was really full on socially for me. But it
Speaker:was so nice just to have those people kind of
Speaker:bounce ideas off all the time, really, and
Speaker:reflect. And they were the same. They were really
Speaker:kind of impressed with what we do at atelier,
Speaker:wanted to come and look around. They still
Speaker:haven't, actually, but exactly. So, yeah, it's
Speaker:really nice to kind of still have those people as
Speaker:contacts as well.
Speaker:>> Clare: What about you, Laura? So you've had the lovely
Speaker:Mia come bouncing back with absolute energy into
Speaker:your nursery this week. Have you seen that kind of
Speaker:impact from her in terms of her learning and the
Speaker:opportunity that she had?
Speaker:>> Laura: Absolutely, yeah. It's. It's almost. It's
Speaker:immediate, isn't it? That absolute, like you were
Speaker:talking about, that excitement, that passion, it's
Speaker:contagious. And as soon as Mia stepped, she came
Speaker:into my office this morning, she went, babes, I'm,
Speaker:back. And she just got out her notebook and she
Speaker:was like, look at all of this. This is what I've
Speaker:learned. This is what I've been. And she was just
Speaker:so proud to show me everything that she'd learned.
Speaker:She was like, look how many notes I've taken. And
Speaker:then I've literally spotted her all day, sat there
Speaker:with her notebook and she's, like, flicking
Speaker:through things, making notes, really, then
Speaker:applying it to, her practise back in our nursery.
Speaker:And it's just lovely to see her then starting to
Speaker:disseminate that through to other staff on the
Speaker:nursery floor, and share the things that she's
Speaker:learned. and I loved her sending the pictures
Speaker:while she was there as well. She kept sending me
Speaker:photos. I'm like, it's just stunning. It's so
Speaker:beautiful. I can't believe it. And it just gives
Speaker:you that, I suppose, that excitement and that kind
Speaker:of drive to want to make, it as beautiful as we
Speaker:can and to really kind of represent our kind of
Speaker:Reggio, influence in our nurseries in a really
Speaker:meaningful way. and, yeah, she's just come back
Speaker:full of ideas, full of energy, so excited to make
Speaker:it, you know, as a Reggio inspired as you can be.
Speaker:so it's, it's such a. An amazing opportunity for
Speaker:them to. To kind of have a look at where it came
Speaker:from and really understand the depth and the real
Speaker:reason behind it. And then to come back and be
Speaker:able to then apply that to, our context, our
Speaker:setting, where we are and then start to, introduce
Speaker:new ideas. It's beautiful.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think that depth law is really, really important
Speaker:because it's one of those words when, you know, I
Speaker:know I felt it when I was going around the Infant
Speaker:Toddler Centre, but also visitors, when they come
Speaker:into our nursery and they're almost. There is
Speaker:almost a sense of surprise when they can see
Speaker:actually the depth of children's thinking and how
Speaker:the children are really working at such a level
Speaker:when. And I'm really in awe, Harriet, that you
Speaker:managed to get to go into the infant, toddler
Speaker:centres with children present, because we miss
Speaker:that. But actually, was there a moment when you
Speaker:went around that centre, that you kind of saw that
Speaker:depth of thinking, that kind of like you had that
Speaker:wow moment or that goosey bumps moment where you
Speaker:kind of see that interaction and those. That
Speaker:learning taking place, I guess, between staff and
Speaker:children or children and children?
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah, I think I felt it the whole way round. I was
Speaker:very, very emotional. It was such a beautiful
Speaker:setting, the one I went to. And, it had multiple
Speaker:ages and I felt it the entire time. I felt so
Speaker:emotional at how beautiful a space and the
Speaker:learning could be. And all the children were so
Speaker:engaged. And there was one room in the preschool,
Speaker:area, so it was around 2, 3 year olds there. And,
Speaker:they'd built this huge, intricate building of,
Speaker:blocks, but it was all balanced on like two
Speaker:cylindrical blocks. And then these really young
Speaker:children, 2 and 3, were building it up and, there
Speaker:was. These staff in the room were just super
Speaker:engaged with the area they were, they were at. But
Speaker:these children just kept going and they, the staff
Speaker:were capturing it on a big camera. And just the
Speaker:interactions between them and how those children
Speaker:were fully, fully viewed as like, completely
Speaker:competent as directors, as architects and they
Speaker:could build it themselves. And you could see when
Speaker:the child had. Because I sat there and watched on
Speaker:the stage and tried to stay out of the way. But
Speaker:when the children, you could see, they kind of
Speaker:came across an issue like they couldn't do
Speaker:something correctly. The adult was just there
Speaker:enough to help them solve the problem, but help
Speaker:them get to the solution themselves. And that just
Speaker:comes from really, really, I think, just listening
Speaker:and watching and being there in the moment with
Speaker:the children that you can see what they need. And
Speaker:I found that really like touching, but it existed
Speaker:in every room. I went round to the other larger
Speaker:space with age 4 and 5, I think children, and they
Speaker:were just so engaged and so busy, but seeing what
Speaker:they were doing. They were doing these intricate
Speaker:little drawings and then cutting them out and then
Speaker:sticking them on something else and doing it all
Speaker:with an adult present. But it was just such an
Speaker:exchange. Like it was just the way they were
Speaker:learning was completely based on their
Speaker:interactions with the materials, the environment,
Speaker:with the adults around them. And it was just, it
Speaker:was beautiful to watch. And then up on the stage
Speaker:there was a beautiful little girl painting this
Speaker:wonderful thing on the wall with a projector and
Speaker:then there's also a clay table going on in the
Speaker:same space. And it was all so busy, but just so.
Speaker:Like, just such a beautiful exchange of, of ideas
Speaker:and learning between the adults and children.
Speaker:>> Clare: And you describe it beautifully.
Speaker:>> Harriet: I got very, very emotional, Kiran. Like, I think I
Speaker:was gonna cry.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think as an educationalist, when you, when
Speaker:you're able to really immerse yourself into
Speaker:somebody else's work and see the impact on those
Speaker:children and the impact on those children's
Speaker:learning, it is emotional and I think it's
Speaker:brilliant to be able to, to share that. And you
Speaker:know, you dialogue that so clearly and so
Speaker:articulately because it is, It's a really emotive
Speaker:setting to be within.
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Clare: And I think when you're. You're kind of
Speaker:triangulating all of the knowledge, all of the
Speaker:research, all of the, all of the, all of the
Speaker:training and the qualifications that we hold, but
Speaker:then actually you reframe it and you're. You're
Speaker:almost looking at it through the child's eyes,
Speaker:through the pedagogue's eyes, through the parents
Speaker:eyes, in a completely different setting, in a
Speaker:completely different country with different
Speaker:curricula that they're needing to follow. But
Speaker:actually seeing the value and the value of
Speaker:education and actually that whole relationship
Speaker:basis between everybody within that setting. You
Speaker:know, the va. You used that word earlier. The
Speaker:values that everybody is bringing. How was it for
Speaker:you, Rosie? Because did you have that real click
Speaker:of emotion kind of going through?
Speaker:>> Rosie: Yeah, absolutely. I think I, in the same way kind
Speaker:of envy Harriet a lot just from being there to see
Speaker:the interaction with the children. So it was the
Speaker:same for me. It was in the evening. So a lot of it
Speaker:was about the environment for me, and hearing the
Speaker:way, the teachers, and pedagogy studies were
Speaker:talking about the children and the pedagogy. But I
Speaker:think that was really, really kind of emotive and
Speaker:beautiful to hear on its own because you're just
Speaker:hearing people talk about children in such high
Speaker:regard as they should be spoken about. But for us
Speaker:over here in the uk, with our government, and kind
Speaker:of general attitudes to child care, to education,
Speaker:especially in the early years, it's really, really
Speaker:refreshing just to hear that love, and real
Speaker:inspiration for respect. And respect, yeah, for
Speaker:the children, because we know how amazing our
Speaker:children are and all children are, but
Speaker:unfortunately it doesn't feel like everyone does.
Speaker:So just being over there and hearing that from
Speaker:people that are so skilled and you know, at the
Speaker:forefront of education. They know exactly what
Speaker:they're talking about and they're saying all the
Speaker:right things, which we fully kind of align with M
Speaker:in terms of our views.
Speaker:>> Harriet: They don't place value on an outcome. Their
Speaker:interactions with the children aren't to get the
Speaker:children to an outcome. And I've, because I feel
Speaker:like in the UK and in different places it's always
Speaker:focused on, you know, children are the adults of
Speaker:the future and they will provide value in the
Speaker:future and this interaction, this project will get
Speaker:this outcome. And it's like they just place
Speaker:children. Exactly. They place value on the
Speaker:children in that present moment as having value,
Speaker:as having as people who can create culture and
Speaker:create things. And, and they just put such value
Speaker:on the process. And it was just, it was wonderful
Speaker:to be reminded of that because I think, I think
Speaker:most people who work with children align with a
Speaker:lot of those values and it's just amazing to be
Speaker:reconnected with that within yourself and be
Speaker:reminded.
Speaker:>> Clare: Because the ateliers are actually described as
Speaker:places where those ideas take form. So I think for
Speaker:me, when we were kind of entering this, and you
Speaker:use that lovely word osis and that, that reach
Speaker:between the indoors and the outdoors. And we were
Speaker:so fortunate on our last study tour, that we got
Speaker:to go to three different settings. and one of them
Speaker:had a purpose built outdoor indoor space that was
Speaker:just glass roof, glass walls and all of them could
Speaker:move, all of them could slide open. So the, the
Speaker:design and the architecture and the thought behind
Speaker:each of the spaces is really quite amazing. But I
Speaker:think it, those spaces that are there to create
Speaker:imagination and actually to be completely free in
Speaker:those children's thinking and where and whichever
Speaker:direction they want to take. And I remember going
Speaker:through one of the ateliers and there was an X ray
Speaker:machine from an airport. And I was just like, is
Speaker:that really an X ray machine? And so the pedagogue
Speaker:kind of came across and he opened the doors and he
Speaker:said yes. And you know, and the children go here
Speaker:and you know, they're really, really fascinated by
Speaker:this project that they were doing around X raying
Speaker:and how it kind of worked and how they were then X
Speaker:ra all of these different objects and they were
Speaker:creating sculpture with inside the X ray machine
Speaker:and then taking the X rays off them and then
Speaker:bringing the sculpt, the X rays out to then use as
Speaker:part of their artwork. And, and were there any of
Speaker:those like oh my gosh moments for you? Because I
Speaker:had never Ever thought. I thought my thinking was
Speaker:really wide. I thought our resourcing was really,
Speaker:really rich. But we haven't got an airport X ray
Speaker:machine in our nursery, as I'm sure many haven't.
Speaker:But were there any of those kinds of real wow
Speaker:moments for you as you encountered those ateliers?
Speaker:>> Harriet: Oh yeah, massively. I think again I was, I thought
Speaker:I had a well stocked area and then when I walked
Speaker:in, same thing. It was like the open shelving and
Speaker:how they have just every material you can think of
Speaker:but it's all laid out and with these little things
Speaker:that have clearly been inspiring to the children
Speaker:are there with lighting and things. So it's all,
Speaker:it looks quite jumbled but in like the best way.
Speaker:It's, it's very, very inspiring. But I think for
Speaker:me the biggest one was in the atelier of, of this
Speaker:Diana preschool I went to. they had this wonderful
Speaker:stop motion set up that was all completely child
Speaker:led and you were watching these really young
Speaker:children, I think four or five it was, and they
Speaker:were constructing this stop motion animation. But
Speaker:they bought things from home. So they had little
Speaker:toys from home, but they had elements of the
Speaker:nature from the garden and from everywhere. They
Speaker:had these things they'd made. So they had clay
Speaker:figures there and then they were using string and
Speaker:they were creating like telling this little story.
Speaker:But they were all working together, all four of
Speaker:them and they would take turns just completely
Speaker:organically, operating the stop motion and then
Speaker:doing the puppetry. And then alongside the
Speaker:atelier, Ristor was there to help them in that
Speaker:process and help solve those little problems they
Speaker:couldn't do themselves but was just scaffolding
Speaker:what they were already doing. And that was amazing
Speaker:to see and super inspiring because I used to do
Speaker:that when I was younger. So it felt like a huge
Speaker:like pull through. I wanted to learn.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yeah, it's amazing when you kind of, when you're
Speaker:there we have a range of teams, teaching teams
Speaker:within the preschools and the infant toddler
Speaker:centres. And then they have that, that lovely word
Speaker:atelierista. So the atelieristas work with smaller
Speaker:groups of children and really focus on that
Speaker:thinking. So when you're watching the work of
Speaker:those ateliers, was there anything there that kind
Speaker:of influenced your thinking about your role now as
Speaker:an adult, as a researcher, as a listener, as a co
Speaker:constructor?
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah, absolutely. I think the, I suppose it's a
Speaker:more in general what I took away from the whole
Speaker:experience, the lectures and watching those
Speaker:amazing adults was really viewing how. Viewing
Speaker:myself in terms of how the children view me. So
Speaker:they call it like looking at yourself through,
Speaker:through the eyes of others. And it is just. I
Speaker:think I took away how children's learning is
Speaker:entirely based on interaction and immersion. And
Speaker:so watching them interact so specially, it really
Speaker:inspired me to remember about all those little
Speaker:moments and how being really slow, really in the
Speaker:moment with that child and just focusing on that
Speaker:interaction, even if it's only those couple of
Speaker:minutes, how much impact that that has. And, yeah,
Speaker:just viewing them as completely competent and
Speaker:learning from them as much as they're learning
Speaker:from me.
Speaker:>> Clare: Because we have the most amazing Emily, don't we?
Speaker:So we have, a range of creative practitioners and
Speaker:educators. We have our resident artists and then
Speaker:we have Emily Husarista. And, I had a bit of a
Speaker:magical moment with Emily in your nursery
Speaker:yesterday, Laura. So it was Laura's day off
Speaker:yesterday, so I was leading practise in Chippenham
Speaker:and Emily had joined the studio team and she was
Speaker:talking to them about their observations of the
Speaker:children and they were naming all of these kinds
Speaker:of very small projects that were taking place for
Speaker:the children. And Emily wasn't having any of it.
Speaker:She was like she was them to go much, much deeper
Speaker:in their thinking. And I was kind of in, Laura's
Speaker:office and I was just kind of eavesdropping and
Speaker:hearing kind of some of that challenging and some
Speaker:of that questioning. and I think it's a really,
Speaker:really valid point, isn't it? It's about that
Speaker:perception and through the eyes of others and
Speaker:actually what were the opportunities that were
Speaker:being offered? Were they at that depth? Were the
Speaker:children really being respected as autonomous
Speaker:thinkers and autonomous learners within their own
Speaker:right and actually really capable learners? And it
Speaker:was a brilliant planning session. There was so
Speaker:much kind of challenge and confronto really kind
Speaker:of taking place. And in the afternoon I came down
Speaker:and there was Emily on the floor. Everything else
Speaker:cleared away, the whole floor covered in huge
Speaker:reels of white paper and just beautiful setups,
Speaker:that were just there. And I think it was that bit
Speaker:about really immersing the children within the
Speaker:environment so the environment will then lead the
Speaker:learning. And when I saw that really taking place
Speaker:yesterday was absolutely beautiful. And Rosie, you
Speaker:talked about it earlier when we were kind of
Speaker:preparing for today, and you talked about it as
Speaker:that kind of project being posed as a question and
Speaker:the livingness, and that was exactly what I saw
Speaker:happening in Chippenham yesterday, was the way
Speaker:that Emily had brought objects and opportunities
Speaker:into one space just to provoke that new thinking
Speaker:and that new learning. Is that something that as
Speaker:managers raising law, you see? And I know, I know
Speaker:when we talk about it as a leadership team, we're
Speaker:always kind of pushing the team to be. To be the
Speaker:best they can be and to offer the widest
Speaker:opportunity and the richest of environments they
Speaker:can be. How do you manage that with your teams
Speaker:practically in terms of the materials? How are you
Speaker:supporting staff and your team to really think
Speaker:about how the materials are speaking to children?
Speaker:As Harriet kind of was talking about observing
Speaker:those atuniosters working, I'm thinking like the
Speaker:clays and the receivers.
Speaker:>> Laura: Yeah. So, one of the big things that we've always
Speaker:kind of taken inspiration from from Reggio Emelia
Speaker:is the whole idea of the hundred languages and
Speaker:children really being able to explore, and create
Speaker:and imagine through so many different, methods. So
Speaker:for example, clay, paper, paint, charcoals,
Speaker:chalks. So for, for me as a manager, it's really
Speaker:important that our, our rooms are well resourced,
Speaker:well stocked, and also getting the educators to
Speaker:see the resource as unlimited. So not kind of
Speaker:thinking, oh my goodness, they've nearly used the
Speaker:whole of the red paint. Actually, if there's
Speaker:meaning, if there's purpose, if, there's something
Speaker:that that child is creating that needs the red
Speaker:paint, it's about inspiring that child. And you
Speaker:know, I felt really emotional listening to Harriet
Speaker:talk about kind of viewing yourself through the
Speaker:eyes of the child. And actually what does it mean
Speaker:if someone's telling me to stop doing that or that
Speaker:I don't need that much red paint? How does that
Speaker:feel for me as a, As a child when the person I'm
Speaker:kind of wanting to be alongside me and facilitate
Speaker:my learning is kind of stopping me. So I think
Speaker:it's so important that that interaction is so,
Speaker:geared towards what that child needs and what
Speaker:they're telling you they need, rather than it
Speaker:being you leading that and kind of limiting the
Speaker:resource. and I think as well, it's just making
Speaker:sure that the staff have the opportunity to play
Speaker:and to explore as well and to actually enjoy
Speaker:working with the clay. And it not just being kind
Speaker:of a, part of their. What they're doing, it's
Speaker:actually them being in that moment with the child,
Speaker:immersing themselves as well and seeing it as a,
Speaker:as an opportunity for them to learn and explore as
Speaker:much as it is for the child.
Speaker:>> Rosie: M. I think that part in particular is what I was
Speaker:going to agree on.
Speaker:>> Laura: Laura.
Speaker:>> Rosie: I think just Having permission to kind of feel
Speaker:like we as practitioners can sit and play and
Speaker:interact with these materials and really enjoy it
Speaker:because that's really important for the children
Speaker:to see us, us actually engaging with these
Speaker:materials in a creative way as well. so, yeah,
Speaker:just really kind of trying to role model that
Speaker:because I feel like it's important for me to have
Speaker:those moments of joy with the children just as it
Speaker:should be for all of our staff team. and we can't
Speaker:expect our children to be creative interacting
Speaker:with these different materials if we can't kind of
Speaker:role model that ourselves and really enjoy it.
Speaker:>> Clare: So there sounds like. And we knew there would be.
Speaker:That's why we keep going back year after year. So,
Speaker:how you must have been our 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
Speaker:9, 10 member of staff, which is special award for
Speaker:that. Yeah. to go to Reggie this year. And I think
Speaker:for us it's around check. It might even be more
Speaker:than that because I'd forgotten me, I'd forgotten
Speaker:Christina and marriage. I think you might be. So
Speaker:within that, you know, was that we knew it was
Speaker:going to be magical, we knew it was going to be
Speaker:wonderful, we knew it was going to be
Speaker:inspirational, we knew it was going to be emotive.
Speaker:Was there anything that kind of challenged your
Speaker:thinking that you didn't expect?
Speaker:>> Harriet: Lots of things because I, I went with a very open
Speaker:mind, I thought anyway. But then you find that
Speaker:it's opened even more and you realise like there
Speaker:was no boundaries anyway. so I think there was
Speaker:things that, that challenged me, especially the
Speaker:looking at myself through the eyes of others. And
Speaker:it was. We were watching videos on the babies and
Speaker:how they take their baby spaces and how they
Speaker:interact with them. And I think the main thing for
Speaker:me that made me really think was often we hear the
Speaker:term, like child centred and we think yes, the
Speaker:child is at the centre of my practise and my room
Speaker:and we all have that view. But then I realised
Speaker:that through this learning, through these lectures
Speaker:and this experience that my view had become quite
Speaker:narrow. And yes, it was child centred. I was
Speaker:really focused on the child, but a lot of my
Speaker:observations were so focused on the child that I
Speaker:almost didn't have a wider lens on my interactions
Speaker:with the child in that moment. So it really
Speaker:highlighted for me that yes, you can have a really
Speaker:child centred approach and observation and play
Speaker:with the child but. But you're still looking at it
Speaker:from your eyes instead of a super wide lens on
Speaker:what's going on in general and who, who else the
Speaker:children are interacting with, how, how they've
Speaker:come and sat on your lap at a certain point or
Speaker:certain. Or you've reached to grab that for them,
Speaker:or you've expanded, they've been interested in
Speaker:something, so you've gone, you've scaffolded that
Speaker:and, and grabbed a similar object so they can
Speaker:compare the difference and things like that. And.
Speaker:But. But that entire process for them is
Speaker:interaction. And it just highlighted that you can
Speaker:observe the child in a narrow mind in a narrow
Speaker:way, instead of having that wide lens on how the
Speaker:child is interacting as a whole with you as the
Speaker:observer and the environment. And, it just
Speaker:highlighted that for me how it can be so much more
Speaker:open than even, you know, even with the same
Speaker:intention, it can be so much more open and free.
Speaker:>> Speaker D: Make me go, go.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it's. I think it's such a powerful study
Speaker:tool to participate on. And, you know, you're.
Speaker:You're just at the beginning of your reflections.
Speaker:You know, I thought it was brilliant that, you
Speaker:know, this morning was your first day back in at
Speaker:nursery since.
Speaker:>> Harriet: I know. And I'm on a podcast and you're.
Speaker:>> Clare: On a podcast this afternoon and hadn't been pre
Speaker:worn, so that's kind of like, you know, you really
Speaker:have taken it on for us this week. So thank you.
Speaker:But I think it is, you know, it's so powerful.
Speaker:Isn't it amazing when you kind of, you know, when
Speaker:we hear from our team, you know, combine that with
Speaker:our own experiences. You know, it's not a cheap
Speaker:study tool to participate in. It's, you know, it's
Speaker:a real investment in terms of the team. But when
Speaker:you hear, you come back with such powerful
Speaker:reflections and such powerful observations of not
Speaker:just like, you say, the children and the
Speaker:children's learning or the environment, but
Speaker:actually your practise. yeah, you know, that's,
Speaker:that's really. It's just huge. I haven't even got
Speaker:enough words to describe it, but you really have
Speaker:genuinely made me goosey. So thank you, Harriet.
Speaker:And I think, I guess again, back to you, Rosie and
Speaker:Laura. You know, as leaders of your teams, you
Speaker:know, you've got this team now who we're. We're
Speaker:gradually, and we're slowly getting all the way
Speaker:across to Italy. We've got, What have we got? Five
Speaker:staff, I think, on one of Hayley Peacock's new
Speaker:study tools in terms of, you know, they're setting
Speaker:that, really use and embed the Reggio, influences
Speaker:within their practise and kind of learning from
Speaker:some of the work they're doing. But that
Speaker:challenging of thought is also really important.
Speaker:You know, it can be a challenge of thought. And
Speaker:one of the conversations that Laura and I were
Speaker:having earlier, Laura was around, you know, how do
Speaker:we balance that project led learning with that
Speaker:high level of quality of care and that, you know,
Speaker:that absolute, for what's really important for us
Speaker:at atelier, that embedded relationship as a key
Speaker:person and that key person approach. And so it was
Speaker:lovely to kind of think about that from the baby's
Speaker:perspective, because I know Laura, that's
Speaker:something you're kind of really challenging and
Speaker:thinking about for your team. and within the
Speaker:training that you and Emma are doing with the
Speaker:Hayley Peacock was just that kind of, you know,
Speaker:how do we get that balance of care, of education,
Speaker:of documentation, of relationship, of encounters
Speaker:between all of those children and what does their
Speaker:day really look like? It's always something to be
Speaker:thinking about, isn't there? So I guess, Rosie,
Speaker:from you, is there something that, you know, two
Speaker:years down the line you've kind of still held
Speaker:onto, or you're still thinking now, having kind of
Speaker:spoken to Eva, Mary and Christina as they came
Speaker:back last year, and Harriet and Mia and Beth as
Speaker:they've come back today, you know, is there
Speaker:something you're kind of going, oh, my gosh,
Speaker:actually, yeah, there was that bit I loved the way
Speaker:when you were chatting and you went, I love the
Speaker:bathrooms too. You know, was there anything like
Speaker:really so many straightforward that you take
Speaker:forward, so many things?
Speaker:>> Rosie: I think just really simply the way they were
Speaker:talking about setups and how they needed to be
Speaker:intelligent in the way that they were kind of
Speaker:considered, but sort of thinking outside the box
Speaker:as well. Not just kind of putting out something
Speaker:quite simple, but kind of thinking about that
Speaker:creative learning and all the places it could go.
Speaker:So kind of thinking intelligently in that way.
Speaker:And, One of the things that surprised me actually
Speaker:and made me think quite a lot was similar to what
Speaker:you and Laura were talking about earlier in terms
Speaker:of pushing the staff team for that kind of deeper,
Speaker:learning and deeper, meaning in terms of projects.
Speaker:But it was one of the, teachers in Reggio kind of
Speaker:pushing one of the children to challenge
Speaker:themselves more. I think they were trying to draw.
Speaker:They said they wanted to draw a picture of a scary
Speaker:dog. And she was saying, that doesn't look very
Speaker:scary to me. I wonder how we could make it more
Speaker:scary. You know, how could you do this? And she
Speaker:was really pushing the child. And it surprised us
Speaker:a little bit watching it. And we thought, oh, you
Speaker:know, considering yourself as quite a gentle
Speaker:practitioner, one that wouldn't usually push
Speaker:children that much. But actually she was being so
Speaker:ambitious for her child and she knew that they
Speaker:could really draw something incredible that told
Speaker:that story that they wanted to tell. So I think
Speaker:kind of, yeah, challenging the staff, but also the
Speaker:children to be the best they can be, really.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think for us all, isn't it? It's about that,
Speaker:unwavering commitment to what we want to achieve.
Speaker:And we started this academic year agreeing that we
Speaker:weren't going to try and take over the world, and
Speaker:that the political landscape was going to be
Speaker:challenging enough. And so what we really want to
Speaker:do is do everything that we do to the best it can
Speaker:be done. And I think you're absolutely right,
Speaker:Rosie, is that self challenge and the challenging
Speaker:within those relationships that we hold with our
Speaker:children or relationship we hold within our
Speaker:parents. I'm really thinking about that depth of
Speaker:engagement, the depth of documentation, the depth
Speaker:of thinking that we're promoting with our
Speaker:children, with our environment. Yeah, I'm really
Speaker:excited for this year. I know we're like a quarter
Speaker:of the way through, but I do think, I do think
Speaker:this is, I genuinely think this is the stepping
Speaker:stone. This is the next stepping stone for what
Speaker:will be next for atelier. And actually what are we
Speaker:now? I've forgotten how many years old we are. 12,
Speaker:12, 13 years in. It's probably, it's probably a
Speaker:good time to have a consolidation. Yeah. And
Speaker:actually really take that time to just talk and
Speaker:really reflect and have those confrontes around
Speaker:it.
Speaker:>> Speaker D: Absolutely.
Speaker:>> Clare: So when we start really thinking about that
Speaker:evolution of education and where this all started
Speaker:with Malaguzzi, right at the end, of the Second
Speaker:World War. And we look at 2025, the day before
Speaker:budget day, you know, a huge politically changing
Speaker:landscape for early years. We've got, the rollout
Speaker:of the school nursery agenda, we've got the
Speaker:rollout of the breakfast clubs, we've got the
Speaker:rollout three months in now of the 30 hours
Speaker:extended childcare offer for working families from
Speaker:nine months. That rolls off the tongue nicely. you
Speaker:know, how are we going to hold Fat Fisher? Because
Speaker:I think for me that was what felt so important
Speaker:when we say about this being our consolidation
Speaker:year. You know, I am all for growth, I am all for
Speaker:parents being able to access high quality care and
Speaker:education. But how do we hold those visions and
Speaker:values? How do we make it say that all of those
Speaker:interactions make us goosey. What's it going to
Speaker:look like for atelier?
Speaker:>> Harriet: I think that's interesting you say that because I
Speaker:was. One of the main things I took away from
Speaker:Reggio was how it was. I like how you focus on
Speaker:your own back garden before you go out and do
Speaker:anything else. And I think the way they can do it,
Speaker:the way they built it, is just through
Speaker:participation and community. And I think if we
Speaker:really just focus on the everyday and our
Speaker:connections with our, parents, with the just local
Speaker:community and really like, really just connect and
Speaker:foster those relationships in our environment, I
Speaker:think the rest will flow naturally when it can.
Speaker:that's something I mainly really like, just really
Speaker:took away was the participation of everybody.
Speaker:Like, they see the parents as not just parents of
Speaker:the children, but parents of the school and
Speaker:parents of the setting and citizens in a city. And
Speaker:I think that's. That was really powerful for me to
Speaker:focus on my room and my nursery and my children in
Speaker:the day. But, just. And our connection to the
Speaker:local community, I think is the most powerful
Speaker:thing we can foster.
Speaker:>> Rosie: M. Maisie I think that a lot of it hopefully comes
Speaker:quite naturally to us and our ethos, but it's
Speaker:quite simple. Just those real, true core beliefs
Speaker:and m. Respect, love children, to be independent,
Speaker:to have autonomy. These things that kind of are
Speaker:very embedded, I'd like to think, in our practise.
Speaker:But I think sometimes it is just kind of reminding
Speaker:ourselves how we. How highly we, view our
Speaker:children, really. But I think as long as we have
Speaker:that everything else should follow. And yeah, like
Speaker:you say, our relationships with. With our parents,
Speaker:our community. but yeah, so the kind of simple
Speaker:things are almost the most inspiring as well. I
Speaker:think over there.
Speaker:>> Clare: It's funny, I think it's that really, you know,
Speaker:there's that thing we always kind of say in the
Speaker:leadership team. It's, you know, pay attention to
Speaker:that and it is. Sometimes I think it is those bits
Speaker:where we can walk past the everyday and we can
Speaker:walk past what we call the back to basics. But
Speaker:actually, those are the things that we need to pay
Speaker:the attention to. And actually all of those
Speaker:interactions, you know, we. Our children should
Speaker:have gloriously beautiful bathrooms and our
Speaker:children should have gloriously beautiful sleep
Speaker:spaces to rest within. And actually the pencil
Speaker:should always be sharpened and the paper should
Speaker:always be cut. And I think it is about those whys,
Speaker:isn't it? And really pulling back that. Paying
Speaker:attention to things, because actually those will
Speaker:be the things those Absolute, tiny, tiny details
Speaker:will make the difference for those children as
Speaker:they come into our settings and to our learning.
Speaker:And I love that participation, you know, whether
Speaker:it's the family festival or whether it's the
Speaker:exhibition or whether it's the theatre trip or
Speaker:whether it's, you know, the reconnect days. But
Speaker:what actually do we do on an everyday basis for
Speaker:our families to participate within their
Speaker:children's nursery and, for our children to
Speaker:participate within their city? And what does that
Speaker:really look like?
Speaker:>> Rosie: Definitely. We were talking as well about kind of
Speaker:feeling special, going to visit the infant toddler
Speaker:centres in the schools. And it's like the little
Speaker:things that make you feel special. Special, like
Speaker:having the lovely fruit platters and the cheese,
Speaker:and things like that. But it's kind of like all
Speaker:those special things we do for our children and
Speaker:our families in our environments to make them feel
Speaker:a real sense of belonging and like, you know,
Speaker:they're just happy and engaged to be here. not
Speaker:that we might have fruit patters every day.
Speaker:>> Clare: But we should be having some. I think it's. It
Speaker:isn't. It's that valid point, isn't it? You know,
Speaker:when you walk in the door.
Speaker:>> Harriet: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Clare: How does atelier feel exactly? You know, we want
Speaker:our children to feel like it's a home from home.
Speaker:So actually, how do we now extend that to their
Speaker:wider family and to our staff team? You know, our
Speaker:staff team are working incredibly hard 10 hours a
Speaker:day. I mean, they get a lunch break in the middle,
Speaker:nine and a quarter hours of the day, but, you
Speaker:know, they're here four days of the week. We're
Speaker:spending more hours together as an educating team
Speaker:than we are with those that we're choosing to be
Speaker:with at home. And so actually, how do we make it a
Speaker:place that is responsive? How do we make it a
Speaker:place that, supports that participation on every
Speaker:level?
Speaker:>> Harriet: I think it's.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yeah, there's. There's always lots to think about.
Speaker:And I think when you go on those study tours,
Speaker:we're experiencing environments and we're, you
Speaker:know, we're experiencing a really established, way
Speaker:of working. So there's so much for us to take
Speaker:forward with. So I guess, Laura, I'm going to ask
Speaker:you on behalf of Mia, Ah, what have you seen ready
Speaker:from her in terms of those seeds that are being
Speaker:planted that she might be taking.
Speaker:>> Speaker D: Forward within your setting?
Speaker:>> Laura: The first and most beautiful thing is already
Speaker:seeing her really looking at her setups already,
Speaker:so really starting to think about, the real
Speaker:purpose of it. really why she's setting that up,
Speaker:how that then can support the children's learning,
Speaker:but also starting to explain that to other
Speaker:educators in her space. So why she's done it and
Speaker:why she's made it to look a certain way. So I
Speaker:think that's beautiful to see that already she's
Speaker:kind of taking what she's learned and putting that
Speaker:into practise. And I think as well, I've already
Speaker:seen a massive change in her, sort of respect for
Speaker:the environment. And I think we were also aware
Speaker:that the environment was the third teacher. But I
Speaker:think when you've been to Reggio and you've seen
Speaker:it in action and you've seen the beauty of the
Speaker:spaces and you've seen the real, sort of, I
Speaker:suppose, the real focus they put on that
Speaker:environment. Environment. She's already starting
Speaker:to really look at how she can. Can manipulate her
Speaker:environment to make it even more exciting and
Speaker:special for the children. And I think that's just
Speaker:gonna. And I keep coming back to the word that,
Speaker:Harriet used, but the contagious nature of it. And
Speaker:I think that people are just going to want to, you
Speaker:know, copy Mia and that contagion is going to
Speaker:spread and that passion and the. The knowledge is
Speaker:just going to kind of go throughout the whole team
Speaker:and it will ripple across. I'm really excited to
Speaker:see where Mia kind of takes the whole team in the
Speaker:next few months and, and what she puts into
Speaker:practise and kind of makes. Makes changes in the
Speaker:environment to see how it's going to work for our
Speaker:children.
Speaker:>> Rosie: So, so exciting.
Speaker:>> Clare: No, I have no doubt that Mia, is going to support
Speaker:that team, to really influence those environments
Speaker:and the materials that you're using and really
Speaker:support the ways in which we're listening to
Speaker:children. I think, you know, I have no doubt it's
Speaker:going to be quite magical over at Chippenhub. And
Speaker:here again, Harriet, I guess, you know, when you
Speaker:first applied for that opportunity to go to Reggio
Speaker:tour, you know, what was it that mattered to you
Speaker:then and what would it be now? You would say to
Speaker:some of your colleagues if they were thinking of
Speaker:applying, ready for next year? That's a good
Speaker:question.
Speaker:>> Harriet: I think then I just really had a drive to. Because
Speaker:I'd never heard of Reggio Emilia until I came
Speaker:here. So I had a real drive to just really immerse
Speaker:myself in that approach and where it came from and
Speaker:just really, really learn, and just the new
Speaker:experience and feel like, yeah, just like, I can
Speaker:go and do. Do this new, exciting thing. M. And I
Speaker:think now it's just. I didn't expect it to be such
Speaker:a grounding experience as it was, like, just
Speaker:reconnecting myself with, like, the purpose of
Speaker:what I'm doing and not only in those little ways
Speaker:every day and the setups of things, but, like, as
Speaker:a whole, like your values with working with
Speaker:children. And I just found it really grounding.
Speaker:Like, I felt like I was connected to the world and
Speaker:other people and, just had, like, such a strong
Speaker:sense of purpose when I came back. And I think I
Speaker:would tell others that absolutely they could do
Speaker:it. I think a lot of people worry that it might be
Speaker:too much or they wouldn't be able to follow or it
Speaker:might be too intense or they're not good enough
Speaker:for it, like to do the lectures and things. But I
Speaker:think I would just really, really encourage them
Speaker:because, you know, what you take from it will be
Speaker:so individual to each person, but it's just so
Speaker:valuable. So I think I would just encourage,
Speaker:encourage, encourage.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yeah, we need to. We need to. I don't know, we
Speaker:need to find a way to get everybody there
Speaker:together, don't we? Yeah, just close for a whole
Speaker:week and. Yeah. Have our own study tour and a
Speaker:Tilio study tour would be found. But no, I think.
Speaker:Harriet, thank you. Thank you for representing,
Speaker:you know, the Bath team. A big thank you, Samir
Speaker:and Chippenham for representing their team and for
Speaker:Beth as well, because I know, I have no doubt that
Speaker:what you'll bring back, and, you know, from our
Speaker:conversations just today, you're already hugely,
Speaker:emotionally. I don't know what the word. I can't
Speaker:even find the word. Inspiring. I just think, you
Speaker:know, it's. It's been a wonderful journey to see
Speaker:you take and we look forward to all of the. All of
Speaker:the developments to come under the depth of
Speaker:knowledge, the research and the documentation that
Speaker:I know will follow. So, Rosing, one last one for
Speaker:you. what about those questions that you kind of
Speaker:asked yourself when you were first there two years
Speaker:ago? Are there any of those questions that you
Speaker:still have now? Is there anything there that you
Speaker:are still holding or wanting to take forward or
Speaker:wanting to develop?
Speaker:>> Rosie: That's a really good question as well. I think
Speaker:it's hard because there's so many. That's so
Speaker:dynamic. There's so many questions throughout the
Speaker:whole week kind of ever changing. and I think your
Speaker:practise is always changing as well, especially
Speaker:for me, kind of stepping into the manager role.
Speaker:but I Guess it is just kind of thinking about how
Speaker:we can be really, really in tune with children,
Speaker:how we can listen to their voice and really kind
Speaker:of, of respect and represent them as much as
Speaker:possible and kind of how we can, I guess, work
Speaker:with our community, our local community, and kind
Speaker:of contribute. Contribute back to. To where we are
Speaker:as well. Because, remember, hearing in Reggio, you
Speaker:know, you can't transplant Reggio. You can't take
Speaker:it and put it here. It's all about our, local kind
Speaker:of context and our community as well. So kind of
Speaker:thinking about our ever changing nursery
Speaker:community, who we have, who our families are and
Speaker:our children, and just making it a, really special
Speaker:environment for them because it's always growing
Speaker:and changing, really.
Speaker:>> Clare: I just feel so inspired from talking to you both
Speaker:today and a big thank you to you, Laura, as well
Speaker:from joining us from Chippenham. because I think,
Speaker:you know, it really does cement my thinking about
Speaker:where Atelier is at and the culture, the culture
Speaker:that we have within our own setting, within our
Speaker:own communities, but also the research and the
Speaker:documentation that we want to take forward this
Speaker:year and also how we share that. You know, we know
Speaker:that what we're doing at Atelier is really, really
Speaker:special and we know that all of those influences
Speaker:that are coming through from Reggio and Shaping
Speaker:that, are second to none. And I think, you know,
Speaker:it really is that story of standing on the
Speaker:shoulders of giants. And I think today is the day
Speaker:that we say a huge than to the Reggie of children,
Speaker:to the Laura M Malaguzzi Centre, to all of those
Speaker:educators that have gone before us in terms of
Speaker:helping us to shape the lives of our children in
Speaker:Bath and in, Chippenham. And, yeah, let's give it
Speaker:a real good shot because we think, you know, we've
Speaker:got so much where we keep thinking is against us,
Speaker:but actually, now's our time, I think, really to
Speaker:embrace and to hold onto and to retain those
Speaker:values, to make. To make Atelier magical. A really
Speaker:big thank you from me for Rosie and Harriet and
Speaker:Laura for joining us today. We hope for, you as
Speaker:our listeners, that's given you a little insight
Speaker:into the learning that's taken place on the study
Speaker:tours and the impact that that's had on our
Speaker:practise here at Tillier. If you'd like to learn
Speaker:more about the work that we do or if you'd like to
Speaker:come on a professional development day to see how
Speaker:that's put into practise here at Tinier, please
Speaker:don't hesitate. To get in touch. Thank you for
Speaker:joining us and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Speaker:Thank you. Thanks.
Speaker:>> Clare: Thank you for joining us for Atelier Talks. If you
Speaker:enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe,
Speaker:share and leave us a review. It really helps us to
Speaker:reach more educators, parents and early as
Speaker:professionals just like you. For more insights
Speaker:into our unique research led approach, or to find
Speaker:out more about our services at both the nursery or
Speaker:the consultancy and how we can help you in your
Speaker:early years practise, visit our website or follow
Speaker:us on social media. All the details you need to
Speaker:find us, are in the show notes. In the meantime,
Speaker:it's goodbye from us. Thank you for joining us. We
Speaker:look forward to seeing you next time for another
Speaker:episode episode of Atelier Talks.
Speaker:>> Clare: Thanks for listening.
