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| The welcome sign to the kindergarten. |
This week Jemma and I visited a local kindergarten in Ballerup as part of the ‘Comparative Education’ Module. Firstly I was surprised by how easily the staff at the kindergarten agreed that we could come and observe. They didn’t ask us for Police Checks or for much information on why we wanted to observe. In comparison with Northern Ireland this was a big shock as there is so much emphasis on Child Protection and Safeguarding that it wouldn’t be possible to simply walk into a childcare setting without having previously contacted them about your visit and then bringing the correct documentation. This initial surprise made me think that I was going to see something very different to education/childcare in Northern Ireland.
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| Examples of the children's artwork. |
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| One of the rooms. |
The kindergarten was very big with a total of 86 children attending at the same time. There were numerous rooms but the children were allowed to roam freely between them and the whole environment was very relaxed. The only time they were restricted to one room was at meal times. The children were all aged 3-6 years old so this was the environment they are placed in before beginning Primary School. I was curious about what the children actually did in this environment, whether it was just play or whether they did work too.
It was very interesting talking to some of the staff as they explained how the children are mostly involved in play and that no teaching takes place but that if a child takes an interest in reading, writing or counting then they are encouraged to do so but it is all at their own pace. The staff said it was quite common for some of the children to become interested in these things when they are around six years old. They also mentioned how the majority of the girls would be ready to start Primary School at around five years old but that the boys needed the extra year to develop and become calmer. The atmosphere was completely different to that in similar settings in Northern Ireland. The staff openly hugged and kissed children, affection was encouraged rather than discouraged and the children were very much allowed to get on with what they wanted to do rather than having to follow a strict timetable. Discipline was also very relaxed with the staff preferring to let the children try to sort out any disputes themselves before getting involved if it was absolutely necessary. It felt very different to placement at home as although we weren’t in an actual school setting you always have a slight fear that you are going to say/do something wrong and you often feel worried about showing affection to the children in case it is misconstrued. Whereas here because there wasn’t a huge emphasis on Child Protection and what we could and could not do I felt more relaxed and happy to get involved with playing with the children. I think at home we should try to reduce the stress put on restrictions as I think it would make the children and the teacher feel more comfortable.
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| The soft play room. |
It was a private kindergarten as the children all paid approximately 2000kr a month which is a good price for the facilities, activities and level of care included. The children have a variety of activities from computers, books, arts and crafts materials, a playground and a soft play area. It made me think about the restrictions in place in Northern Ireland and how these affect the children and teacher alike. I think a more relaxed attitude is definitely preferable as everyone is happier and more comfortable. It was a great experience to view a kindergarden and get an insight into how it worked and I am now looking forward to visiting my placement school in March.
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| The exterior of the kindergarten. |
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