On April 22 is Earth Day. This year's campaign is to End Plastic Pollution. As Educators, we spend our days setting up experiences for children to be engaged in by using a variety of resources and materials including the use of plastic.

As educators, we need to incorporate cultural celebrations within the setting in a sensitive and respectful manner by avoiding cultural tokenism - which is the act of making a small minimal effort towards something.

Within the physical environment, Interest Areas are prepared and maintained to encourage children in their learning. These areas are well planned and are purposefully created to enable children to experiment, discover, explore and create.

The physical environment in an early childhood setting creates an atmosphere that is welcoming, inviting and engaging. For the children it is an atmosphere where they can develop their skills and interests and become independent and confident learners. The overall learning environment creates a feeling of safety and comfort- a place where all children belong.

Creating interest areas within an early childhood settings are beneficial to both children and educators. For children, interest areas guide play, exploration and discovery which are all used to foster children’s holistic development. Interest areas enable educators to think intentionally about how to organize the space and involve the children to provide accessible materials that engage children and enhance their play experiences.

Within early childhood settings and as part of the daily routine, group time has become a teaching strategy in order to gather children together to have discussions, read stories, sing songs, etc. The following article provides information on What Is Group Time, When To Have Group Time, What To Do During Group Time, Managing group Time and more.