Here are some recent news articles related to children, child care, early childhood education, play and nutrition that we have found to be interesting. Perhaps some of them will be of interest to you too! We monitor the news related to topics and issues that are of interest to early childhood educations, child care operators and other professionals who work in the field of early learning and care. As time permits we try to share the information here on our website and also over on our facebook pages – 45 Conversations and ECE Workshops. Additionally, we sometimes include information from a range of other sources as well.

What Should Young Children Drink? Mostly Milk and Water, Scientists Say

Babies should receive only breast milk or formula, the panel said. Water may be added to the diet at 6 months; infants receiving formula may be switched to cow’s milk at 12 months. For the first five years, children should drink mostly milk and water, according to the guidelines.

Children aged 5 and under should not be given any drink with sugar or other sweeteners, including low-calorie or artificially sweetened beverages, chocolate milk or other flavored milk, caffeinated drinks and toddler formulas.

Plant-based beverages, like almond, rice or oat milk, also should be avoided.

Dalhousie researchers launch ‘unconventional’ pop-up playground for kids to embrace risk-taking

The aim of the project is to teach kids and their parents the importance of unstructured play, and how taking risks is critical for healthy child development.

Global Teacher Prize

Global Teacher Prize = $1M Prize — The Prize is open to currently working teachers who teach children that are in compulsory schooling, or are between the ages of five and eighteen. Teachers who teach children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognised curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers who teach on a part-time basis, and teachers of online courses. Teachers must spend at least 10 hours per week teaching children face-to-face, and plan to remain in the teaching profession for the next 5 years. The Prize is open to teachers in every kind of school and, subject to local laws, in every country in the world.

Photo story: Play spaces

‘So that was the first thing we did. We just created a bit of interest in terms of some mounds and it’s amazing to see what that does for the students.’ Vissenjoux says it’s common to see the children rolling down the hills, or parents waiting for their children on the hills at the end of the school day. The stepping stones on the grassy mounds have also been placed there with intention. ‘They’re quite deliberately spaced to encourage students to skip or run across them,’ she says.

Britain embraces riskier playgrounds

After decades of obsessive safety-proofing, adults are finally realizing that a bit of danger is a good thing for kids.

Play is for everyone

This is a video that we created a while back on the value of play — for people of all ages and stages.