ABSTRACT

Through creating a word cloud™, the following words were captured and identified as major areas of interest in writing chapters for this book: children, play, learning, practitioners, possibilities, planning, practice, parents, environment – and we have happily undertaken a journey that does not promise the same destination for all. Readers will be encouraged, provoked and challenged to re-think, re-search, re-visit, re-create and reflect. Readers can surmise, therefore, that planning and all that we understand of the organised preparation for future learning and teaching, should be guided by children’s interests, play and possibilities that we have observed and delighted in. In Giugni’s words, we feel it is timely to grant ourselves permission to question ‘the way we have always done things’ (cited in MacNaughton, 2005: 116).