Free Video: Anni McTavish on Treasure Baskets and Heuristic Play

Anni McTavish began is a trainer, consultant and writer, specialising in expressive arts, creativity, personal, social and emotional development and superheroes.

Anni trained originally as a fine bookbinder, working for Circle Press and the BBC Music Library, and also spent time as a designer hat-maker. Her background in the arts, education and psychotherapy gives her a unique perspective on early years – her approach is to inspire, inform and help practitioners identify strengths as well as areas to develop.

Anni is now developing her own arts practice after a successful 25 years as an independent Early Years trainer and workshop leader. She is also working as a specialist mentor for the Early Years Conversation Project and an Associate at Early Education, as well as facilitating creative sessions in North London for children and adults.

Anni draws on the pioneering work of Eleanor Goldschmied to show how everyday objects can offer babies and toddlers far richer learning experiences than most conventional toys. From the first reach into a basket to a toddler filling and emptying tins, Anni explains what children are really doing — and what practitioners can do to support it well.

In this episode you’ll:

• Discover why Eleanor Goldschmied believed babies surrounded by plastic toys were simply bored — and what she did about it
• Learn how a single treasure basket session develops concentration, decision-making and early scientific thinking simultaneously
• Understand the adult’s role as “emotional anchor” and why staying quiet is often the most powerful thing you can do
• Find out what shifts developmentally when a baby moves from asking “what is this?” to “what can I do with it?”
• Get practical guidance on building a heuristic play collection from everyday and recycled materials, with almost no cost

Watch this engaging conversation to understand the theory behind treasure baskets, see how heuristic play develops naturally from it, and come away with ideas you can put into practice straight away.

Episode Links:

Twitter here: https://twitter.com/MctavishAnni

You can find Anni on Early Education here: https://www.early-education.org.uk/anni-mctavish

Eleanor Goldschmied book is here: https://amzn.to/2N8PLZ4