The Ferret: Academics' exposé of picture book fallacies
The Ferret
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Ferret is a stickler for accurate reporting, so a story about how turtles, terrapins and tortoises are being misrepresented in children's picture books caught his eye.
Researchers from the University of Derby and Heriot-Watt University carried out a study to assess the way in which the reptiles are depicted.
The research found that, out of 214 fiction and non-fiction books looked at, 60 per cent contained errors in the illustration and description of turtles, terrapins and tortoises. Top misrepresentations included the shells of turtles being used for storage, tortoises being able to remove their shells, the reptiles possessing hair, and turtles being slow moving animals.
This may seem a minor quibble to most of us, the result of publishers tapping in to a child's inherent sense of imagination, but says Nel Beaumont, lecturer in conversation, biology and ecosystems at the University of Derby, it could lead to children forming misconceptions about the natural world.
Beaumont explains: "Children as young as four are able to transfer biological information from a picture book to a real world situation, so it is important for young and impressionable children to have access to accurate representations of living things so that they can begin to accurately understand the world around them.
"While it can be argued that children's literature aims to provide entertainment, a role of children's picture books should not be to reinforce biological illiteracy."
TV's Naughty Nursery shows need for experts
Calling children "naughty" for "bad behaviour" feels like something from the noughties - well, more like Victorian times. So, Ferret can understand the ire coming from the early years sector towards the makers of a new TV show Britain's Naughtiest Nursery.
It follows day-to-day life at a nursery set up by a child psychologist for pre-schoolers with challenging behaviour, some of whom have already been excluded from other nurseries.
The National Day Nurseries Association said calling these children "naughty" is inappropriate, and fails to recognise the factors behind a child's behaviour and the role early years providers can play in supporting parents.
Stella Ziolkowski, NDNA's director of quality and training, says: "This programme demonstrates that parents need support from early years specialists who are knowledgeable around how children develop personally, socially and emotionally and can use strategies to support children and parents.
"Early years specialists develop these based on the latest research and best practice in child development and have a wealth of experience in working with families to build up a bank of long-term strategies to support a child's individual needs."
Amnesty competition celebrates activism
Much attention this month - in this edition of CYP Now and elsewhere - has focused on the 30th anniversary of the Children Act 1989, but the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child also "celebrates" 30 years in 2019.
To mark the occasion, Amnesty International UK has run a T-shirt competition to "celebrate a wave of youth activism".
The challenge called for children up to 18 to submit their best slogan ideas based on an issue they feel passionate about - whether that's right to an education, the desire for a fairer world or the fight to protect the planet. The winning designs will be on sale in November.
The UNCRC is a landmark document which sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled. The Convention was adopted by the UN on 20 November 1989.
Note to Amnesty: check that the shirts are ethically made!
ROUNDUP FROM THE SOCIALS
Tyres pave way for play
Play expert and author Tim Gill shared a video with his Twitter followers of a playground in a public park in Sweden that children will never tire - or should that be tyre - of! The playground in Orebro Municipality has been designed by Asbjorn Flemmen and features 28 huge rope swings largely constructed of different-shaped tyres. Gill says it is a "brave move" because its the first such playground to appear outside of a schoolyard.
Sunny-side up research
Visual metaphors can come in really useful when trying to communicate a complex idea. One such recent and terrific example was produced by Research in Practice. It shared its "Egg Sandwich of Reflection" to illustrate how digesting an egg sandwich relates to reflective writing for its practice supervisor development programme.
Tree-mendous Tim
The "crusties" of the Extinction Rebellion hit on a clever photo opportunity last month to send every MP a tree to plant in their constituency as part its reforestation campaign. A number of MPs took to Instagram to prove they had collected the trees and show off their green credentials, including former children's minister and south coast MP Tim Loughton.