CapeUK is an independent, not for profit organisation, committed to improving the lives of young people, preparing them to face the future with creativity and self belief. CapeUK work with early years settings, schools, youth centres and community organisations, as well as universities, the cultural and creative sector, and other organisations which share their aims.

CapeUK's ‘Early Years Creative Cookbook’ in partnership with Earlyarts and Calderdale Council’s Early Years Team, will inspire early years settings, professionals and practitioners across the country to engage in similar creative approaches. This is a free, practical, resource, to inspire early years teachers and staff, supporting them with planning, engaging artists and other external partners in creative learning activities. This publication brings together ‘recipes’ of creative development, drawn from a project instigated by Early Years Learning Consultants for Calderdale involving artists, children and staff from across six early years settings who worked with national organisations CapeUK and Earlyarts.

Each ‘recipe’ explores a different way of creative learning, with a different enquiry question in mind each time. For example, Ash Green Children’s Centre wanted to find a way to empower families to take an active role in children’s learning. Operating in an extremely deprived area, they wanted to help create an environment where children are encouraged to learn, and believed parents to be crucial in this.  Their enquiry question was, “How can we empower our families to take an active role in our children’s learning?” The aim was to use drumming and drum circle techniques to build confidence, self-esteem and relationship building skills.  The project was shown to have a positive effect on children and parents, with increased confidence and self-esteem, as well as parents claiming the sessions allowed them to relax and gave them more confidence. The sessions have also improved relationships between parents and staff.

The ‘recipes’ are divided into sections, making them easy to re-create or adapt, as well as explaining the results for both the children and the adults involved. The “top tips” section outlines experiences, and adds some reflective tips on how the project could be improved. Each ‘recipe’ ends with an explanation of the lasting effects on the early years settings and those involved, as well as any plans for the future they may have.

Madeleine Irwin, Creative Director, CapeUK says; “We believe this resource explores creative development – learning about the opportunities to nurture children’s creativity within early years pedagogy. The resource effectively demonstrates how these projects supported; personal, social and emotional development, physical development, communication and language, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

“CapeUK is dedicated and committed to supporting leaders of creative education, both regionally and nationally, we will continue to innovate, advocate and implement creative education to ensure young people have the skills and creative capacities to face the future.”

CapeUK’s ‘Early Years Creative Cookbook’ is available free on their website here

An earlier resource, ‘One Small Step for Early Years, One Giant Leap for Children’ contains more creative enquiry projects, and can also be found free on the website here

For other CapeUK resources, click here

We will soon be launching CapeUK’s first culinary resource – The Early Years Creative Cookbook. 

To view our invitation please click here

This publication brings together recipes of creative development drawn from a project instigated by Early Years Learning Consultants for Calderdale involving artists, children and staff from across six early years settings in the authority. The project was instigated and supported by the Early Years Learning Consultants for Calderdale.  We hope it will inspire others to cook up similar experiments and sample the benefits such work can offer.  
 
Early Years Creative Cookbook Launch is on Thursday 15th December 2011, 6:30-7:30pm at Heath Training Centre, Free School Lane, Halifax. 

This resource brings together recipes of creative development for children and staff involved in projects across six Calderdale early years settings. 

At the launch you will:
- receive a FREE copy of this resource
- look at how you might use the cookbook in your own setting or practice
- celebrate the achievements of those involved in the Calderdale project
- share in a real creative culinary experience!

If you would like to attend this launch, please RSVP to charlotte.scott@capeuk.org with your name, organisation and some further information of your involvement with Early Years sector or call 0845 450 3700

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YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN OUR EARLY YEARS RESOURCE…

One small step for early years One giant leap for children

On Thursday 28th April CapeUK and Leeds City Council Early Years Services launched a new creative learning toolkit for early years practitioners – ‘One Small Step for Early Years, One Giant Leap for Children’

Liz Bradley, EYFS Improvement Manager at Leeds City Council; “We embarked on this creative learning journey to develop the creativity and critical thinking skills across Leeds early years settings. We hope that this publication not only inspires people in Leeds, but beyond as we continue to promote the value of creativity in all children’s lives into adulthood.”

This creative project was managed by CapeUK, a strong, enterprising and creative organisation which has been supporting children and young people to experience and create within the arts for over 12 years – with a national and international reach, rooted in outstanding practice on the ground in Yorkshire and the North West. 

Madeleine Irwin, West Yorkshire Programme Director says; “CapeUK are delighted to have managed this project, the toolkit is really honest, charting some of the best and worst moments on a journey of creative learning, offering some incredible stories about the deeper impacts on the professionals, the parents and children involved. We hope that this resource will enable others to quickly get a sense of what happened in the 10 case study projects so that you can embark on a similar journey in your own setting.”

The celebration launch, held at Leeds City Museum, was a gathering of contributors, early years professionals and creative practitioners. Click here to view pictures from the launch event.

From 2012 CapeUK in partnership with Hull College Group (HCUK) will become a strategic children and young people’s organisation supporting the Arts Council England’s ambitions in Yorkshire and the Humber. For more information about CapeUK please e-mail cape@capeuk.org or call 0845 450 3700

You may also be interested in…

CapeUK is an Earlyarts Pathfinder Partner, the largest national professional development network supporting people in the arts, culture, and early years sectors who work and play creatively with young children and their families.  To find out more about Earlyarts Membership Scheme please visit www.earlyarts.co.uk to sign up.  Share practice, learn skills, build ideas, find inspiration and make connections on a local level. 

Everyday Creativity: Acquiring the Art of Lifelong Learning

A guide to increasing Creative Teaching and Learning in the 14-19 Curriculum.

In this Guide you will find in-depth case studies, activities and discussion starters that are freestanding and can be dipped into as time and inclination allow.

Taken as a whole, the Guide has an underpinning structure to explore the ideas in greater depth and from a range of perspectives.

Young Roots, Your Roots: Creativity, Schools and Community Cohesion

A guide for those working with young people in the 5-13 age-group in schools and communities, and anyone working to promote community cohesion.

This guide sets out to share with a wider audience some of the lessons learned from ‘Young Roots, Your Roots’, a series of ‘community cohesion’ projects in Yorkshire schools coordinated by CapeUK in the summer of 2004.

CARA – Building Creative Futures

The story of the Creativity Action Research Awards 2005. In 2004, Creative Partnerships initiated the Creativity Action Research Awards scheme (CARA) and CapeUK designed and ran the project during the school year 2004-2005.

CARA was a bold move – a national project, involving 104 individual projects running in 145 schools across the country. This publication presents the findings of CARA 2005 in thematic schemes such as ‘focus on pupil learning’ and ‘focus on partnership’.

‘Journey’ A handbook to support the exploration of Creativity in schools through 28 activities

Between April 2004 and March 2005, fifty Advanced Skills Teachers undertook an experiential programme to explore and develop their understanding of the theory and practice of creativity, creativity and the National Curriculum, creative capability and behaviour, and environments that support creativity.

These training materials are based on the programme, the ideas and experiences of individual ASTs and the work of CapeUK.

Creative Space: Creative Approaches to Science Learning in Schools

This publication draws on 5 years of CapeUK’s work with networks of schools in the field of creative teaching and learning in science.

PDF – ‘Looking Inside Creative Learning’ by Anni Raw has two very different purposes.

– a practitioners manual – created using classroom based investigation; and

– an academic exploration of the meanings and application of creative learning, which defines five key themes and makes clear strategic recommendations.

If you would like a hard copy of this document please fill in our order form or call 0845 450 3700.