A special screening of Siren Films 'Play and Learning at School: 5 Year Olds' and enjoy a mug of homemade soup while you watch.  More details here.

Musical abc is now offering free demonstrations for nurseries and preschools who would like a specialist music teacher to work with the children in their setting: available in Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham. Anne, the founder of Musical abc, is now available to offer early years music training to nurseries and preschools in Warwickshire and Coventry. If you would like to find out more please email Anne or Tel: 0845 49 68742.

As part of DanSCe Dialogues 2, Take Art would like to invite Early Years practitioners to CONNECT in Canterbury on 15th and 16th November, an international conference focused on dance experiences for Early Years, children and young people. More details of the conference and of bursaries for South West early years practitioners here.

Drawing on 10 years worth of experience coupled with current neuro-science and pedagogical research into what helps children learn, Earlyarts new EYFS resources place creative teaching and learning right at the heart of early education practice. These resources will be pedagogically focused with the aim of connecting neurological pathways using creativity during children's early years.

engage and the Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award are delighted to announce that the 2014 Artist in Residence and commission will be hosted by New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester.  More information here       

Storyshaping is an inclusive and interactive way to create shared stories orally. The adult Storyshaper uses the Storyshapes as visual and tactile pointers to encourage and inspire the children to share their ideas in response to story questions. Storyshapes help give the story a structure and act as a memory aid for the adult in the telling of the story. Children have the opportunity to use their own imagination and communicate their ideas while gaining an overwhelming sense of pride and unity in the achievement and ownership of their own  story. Now you can train in this technique too!

New research by The Open University and Oxford University suggests that parents taking part in interactive and arts related activities with their two and three year olds could help promote their happiness and development of everyday skills.

The recent document 'Cultural Education – A summary of Programmes and Opportunities' produced by the Department of Education and the Department Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) outlines the government plan for cultural education, but does not make substantive reference to early years. Earlyarts is keen to understand why.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller has set out the details of the June Spending Review settlement and its implications for the DCMS and for Arts Council England (ACE). Confirming a funding cut to the Arts Council of 5% for 2014/15 – lower than for some other DCMS clients

Worrying news and the role of play is being sidelined in England's nurseries because of government shifts towards more formal learning, experts say.

Action for Children's Arts Inspiration Days provide opportunities for practitioners to share practice and exchange ideas within and between art forms.

The government has today announced a £2 million apprenticeship bursary scheme for the early years profession.

Following our recent national consultation, focused on understanding the needs of creative early years professionals and practitioners in light of the changing climate. Earlyarts outlines in this article in Guardian Culture Professional the importance of supporting professional passion for early years creativity to making a bigger difference in early years creative practice.

The right to play and the need for artistic expression is as essential for a child as the air they breathe, but how do we find quality in creative early years practice and ensure it is endemic in our settings? Find out in our article this month in the Early Years Educator.

We are pleased to announce the results from our recent national consultation, in which Earlyarts ranked second for sources of information on the EYFS, after the Department of Education.

Exploring how children under five with hearing loss can access, enjoy and benefit from musical engagement is the focus for the Music to Young Ears Conference which will take place on Wednesday 8 May, 10am to 4pm at the National Centre for Early Music in York.

Polka Theatre's producer of Early Years, Jo Belloli heralds Earlyarts as the catalysts that helped to connect Polka with Spitalfields and the Royal London Hospital. 

The European Music Council (EMC) together with the Scottish Music Centre would like to invite you to the 2013 European Forum on Music "Re-generating Europe through Music" which will take place from 18-21 April 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

The Federation of Music Services (FMS) and the National Association of Music Educators (NAME) have today announced that they have created The UK Association for Music Education – Music Mark, a single organisation to promote a joined-up approach across all sectors of music education. The organisation will officially be launched on 19th March 2013.

In this post the Cultural Learning Alliance tell you exactly what they think this means for the arts and culture, what's great, what they're concerned about, what we don't yet know, and what we can all do next. 

The arts sector has warmly welcomed the U-turn by Education Secretary Michael Gove on his proposals for a seven-subject English Baccalaureate (EBacc) to replace GCSEs.

Come along to this inspiring seminar on Wednesday 13th February 2013, 5-8pm at the University of Roehampton. The focus of this timely seminar is on changes to childcare in the light of current proposals by Elizabeth Truss, Minister for Children, and the publication of the government report, More great childcare.

Hurrrahhh! For those (like us) who have been campaigning against the proposed English Baccalaureate coming into force from 2015 onwards, victory is at hand!

An announcement last week by Education Secretary, Michael Gove outlined the creation of a new agency  to focus on promoting high quality teaching and leadership. The new agency will be formed from the merger of the National College for School Leadership and the Teaching Agency.

Wild Rumpus commissioned this report because they feel strongly that it can be completely different and more transformative when families play, dance, paint, listen to and watch amazing art in beautiful outdoor spaces, than indoors. 

This Inquiry into Family Learning, carried out under the umbrella of the NIACE Centre for the Learning Family, will take a fresh look at family learning in England and Wales; gathering new evidence, generating new thinking and influencing public policy.

Congratulations to the winners of our Cupcake Competition!! Those lucky few who were quick enough off the mark to secure a fantastic membership to Earlyarts National Network as well as some amazing Earlyarts cupcakes are now revealed...

Earlyarts very own Ruth Churchill Dower has been shortlisted for the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award.  The national competition, organised by Social Enterprise UK, recognises excellence in Britain’s growing social enterprise sector.

Earlyarts, in partnership with Moonbeams3, is proud to announce its biggest ever International UnConference on 6th-7th November 2012 at the MAC Birmingham, bringing together a wide array of early years creative and cultural leaders to share ideas and reaffirm their passion for creative early years practice. 

The Unicorn is the home of theatre for young audiences aged 0-21. Over the autumn and spring terms we have SEVEN new shows for children under 5 years old. More information here.  Book early – save money: If you book two or more shows before the end of September you'll get 25% off ticket prices and a FREE place on our Early Years Drama CPD day for teachers on Monday, 19 November.

If you're curious about creativity and how we can stimulate children's natural exploratory drive to increase their engagement in learning, dont miss Earlyarts Training Day at firstsite gallery in Colchester on Friday 15th June: Developing a playful curiosity in the visual arts. Booking:http://bit.ly/LfA10u

Lonstanding Earlyarts members, the Manchester Early Years Partnership (MYEP) consisting of the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester City Galleries and Manchester Museum, have been shortlisted for the Clore Award for Museum Learning in recognition of their excellent early years cultural programme.

The Department for Education has published a discussion paper on enabling parents and the wider community to have their say on the way Sure Start Children's Centres are run.

The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) is seeking to appoint a new Chair with a passion for children and young people’s issues, a commitment to respect and champion their views and demonstrable experience at a senior level in a complex organisation.

The winner of the 2012 Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award is Haslemere Museum, Surrey – now officially the most family friendly museum in Britain.

Kids in Museums Patron, Mariella Frostrup says, ‘This Award is important because it gives a real voice to families and children – letting them say what works in a museum for them. They chose Haslemere not because of an outstanding collection – even though there’s a lovely stuffed bear, a giant spider crab and even an Egyptian Mummy – but because of the welcome they received... It’s a gem.’

Arts Award is launching two new award schemes aimed at anyone aged 7-25.

Earlyarts, the award-winning, national network for people working creatively with children and families in the arts, cultural and early years sectors, announces the appointment of Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, as its new patron.

A study of 2,000 parents commissioned by Ribena Plus found that two out of three parents feel that they do not have enough time to play with their children.

Recently, I've been travelling with my family in Bali, a magical island paradise that boasts a rich culture, with countless ritual practices drawing from both Hindu & local Indigenous beliefs. I visited a local Kindergarten in East Bali near Candi Dasa.