2.1 Definition of the area

By creating of secret, cosy and silent places for the children, we obtain quiet places instilling a sense of well-being. The intimacy of these places allows the kid to hide and take a rest from the big group, in order to think and listen to his/her own feelings, and it may encourage the graphic experimentation, the story-telling, the activation of play/research experiences, leading to possible cognitive and creative learning for the individual and for the group.

The fact of staying inside an intimate space makes it possible for the children to better focus, develop sensorial, productive, and social learning through problem-solving strategies. In this way autonomy, self-confidence, and confidence in what they do are enhanced and promoted.

The secret places are surrounded by plants and/or materials meant to create a given” intimacy”, but at the same time to allow an adult to supervise kids. In the secret places there can be tent with pillows, stuffed animals, papers, and things to draw, informal natural materials for investigations. This area is particularly relevant for kids in condition of frailty.

2.2 Learning Objectives

1. DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS:
   to spend time and socialize with kids, creating a proper and positive relationship based on communication and interaction with the others through verbal and non-verbal languages.
2. SELF-REFLECTION:
   Chance to listen to oneself and one's own thoughts. Chance to reflect upon the consequences of the actions on oneself and on the others.
3. IMAGINATION:
   Fantastic creation of new images and ideas starting from an experience, a play or a material to be used creatively, alone or in group.
4. EMOTION MANAGEMENT:
   To train oneself in recognizing one's feelings and the others' emotions, learning how to express them in a complex way and how to manage them with self-control.

2.3 Curriculum References

Italy

• File: http://www.indicazioninazionali.it/2018/08/26/indicazioni-2012

• Reference: p.24

• Content: Relaxed time allows the child to live his day with serenity, to play, teach, speak, understand, feel in control of himself and the activities he experiences and in which he exercises

Cyprus

• File: https://drive.google.com/open?id=14OtOhNRGRDXNMIHe6HBrdl2o9QyWmuMS

• Content:

  Keystone 1: p. 50

  Some indicative practices of naming simple emotions (such as joy or sadness), as well as the identification of different emotions across children (e.g. pleasure) by observing the changes on the face, body and voice, are the following:

  1. Game with happy and sad faces
  2. "Emotion" dice
  3. Game with faces that show emotional expressions of people and animals
  4. Creating a puzzle of a person with different emotional expressions

  Keystone 2: page 51

  The key learning objectives mentioned are the following:

  1. The children to name and/or identify their emotions of joy, sadness, anger and fear.
  2. The children to express their emotions verbally
  3. The children to talk about their emotions to peers or adults.

  Some of the practices indicated are the following:

  • Fill in the expressions: "When I am happy, I feel like..." or "When I angry, I feel like..."
  • Employment of images that present scared animals
  • Making hypothesis of the cause of fear that is presented on the images

  Keystone 3: page 53

  The key learning objectives are the following: - The children to understand the perspective of other children or adults - The children to recognize and interact to emotions of others accordingly - The children to show that they care of other children's emotions - The children to resolve conflict (e.g. that take place during a game).
  Some practices recommended are the following:

  1. Implementation of the 'empathy' ladder (recognition, acceptance, understanding, reflection of emotions of other children)
  2. Attempt to console and offer relief to adults and other children
  3. Acceptance of the different emotions that somebody can experience

Latvia

• File: http://likumi.lv/ta/id/303371-noteikumi-par-valsts-pirmsskolas-izglitibas-vadlinijam-un-pirmsskolas-izglitibas-programmu-paraugiem

• Reference:
  Keystone 3.1; 3.2, page 1 - Tasks of implementing pre-school education content
  Keystone 8.2, page2 - The compulsory content of pre-school education

• Content: A child participates in, develops, understands, accepts, and respects rules and regulations, learns to respect, and respect the needs and rights of others, and learns to act in an environmentally friendly manner.

Sweden

• File: https://www.skolverket.se/publikationsserier/styrdokument/2019/curriculum-for-the-preschool-lpfo-18?id=4049

• Reference:p. 13 to p. 14.

• Content:

  The preschool should provide each child with the conditions to develop:

  p.14

  Education in preschool should contribute to children developing an understanding of themselves and their environment.

  The preschool should provide each child with the conditions to develop:

  P.13

  • Ability to discover, reflect on and work out their position on different ethical dilemmas and fundamental questions of daily reality.

  p.14

  • independence and trust in their own ability.
  • An ability to listen to and reflect on other people's perceptions, and to reflect and express their own beliefs.
  • Fantasy and imagination.