Creative material provider on Stekkjarás on Nursery School Day

Pre-school Day is celebrated in the country's pre-schools today, 6th February, and the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður has made it a tradition to visit at least one pre-school within the municipality for the occasion. Pupils and staff at Stekkjarási Nursery School gave a warm welcome to the mayor, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, this morning and invited her to take part in a creative materials workshop with them, as such a workshop plays a significant role in Stekkjarás's working methods. This creative content hub at Stekkjarás has been open to interested parties—parents, guardians, grandparents, siblings and older pupils—all week and will remain open throughout the week from 14:30 to 16:30. 

ReMida – a creative materials resource

To mark Nursery School Day, Stekkjarás nursery school has set up a small ReMida in its hall, which in Icelandic is known as a creative materials resource. The name ReMida is taken from the story of King Midas, who had his wish granted that everything he touched would turn to gold. In the Reggio Emilia-inspired nurseries, children use, among other things, „priceless“ materials to realise their ideas in a diverse and creative way in constructions and works of art. The ReMida material bank uses reusable materials that can be used in more than one way. In this way, the children are free to work with the materials, giving them the opportunity to explore and experiment, and to use their own imagination and creativity. The materials are sourced from various places, including from businesses, parents and staff. The children's creative work adorns the walls and ceilings of the school, as well as homes in Hafnarfjörður.

About Stekkjarás Nursery School

Stekkjarás Nursery School opened in 2004 and is therefore celebrating its 16th anniversary this year. It is one of the largest purpose-built nursery buildings in the country, with eight units and around 170 children. The nursery operates according to the Reggio Emilia approach, and this educational philosophy is reflected in all of the school's work. The school's ethos is characterised by, among other things, creative thinking, the use of open-ended materials (Remida) for art, outdoor learning, play, mixed-age groups, specialist teaching and good collaboration with parents. The Head Teacher is Alda Agnes Sveinsdóttir.

The nursery's motto is: The child's ideas – today's project

About Nursery School Day

The Association of Play School Teachers, the Ministry of Education, the Association of Icelandic Local Authorities and Home-School are organising „Play School Day“ on 6 February, as on that day in 1950, pioneering play school teachers founded their first association. The aim of the day is to draw attention to the importance of nursery schools for children and to create a positive image of nursery education. The day is also intended to highlight the status of the nursery school, its value to the nation's wealth and to all culture. This is the 13th time the day has been formally celebrated, and it is being marked in a variety of ways across all of Hafnarfjörður's nurseries. Nursery teachers and all other interested parties are encouraged to share photos and stories on social media using the hashtag # Nursery Day 2020