JOSHUA BARR
Originally from the UK I moved to China in 2010 after graduating from University. I have been a teacher and play advocate, learning with young children since then. I have a MA and MEd in Education and have worked in Chinese, IB, American and Reggio Inspired kindergarten's and schools.
Early Years Educator (MA, M.Ed).
Creator of 'BarrKinderplay'
Early Years Educator (M.Ed).
Creator of 'BarrKinderplay'
MIKI BARR
Born and Raised in China I have been an ECE teacher since 2013. I am a native of Guangdong Province speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, English and my local dialect, Hakka. I have worked in Chinese, IB, Canadian, American and Reggio Inspired preschools.
We both unintentionally ended up in early childhood education after originally studying or planning to teach older children. Like many amazing educators, some of the best around, when we dipped our toes in the world of ECE (Early Childhood Education) everything changed and so did our career plans. There is a magic in early years education that is often missed by the rest of the education community and policy makers.
During the Covid-19 lockdown we found ourselves in a difficult situation. We were in the UK (my home country) but away from our home in China, students and all our belongings, not knowing what the future may hold. So we started BarrKinderplay on the popular Chinese social media app Wechat (Chinese version of facebook). Writing each day, discussing ideas, approaches, child development, translations of early years terminology (English to Chinese) and of course PLAY. Doing this helped us understand our current, developing, changing and evolving beliefs about ECE.
This website is the English or western extension of our Chinese Wechat Channel and is a resource for educators, parents, families and all those interested in learning more about early childhood education. Our knowledge, views, opinions and resources are a combination of our experiences, studies, previous and current place in our learning journey all driven by our passion for early childhood (play based) education.
Our Logo!
We spent a great deal of time thinking about our logo. We had a tree in our head but couldn't seem it get it right. We even tried paying some of the less expensive companies to design one for us. At first we went for simple but it never really worked for us.
Then Miki started to design one herself. It became more complex but it started to speak to us. Our logo reminds us of a classroom in play. At first sight it can seem chaotic, busy and messy. As you look closely you can see each individual unique element.
Our Guiding Principles are:
1) Play is the purest and deepest form of learning.
2) Play unlocks children's passions and interests.
3) Play and Learning are deeply connected.
4) Children deserve to have a childhood full of play.
Our Motto is:
We Honour Play!
We Care!
We Share!
We Love Early Childhood Education!
Both Miki and I offer a range of support to those in early childhood education. Along with our articles and blog posts we also share resources, offer online and in person workshops, professional development and trainings to kindergartens, educators and parents.
For more information click the picture...
Consultancy, Workshops, Professional Development & Training!