Activities
Our curriculum is planned to incorporate the Government's Early Learning Goals. Research has proven that pre-school children learn through play. Our staff are trained to support and extend play, encouraging children to explore new skills and develop existing ones.
Personal and Social Development
During their time in Nursery the children are encouraged to talk and play with each other and with adult helpers. The children are provided with experiences which help them to develop a positive self image. They are also given encouragement to look after themselves, such as going to the toilet and washing their hands, tidying up, and so on. Planned activities also promote emotional, moral, spiritual and social development, such as role play in the home corner, enjoying milk and biscuits together, group story times, circle games and socialising around the sand tray and dough table. The children are encouraged to plan their own activities using a wide range of resources which helps to build confidence, self esteem and promotes their desire to learn. We use books, posters, displays and invite visitors to challenge the children's thinking.
Language and Literacy
We always provide access to books and encourage children to use them and listen to stories, either one-to-one or in small groups, and as a large group at our formal story-time. This helps to stimulate language and extend concentration spans. As we have a high adult-to-child ratio, we can give a lot of stimulation one-to-one. We always have writing and painting implements available. The children are encouraged to hold pencils correctly, use stencils for hand control and enjoy drawing and writing at all levels. The children are helped to solve problems and express feelings and emotions using language and to take part in activities which develop language and literacy including games, rhymes, puzzles and, most importantly, conversation.
Mathematics
Mathematics principles and language are found in many activities offered at the nursery. These are vital building blocks for development of later numeracy skills. They can be found in puzzles, shape matching games, cookery, construction toys, beads, water, sand, rhymes and stories and finger games, to name just a few. The children are encouraged to explore mathematical ideas such as addition, measuring, weighing, volume and gravity as well as using large numbers (over ten).
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
The children are encouraged to be aware of the world around them and their place within that world. This is helped by role play in the home corner, using other small scale worlds, the dolls' house and the work bench. Exploring new situations and careful observations are also important in the following: using magnets, magnifying, interest tables and activities such as planting and growing seeds and bulbs, looking at mini beasts and nature walks. We also join in with local community activities. We encourage the children to use all their senses, to express likes and dislikes and to make decisions. Nursery provides technology such as keyboards, programmable toys and tape recorders.
Physical Development
It is important to stretch the physical development of children by encouraging them to use their whole body and practice fine motor control. Activities using balls, bean bags, the climbing frame, slide and tunnel, scissors, bead threading, dough, pencils and crayons, paint brushes help this area of development. The children are encouraged to be aware of those around them and to move safely. The nursery believes that outside play is very important, and we spend some time each session, weather permitting, in the play areas. The bikes, climbing frame, balls, hoops and so on all aid physical development, co-ordination, mobility and encourages awareness of space and other people. The nursery promotes exercise as a fun way of keeping healthy and a way of understanding how bodies work.
Creative Development
Activities are provided which develop the children's imagination and thinking and encourages them to work out what they want to achieve. Imagination is used in the home corner and playing shops, while the children discover new ways of expressing themselves through dressing up and art and craft activities such as collage, junk modeling and painting. They are also given opportunities to experiment with different materials and play with construction toys to create models. The children are also invited to take part in musical movement and making music, an excellent way for children to express creative skills and imagination.