New Road’s children areas.
New Road’s children areas.
Chippenham’s ‘home from home’ nursery.
Whereas most nurseries have specific rooms which have designated age groups where they will spend most of their time, we work a little differently. In our view it is important that children are given the opportunity to vary their days, chose their own activities and make their own decisions. Doing this they get the most from their time at nursery, gain independence along with the ability to make decisions and have more resources, more available, more of the time.
So, in our descriptions below, you won’t see mention of rooms but rather areas which children are able to freeflow around.
Preschool/Over 3 year old’s – Ladybirds
Ladybirds have the run of the entire ground floor of no 37. So once they get in and take their coats off, they can decide what they want to do and where. Their choices are:
The place where children can develop their skills in building, planning and putting things together. Full of materials that creative little minds can turn into – well – whatever they want them to be. Blocks, card, paper, lego, boxes are all used to build.
It’s a fact that children learn best and have the best time when they can be creative without worrying about mess. In this room, our children paint, draw, create, glue and really anything else they want using the resources at hand. The important thing is that they are creating a piece of work that they are proud of without any concern about dropping or splashing materials, and this room is designed for that.
As fun as New Road is, there will be a time when a child chooses to be a little quieter and calmer. This is healthy and encouraged in our calm room, full of more natural decoration and with a more laid-back vibe. It also includes a reading garden, accessed through our natural arch so books can be looked at whenever a child wishes. Building a positive relationship with books is a vital part of our work at this age and the ‘fairy tale’ nature of the reading garden gives the children every encouragement to do so.
Make believe is a cornerstone to a child’s development and is often based around the day to day activities that they see around them. Our Home Corner has a little kitchen and dining table where our children like to make believe along with an area that can be whatever they want. The only limit is their own imagination.
As our 3 year old’s are on the ground floor, they also have the advantage of direct access into our garden. Being outside is vital to children’s development and something we encourage every day, whatever the weather.
All of these area’s are designed so that children can decide their day to fit in with their interests and moods. However, children always, of course, need some guidance which is why our staff are specially trained to work with children to encourage them to choose the options that best match their needs. They work with the children – much easier because of our small group sizes – and understand the best ways to communicate and lead. Our staff are the enablers that allow New Road children to flourish.
2 – 3 year old’s – Butterflies
Butterflies have the same freedom to make their own choices as Ladybirds, though of course they get more guidance and suggestions from staff than the older children. Their area is the entire upper floor of 37 New Road and they can move around and choose their days as they wish. This age is a tricky time for nursery children – in a way they are moving from being dependant babies to free and independent toddlers. Our combination of small rooms with consistent and close staffing makes the transition as easy as possible. We find that the exciting new opportunities make the change fun for our 2 year olds, along with the freedom to play and connect with friends that they start to make.
Full of paint, glue, paper and everything else a child could ever want to create their masterpiece. Even at this age, we encourage our children to express themselves and let their creativity flourish.
The craft room is a place where children can be messy as they want – the important thing is to have fun and explore ideas.
Lego. Wooden blocks. Cardboard. Paper. String. Plus devoted staff who love to help young children develop techniques to imagine how things can be made.
A dedicated area where children can make believe, pretend to be grown-ups, rehearse all of the things they see adults getting up to. Our toddlers love this room and we love to watch them acting out the things they see every day.
Our Butterflies do not have direct access to the garden – to be honest we believe that freeflow to the garden would be a step too far at this age. However, we ensure that they get out into the garden every day for as long as they want (and encourage them to go out if they are reluctant!). The garden is large and varied enough to let all of our age groups play without ever getting in each other’s way.
Babies up to 2 years old – Caterpillars
Our baby rooms are in no 36, next door to our main building. Also located here are the kitchen and office – this works really well as we can keep a very close eye on how the youngest of the children in are playing.
In Caterpillars we start our children off as we want them to carry on, with a variety of rooms in which they can move around freely, exploring their senses and learning to self-regulate without being disturbed.
The playrooms at number 37 afford each of our babies the perfect environment in which to learn and play. Our resources and activities support and encourage babies’ strong exploratory impulses in a warm and nurturing environment. They want to learn, and can’t help themselves, so we like to let their minds do what they do best at this early stage. They choose their own resources, which rooms they want to explore and how they want to learn – we do our best not to stop them.
We encourage our staff to sing at every opportunity and the results are far more useful than they might seem. We look for non-verbal responses including gestures and facial expressions, which gives a fantastic insight into how each individual child is developing.
A key factor in these rooms is close co-operation with parents and open and close communication is vital to ensure that we really understand what makes your child tick and what measures work best. Consistency of practice throughout the day – at nursery and at home – allows babies to grow and feel comfortable at all times.
Garden
The Garden is split into two halves.
At the rear of number 36, there is a lovely area that is mostly reserved for babies under two years old, though we do sometimes allow the brothers and sisters of the babies in to help acclimatise them to the nursery and make them feel as safe and at home as possible. This space is calm and private, allowing very young children to find their feet in a safe space where they can teach themselves without being disturbed by the more energetic older children.
Number 37’s garden is used more often by children over three years old. Full of options to choose and things to do, this area has much more to keep more advanced children curious and active, offering a more adventurous space for them to explore. Taking risks and active play helps the development of body control and coordination, so our climbing frame and sand pit are perfect for little adventurers to push themselves in a managed and safe environment.
We have both a covered and an uncovered outdoor classroom for children to instigate, test and maintain curiosity in the world around them. Changes of scenery are fantastic for their early development and to make sure they are interested and engaged.
Though much of the garden is green, there are other options for the children – they have the opportunity to play on concrete, sand and, of course, grass – giving them an understanding of different textures and play styles.
For occasions that require messy creativity, our mud kitchen is always a good option. The children always seem to love their chance to play in dirt and water, creating what they wish and not worrying about how dirty their clothes get. Don’t worry though, we have washing facilities at the ready for any occasion.
The outdoors are all about exploring, learning how to take risks (in a safe environment) and using imagination in a way that only a child can. The gardens here are very green and natural, with plenty of trees, bushes and shrubs to explore and make-believe.
Our gardens have large walls, making the outdoors fully enclosed and private – allowing the children to play freely without any concerns.
