Our nursery environment and facilities enable your child to explore, develop and learn. Our Baby, Toddler and Preschool spaces are specially designed and equipped especially with them in mind. You’ll see many familiar homely items such as bookcases, tables, chairs, and sofas just much smaller than you are used to!
We consider the spaces around your child to be like their third teacher, joining you as parents and us as educators in guiding them through their learning. And you’ll notice how we use our garden area as an outdoor classroom too, full of features to support their play and learning. Our Baby, Toddler and Preschool rooms are perfect for the ages of children that spend their time in them.
We keep many aspects of our nursery environments consistent as we know your child will benefit greatly from this. With core resources, enriching toys, games and creative materials, that are always at hand for your child to play with. However, it is not unusual for parts of our nurseries to become unique adventure places where your child’s imagination can run free!
Under 2’s
A warm welcome in our baby room is guaranteed with a space that boasts comfort and the homely feeling that you would like for your baby. The main playroom is well equipped with a range of resources for the babies to crawl around, touch, feel and explore, as well as comfortable corners for those special moments and cuddles. We have an adjoining cosy sleep room and home sleep routines are followed. The babies get to explore the large main garden without the older children, and they go out in all weathers. The team, with many years of childcare experience, care for babies between three months and two years.
Practitioners know the children well and follow their lead when it comes to learning, the children’s interests are explored and used to full advantage for teaching through play.
Key people develop strong bonds from the very beginning as we offer home visits and a minimum of 3 settle sessions at nursery, when your child transitions through to the Over 2’s room a handover is complete with the current and new key worker before your child has the opportunity to have some sessions in the new room.
Bottle feeding is an enjoyable quiet time and cements the bonding between child and key worker, when your little one is ready to ween, we will support you through this transition too or compliment what you are doing at home.
Practitioners are intuitive of babies needs and have all undergone specific Under 2’s training which covers babies brain development, communication and language for babies and enabling environments for babies.
Over 2’s
Our over 2’s room is a haven of activity for our little explorers aged two and up, with a large room that is well equipped for messy play, role play, music, construction, puzzles, small world models and cosy area to share stories and relax. A toileting area accommodates any eventuality with nappy changing facilities, potties and age-appropriate toilets and wash basins. Our children are encouraged to become independent with rich learning opportunities to develop holistically with a focus on communication and language skills, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Ultimately reaching the goal of becoming ‘school ready’.
Days are packed with fun and exciting experiences and children choose their activities to help learn about the world around them. They are also introduced to phonics, early literacy skills, basic number recognition and foreign languages. Independence and self-help skills are strongly promoted and a focus throughout our summer terms is preparing the older children for their adventures to school and next steps in life. We have some nursery pets and children are encouraged to look after them and learn responsibility. Having cuddles and stroking the animals also helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
During parts of the day when the Under 2’s are not in the garden the children have free-flow from the inside to the outside space so that they can choose where they learn.
Children are required to follow some basic Golden Rules which include indoor voices, kind hands, tidying up before we get more toys out etc. This is to ensure that we can get the best learning from our day at nursery.
Outdoor Play
Outdoor play for children is vital and plays an integral part of their learning and development as it enables them to enjoy the natural environment and learn to seek out exercise, fresh air and activity. At Monkey Puzzle Ware, the children have free flow access to the garden throughout the day and all children play outside daily come rain or shine, so appropriate outdoor clothing for all weathers is needed for all our little ones.
As well as playing outdoors in our front and rear gardens, the children regularly are seen out and about in the local community, exploring the world around them through first-hand experiences. The pre-school children take weekly trips out to learn outdoors, this promotes independence and helps the children to understand the world around them.
If you would like to come in for a visit, please get in touch.