Our Unique Environments
Discoverer’s Room
Children up to the age of 2 are constantly discovering the world around them. Development is taking place rapidly on a daily basis. The Discoverer’s Room is designed to meet the needs of a child at this stage of development. We understand that all children are developing at different paces and so our practitioners are on hand to observe each child’s progress and track their future learning path. The room is split into a number of areas:
Dramatic Play
Children are starting to explore the world around them. They are starting to act out what they see in the real world and so our dramatic play area allows for children to explore real life experience. From the home corner to dolls, animals and real-life foods our Discoverers love to play with the materials.
Messy Play
Children of this age are exploring many things with their senses. It is important that they have the opportunity to touch and feel many different textures. Our messy play allows them to explore their senses with touch and feel in a safe environment.
Block Play
This area allows for an introduction into the use of building materials. Children learn about stacking, order and balance.
Book Area
Books are introduced at an early stage. This allows our Discoverers to explore literacy and language development.
Small Play Area
Children can explore the worlds around them and are introduced to different people, animals and objects from the environment in which they live.
Small Motor Area
Through age appropriate puzzles, games and tools the children start to develop the fine motor skills they will need for future development.
Treasure Baskets and Heuristic Play
These open-ended play experiences provide infants with opportunities to personally select, discover and handle objects in order to construct their own understanding.
Let’s Discover!
Gross Motor Steps
The steps allow our children to explore crawling and walking up and down a stepped area. The cross lateral development of using this piece of equipment is important to a children future development.
Quiet Area
This is a soft play area for quiet play and chill out time. It is important that children have a quiet space protected from noisy play.
Sleep Room
Our Discoverers have their own sleep area. This area is supervised at all times by an adult and is a relaxing area for rest and sleep.
Explorer’s Room
Our Explorers (age 2-3) are becoming experts in the world around them. They need challenges to build on the skills already learned and push them further in their individual development. They need to be able to challenge themselves within a safe environment and with support realise that they are active players in the world around them. The room is split into a number of areas in order to stimulate the children’s development:
Dramatic Play
Children at this age are starting to develop language skills at a rapid rate. The dramatic play area allows children to use these language skills and test them within a safe environment. It also allows a child to work out real life scenarios and problem solve through play. Our dramatic play area changes throughout the year in order to allow our Explorers use their imagination in play.
Messy Play & Art Area
Sensory exploration and artistic play take place here. All materials are at a child’s level and the children are welcome to use the area as they wish at any time of the day.
Block Play
This area has an array of building and construction materials. Skills developed in this area are the basis for early maths. Children are encouraged to create, design, and problem solve through the use of building materials.
Book Area & Quiet Space
The book area is filled with an abundance of reading materials to fill our Explorers with the love of reading and literacy. Through the use of stories we hope to build on language development. The quiet area is a protected space for children to rest or play alone.
Small Play Area
The small play area uses small replicas of the world around us. This area is used for play, sorting and classification. This is all important to your child’s development.
Small Motor Area
Materials are provided to build on the child’s fine motor skills. These materials include puzzles, games, and manipulation apparatus.
Gross Motor Steps
Challenges our Explorers to further build upon their movement and motor skills. Climbing and stepping are still a key part of learning although over and under, pulling and crawling movements are introduced.
The Explorers space and also the curriculum offered daily allows each child to reach their full potential. Planning is displayed weekly so that parents are aware of their child’s learning path.
Active Cubs Room
Our Active Cubs (age 3-6) operates as our pre-school classroom. We offer both sessional (30 hours scheme) and full time places in two creative environments. The emphasis of our learning is that children are given the building blocks to become active in their learning. This allows for school readiness and gives the children empowerment in their future learning.
All key learning and new concepts are delivered within a circle time. Delivery of information and learning within a group opens up the floor for collaborative discussion. It allows our Active Cubs to ask questions and to problem solve with the guidance of their practitioners. It allows for the Active Cubs to push their development by asking “what if” questions and to innovate while developing.
Our play space is divided into key areas of interest for the children to explore – see across.
Dramatic Play
This area constantly evolves and changes to allow children explore the outside environment within a safe space. It will change from home, to shop, from school to restaurant. Children love to explore, act out and problem solve in this space.
Messy Play & Art Area
Like our Explorer Room, sensory exploration and artistic play take place here. All materials are at a child’s level and the children are welcome to use the area as they wish at any time of the day.
Block and Construction Area
The Active Cubs are now experts in the area of construction. In our Active Cubs Room we challenge our learners through the introduction of new materials and our favourite large blocks for further fun.
Book Area & Quiet Space
An abundance of books allows us to explore social and emotional issues as well as to travel to far-flung places in our imaginations. This space allows for group stories as well as asking as a quiet space for children who wish to relax.
Small Play Area
Allows our cubs to play with the real and fictional world. Whether it’s the farm, the garage or the dinosaur world our children’s imagination comes to life in this area.
Fine Motor Area
Our little hands get ready for future development through handwriting, lace tying and bottle opening and pouring. It is in this space that we develop through fun activities. Puzzles, games, manipulation and practice helps to pave the way. We also explore the use of montessori equipment.
Gross Motor Steps
Our important fine motor skills depend on our gross motor skills being developed and strong.
Our programme has a focus on outdoor play, inside movement breaks and active play. There is a constant focus on making sure that each child has strong building blocks for core body movement and so active play is part of the daily timetable.
Music and Sound
Our room has an area for music play. This allows a child to explore and be creative. Whether listening or creating there is lots of fun to be had.
