A Typical Day
A TYPICAL PRE SCHOOL SESSION
When the children arrive they are greeted by a member of staff who will take them into their room, where other staff members are on hand to welcome them and help them hang up their coats. The children are then free to explore and select activities of their choice/areas of the room they wish to play in.
As soon as is possible, the garden is then staffed and the children have the option of playing outside. We operate a ‘free flow’ system whereby the garden is regarded as an extension of indoors and
children are encouraged to play outside and engage in outdoor activities at any time throughout the session. Outside activities include physical play (trikes, scooters, cars, climbing frames) with opportunities to support and promote learning in many different areas including exploring nature and wildlife. The children have access to sand and water play in the garden. We also have a mud kitchen where they can get creative. We have a lovely planting area where the children can help with planting seeds, taking care of the plants and eventually picking fruit and vegetables that have been grown. There is a summer house which provides a quiet and calm space for the children to relax. There are bean bags and cushions so the children can get comfy and perhaps look at a book or do some drawing.
We offer a wonderful choice of activities both in the garden and indoors. We use a vast range of different creative materials and methods including painting, drawing, writing, singing, sticking, collage, mural & mark making, reading and dressing up. Children can use and play with lots of toys, role-play food/shop items, construction and numerical games, books, puzzles, messy play and we often make food, soft dough, crafts and displays. During every activity we pride ourselves on really encouraging conversation, opening up the world of words and numbers. We discuss not only feelings, opinions and ideas but will also explore how the world around us works so that the children become relaxed, happy, knowledgeable and confident. We have an extraordinary amount of fun whilst being respectful and kind to one another.
During both the morning and afternoon sessions children are given the opportunity to sit with their friends and have a snack. We have a table where the snacks and drinks bottles are placed and an adult will let the children know that their snack is available. Children can then choose to come and eat at a time that suits them. We use this as an opportunity to teach about hygiene and healthy eating. It is also a lovely sociable time where an adult sits with the children and engages in conversation with them.
The children are involved in tidying up at the end of each session, either for lunchtime or the end of the day. Staff put on a ‘tidying up’ song and the children help to put the resources away in the correct place.
At lunchtime the children sit together around the table to eat either their packed lunch provided from home or a lunch provided by the kitchen at Scarning Primary School. Lunches from the school need to be ordered either on the day required or in advance. Payment is via an invoice which will be sent out by the pre school.
At the end of each session we will often have a short story time or sing some songs together. At home time the children get ready and then a member of staff will bring the children out once their adult has arrived to collect them.
Whilst the children lead their own play during the day, we carefully plan provocations and enhancements we can add to the rooms and garden that relate to the interests and needs of each individual child who is attending that day.