ONYX

Nursery School (Age 1-3)

Nursery children age 1 to 3 are growing and developing at a rapid rate. Within our nursery we have identified, three main areas of development and provide the appropriate facilities to maximise on these.

Sitters, standers and explorers
During this period babies exploration of the environment becomes more intentional. Increasing mobility and language development enables them to find out and understand more about their world. We ensure there is secure framework of furniture and toys to enable children at this stage of development, to pull themselves up and move safely around the room. Baby walkers are not used in nursery.

Movers, shakers and players
Young children begin to show increasing independence and obvious pleasure in moving, communication and learning through play. Their independence is encouraged through the free use and selection of toys and their creativity expanded through a large variety of resources, bought and man made.

Walkers, talkers and pretenders
Children’s competence at moving, talking and pretending is more and more evident and they show increasing confidence in themselves and skill in making relationships.

Home comforts
At the nursery, along with toys and games we are able to provide low chairs for meals times to ensure all children feel included and cots for sleeping. Each child will be given their own sheets and blanket which is kept in their named drawer and washed weekly. Any items of comfort will also be kept safely during their play times. Should parents wish to, they can provide the child with their own cup or bottle, which we will rinse and return with the child at the end of each day. For parents that work or live locally, they are welcome to join their children for lunch should they wish, becoming a valuable partner to our nursery.

Free flow play
During this time children can choose an activity in which they would like to participate facilitated by staff. This builds confidence in their ability to complete a task.

Role Play
Imaginative play encourages children's speech and language development.  The role play is themed and changed on a weekly basis so that children begin to use new expressions and vocabulary. Topics familiar to children are picked so that they can draw on past experiences.

Mark Making
Mark making is a precursor to early writing skills and at each session there will be a variety of mark making materials available for the children to initiate their own creations.

Construction
We supply a range of construction toys such as large scale Duplo bricks, Lego and Mechano so that children can experiment with building towers and can use their imagination to create cars, houses and people.

Numeracy
Activities involving numbers help children to practise counting by rote, to have experience of seeing numbers, shapes and patterns.

Small World Play
The small world play involves role playing with figures of people, animals and objects. It boosts imagination and language.

Creative and Messy Play
Creative and messy play is extremely popular with children. Daily activities follow a weekly theme and may include painting, sticking, threading, gluing and Playdoh.

One to one
A private area is provided where staff can meet with children 1:1. This helps to strengthen the bond between staff and children and to build on their confidence and motivation.

Quiet Time
Even if older children no longer require a daytime nap, they sometimes need a little peace and quiet to reflect or play quietly Children can take time out in a quiet corner to look through a book or have a rest from the session's activities.

Book Corner
The book corner enables children who are interested in books and stories and curious about print to come and look at the pictures and be read stories.  Children can come and go freely and can take books to the quiet area to explore.  In addition, stories will be read to children on a daily basis.

Music and Exploration
Nursery children have access to a range of musical instruments and sounds.  Staff will help children to play the instruments and show them how to care for them.  Children will also have lots of fun making music with real life objects such as pots and pans. Group singing in Spanish and English is a daily enjoyed activity.

Outside Play
Those activities which take place outdoors contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around us. The children play outdoors at least once a day. The outside area also contains a home corner with a play house, kitchen, sand and water trays, to stimulate imagination and role play .

Visual Aids
Some children find it hard to verbally communicate and use of visual aids can help them to express themselves.  Pictures of activities and routines are featured on the wall for children to see.

Tidy away time
Staff involve all children in the tidying away of toys. This helps the children to get into good habits and develop respect for their toys. It aids the understanding of routine and helping others as part of a team.

Additional Activities
Throughout the year we celebrate festivals in Spanish and English eg. Christmas and Easter. We also have a Nativity Play, with Father Christmas visiting, Sports day and many other special occasions throughout the year.