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“When I am grown to man’s estate
I shall be very proud and great
And tell the other girls and boys
Not to meddle with my toys”
...Robert Louis Stevenson
The Children at Hopscotch
Hillary and Tenzing! |
The Children
Children are mimics and learn fastest from one another. A very positive effect of nursery child care is to improve the social interaction of one child with the other. Equally it is important for their development that they have time with their own age group to develop their own skills.
To that end, for their special sessions, the children are split into age bands of 6 weeks - 12 months or confident walkers, 1-1.5 years, 1.5 – 2.5 years, ante preschool and preschool and have been allocated group names consistent with their most persistent characteristics. These age splits are only indicative splits. All development progress is observed, assessed and recorded and the children are placed with their most appropriate development age group.
Each area in the nursery is set up to allow the whole development of the child, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Children have a whole range of new experiences appropriate to their development stage and have ample opportunity to engage in physical activities. The children have a structured day to take account of their own routines in the first instance but the routines are flexible enough to meet their needs as they grow and develop.
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The Explorers (Babies from 6 weeks to 12 months) and the Investigators (Children from 1 - 2 years) have specially designed rooms each with a milk kitchen, changing and sleeping area, with a high staff ratio and stimulating toys to suit their age and stage of development.
The Explorers’ day is tailored to their own routine and they will be given a gentle introduction to new experiences through the Treasure Basket of the Heuristic play medium, music, art materials and sand and water. They have space to learn to crawl and walk and furniture to pull themselves up with. They also have access to their own garden, the Kindergarten garden and the local park, weather permitting.
When the children reach the Investigators their day becomes more structured and more challenging activities are introduced to assist their overall development. Social interaction is also encouraged by mixing with the older children for short periods during the day.
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The Adventurers - Children from 2 - 3 years have their own activity and quiet areas. At this stage some Montessori educational materials and other equipment are introduced to provide an enjoyable and adventurous programme. The assessments at this stage concentrate on emotional development along with skills in identifying basic shapes, colour recognition, counting and language development. Outdoor play, visits and visitors will encourage the Adventurers to explore the outside world.
The Inquirers - Children from 3 years - 4 years, the ante preschool children have their own stimulating educational programme and individually designed areas in the nurseries. Their daily curriculum includes computing, French, mathematics and ante pre-school reading and writing skills. They have their own imaginative play areas, challenging climbing equipment and messy activities areas. The outdoor play facilities are shared with the Analysers.
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Let's do some research!
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The Analyzers - Children from 4 years - 5 years, pre school children will be completing the Scottish Executive ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ programme within an expanded National curriculum and being prepared for entry into primary school. They too have their own stimulating areas with more sophisticated equipment designed to meet their needs. More advanced scientific, geographical and historical topics are introduced to the programme.
To view our Education policy, click here.
To view our Curriculum, click here.
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