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“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.”― E.E. Cummings |
This term we are looking at People and Communities which is one of the key areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We are very lucky to be situated in a park that has abundance of things to do and we wanted the children to see first hand the many professions that go on within the park. One of our children wanted to know how to get to the top of the giant trees, so we took him to see the Arboriculture team which is ran by Myerscough college. The children watched the climbers put their harnesses on and pull themselves up using ropes and then climb to the top of the tree.
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We also took the children to see the new born calf Poppy who was born on the 11/11/14. The children were introduced by Alan who works on the farm and he took the children into the stable to meet her. As well as visiting the Arboriculture team and the farm, the house was also opened up for a private viewing. The children got to explore all the areas of the house and even got to do bum slides down the main stairs with Dave who runs the house. These are unique opportunities, as the farm and the house are currently closed to the general public. We also had a visit from the community police as we want children to have positive experiences with them so they came in to say hello. We are grateful that we have developed relationships with the people who work within the park as it enriches the children's experiences and broaden's their understanding of the world.
We have also started to see a massive difference in children's confidence and language this month and there seems to have been a shift in the way they play. Children are beginning to break away from the adults and either spend time on their own, or play more imaginatively with their peers, . We don't tend to use too many resources but we have found that simple enhancements like the mud kitchen and the scissors, have enabled the children to play cooperatively and pretend objects are from their experience. Whilst the children were cutting up leaves, one child said she chopping up chilli and coriander to add to the food she was making, she also said "I have a restaurant and it is on Penny lane, do you want to come in for a coffee". The children all maintained focus for a long period of time and displayed high levels of energy and fascination.
One of our wow moments this month came from our youngest children, she turned 3 a month ago and is normally quite shy and unable speak in front of her peers during show and tell. This month was the first time she felt confident to stand up and talk to everyone about her reindeer Sven. Not only that, but we had a visit from a nursery teacher who came to observe what we do. The little girl came alive and was able to take the lady round and tell her the risks of the site. She told her to step over a log and bend under a branch and she also wanted to include her in her play. She was definitely more outgoing towards unfamiliar people and was initiating conversations and forming good relationships. This was the first time that we had been able to see the difference that our nursery has had on a child's confidence and language development. Not only that, but everything we have been teaching them about risk, has been embedded and they are able to tell others how to keep themselves safe.
One of my team is currently undertaking a Masters degree in Early Years and Outdoor Play and one of the things that was discussed was the term 'slowliness'. Here Cheryl has written her own blog and reflected on one of this months sessions.
It really feels like things are beginning to fall into place and the children are showing great progress. As the weather is starting to get colder, we have yet to see this have any kind of negative effect on the children. Parents have followed the kit list and this has made all the difference.
We are due are first Ofsted inspection in December and we feel there are elements of what we do that are outstanding, we sincerely hope they do too.
