 Nursery education pioneer Margaret McMillan, once said “the best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky”, and almost 100 years later, her vision for young children’s learning through play is being realised across the UK, due to a new emphasis in the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Early years practitioners now recognise that play is a young child’s mechanism for learning and that school grounds are essential to their development. They are vital in providing opportunities for healthy exercise, creative play, social interaction and learning through being in touch with nature.
At Dunannie, Bedales nursery and pre-prep school in Steep, the children have a large playground as well as their own orchard. The climbing frame, trim trail, small huts and grassy hillocks dotted amongst the apple and pear trees provide a wonderfully rich, multi-sensory environment. An area of the orchard, the Sound Garden, is dedicated to handcrafted outdoor musical instruments, adding to the sensory play experience. The children also have access to the huge Bedales estate where forest activities and farm visits regularly take place.
Dunannie has recently become involved in a local government initiative Enabling Environments which focuses on developing outdoor environments using existing resources and sharing ideas with other early years settings. Staff have encouraged the nursery children to use their imagination and suggest ideas on how they can enrich their outdoor environment. The children have been actively involved in planning and choosing their outdoor activities, which have included building dens; creating a secret hedge hung with sparkly decorations and party invitations; using pop-up tents to read books and tell stories in; and taking part in outdoor theatrical shows.
It is in this sort of environment where children have the freedom to explore different ways of ‘being’, feeling, behaving and interacting that the learning really begins. The Early Years curriculum highlights the important role nursery settings play when providing children with outdoor experiences which help embed their learning from indoor activities. If you are a parent or carer choosing a nursery for your child, it’s important you look for a setting with both good indoor and outdoor facilities as well as a happy and cheerful atmosphere.
The Nursery is located in a beautifully converted barn in the grounds of Dunannie and accepts children from three years old. For more information or to arrange a visit, telephone 01730 711733, email jjarman@bedales.org.uk
www.bedales.org.uk
|
