Our Classes
​"Play is the highest form of research". Albert Einstein
The Jelly Babies (0-2)
The Baby Room at Babes in the Wood Nursery provides warmth, fun and security for children under 2 years old. The three rooms allow staff to provide the appropriate activities for your child’s age group and developmental stage.
It is important for children of this age to receive continuity of care between nursery and home therefore the nursery staff will ensure your child’s familiar routine is maintained.
The staff encourage the babies to freely explore and enjoy their play activities in a safe, relaxed environment allowing them to develop their confidence, independence and learning. Parents can keep up to date with their children's learning and development through their learning journals. Once your child has commenced their placement, we will forward you details on how you can login to your child’s individual journal (ILD).
A variety of resources, activities and experiences on offer for children under 2 years in line with the Pre-Birth to Three Document including:
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Music, songs, rhymes, to copy actions and musical instruments to explore different concepts such as loud and soft, fast and to get different facial expressions from the different sounds of music.
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‘Peek-a-boo’ and other simple interactive games to encourage social interaction.
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Treasure Baskets (baskets containing sensory items with (First Steps) different textures, sounds and smells).
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Extensive selection of books, stories and rhymes which helps to develop communication and language.
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Sand play, water play, paint, play dough help develop creativity and is a sensory experience for young children.
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Outside fun – Taking the children outside. Let them feel different surfaces, let them sit and crawl on the grass, feel stones and leaves with supervision – some objects can look like a tasty treat.
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Your child will be encouraged to access resources and exercise freedom of choice about the activities they wish to participate in.
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Stimulating conversation, interactive play and learning to socialise, share and make friends is all part of the day.
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Walks and outdoor play for health, fitness, physical development and learning about ‘the world around us’.
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Heuristic Play (play using everyday objects such as wooden spoons and pans which encourages curiosity and exploration and offers opportunities to categorise and compare)
​The Jelly Tots (2-3)
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The staff encourage the children to freely explore and enjoy their play activities in a safe, relaxed environment allowing them to develop their confidence, independence and learning. In the Tots room your child will also have the opportunity to experience a range of activities which meet some areas of the curriculum for excellence as well as their usual pre-birth to three curriculum activities. Parents can keep up to date with their children's learning and development through their learning journals. Once your child has commenced their placement, we will forward you details on how you can login to your child’s individual journal (ILD).
As well as many of the activities already mentioned in Baby Room your child will also be able to participate in:
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Extensive selection of books, stories, poems and rhymes to encourage communication and language.
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Multi-cultural musical instruments, singing, action songs, musical games, music and movement.
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Daily opportunities for outdoor play for health, fitness and physical development.
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Introduction to computer skills through the supervised use of interactive educational programmes. The nursery also has a wide range of interactive toys and resources to further your child’s I.T knowledge.
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Sand play, water play to introduce early science concepts such as pouring, measuring, wet, dry, full, empty.
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Extensive opportunities for encouraging expressive development through painting, gluing and drawing using a variety of art materials.
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Play dough and clay are sensory experiences which encourage small motor skills in hands and fingers.
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Role play through dressing up, using puppets and ‘let’s pretend’ in the home corner. Children use role play to make sense of the world around them through acting out familiar experiences.
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Cooking and baking helps develop science knowledge such as measuring and weighing. Healthy eating habits are also encouraged.
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Planting and growing activities both in the garden and indoors to encourage the children to care for living things and gain knowledge of nature and the world around them.
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An extensive range of construction toys such as bricks and Lego to encourage fine motor skills in the fingers and hands.
The Jelly Beans (3-5)
In the Pre-school Room your child will have the opportunity to experience a range of activities which meet all eight areas of the curriculum. Your child will be introduced to early reading, writing, maths and science skills. These activities are delivered in a fun, relaxed manner allowing all children to learn naturally through play. Each child is encouraged to learn at their own pace within their own capabilities.
Parents can keep up to date with their children's learning and development through their learning journals. Once your child has commenced their placement, we will forward you details on how you can login to your child’s individual journal (ILD).
The children in the Pre-school Room can participate in all the activities mentioned previously for the under 3’s although these activities are more structured in the Pre-school Room and offered at a level suited to their age.
In the Pre-school Room your child will also have the opportunity to experience:​
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Art Table – to introduce your child to mark making and ‘writing’ using a variety of pens and pencils. as well as allowing your child creative freedom to choose their own materials and create junk models, paintings and much more.
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Messy/Tuff Trays – to allow your child to experiment and develop their cognitive and physical skills.
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Technology Skills – your child will have access to a tablet and an amazon Alexa in the Pre-school Room. Interactive, educational software helps your child learn basic skills such as point, click, point and drag, scrolling etc. Your child will be able to take their own photographs, play educational games and ask questions. There are also many other resources available for your child to use.
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Role Play corner – your child will have access to dress up costumes, dolls, pots and pans, and a kitchen area to allow them to explore the concepts they experience in their daily lives such as caring for a baby, going to work or simply talking on the phone.
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Construction Area – Constructive play allows your child to manipulate elements of the play environment to construct something new. This may involve all sorts of different construction methods such as stacking, assembling, disassembling, sorting or moulding, to name just a few.