Throughout the day we enjoy playing and having fun with the children, hearing their laughter and filling their day with different and exciting activities.  We encourage the children to use their imagination, develop problem solving skills, use expressive language, take some control of their day and interact with both children and staff.  In this way we ensure they develop in all the areas of learning.  

We love to play outside whatever the weather and we are lucky enough to have two gardens for our Toddlers. One opens out from our room and the other is a large grassed area with a small hill, a climbing and sliding area, a sand pit and some large fruit trees.  The door to our first garden is open for most of the day so that the children can chose to play inside or outside.  We take our toys and books outside and our art and craft comes too!  In this garden we also have a sandpit, a house, tricycles and lots of tactile play such as tea, cornflour, and painting with water.

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We often take advantage of the beautiful Millennium Green behind the nursery and use this for bug hunting, parachute games and exploring wildlife in a natural environment. We love playing on the 'Tellitubby hill', using our balancing and climbing skills to find the sun dial. We enjoy the forest area in the summer, appreciating the shade made by the huge trees whilst exploring mark making using nature.  

In the summer we enjoy picking our own cherries, apples and plums which we eat for snack and use in our cooking.  We also grow potatoes, beans, tomatoes and many more plants, vegetables and herbs in our garden which we plant during March and April. We like to experience the four seasons; building snow men, playing in puddles, dancing under a spray of water, and flying kites.

We have a slightly more structured routine than the Baby Toddler room as the children will now be able to cope with a little more framework to their day, but we are also very flexible to the needs and desires of the children.

The ratio in our room is 1:4 (1 adult to 4 children), and we care for a maximum of 24 toddlers. 

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Our Activities

All our activities are guided by the EYFS and the 7 areas of learning.  Every day our stimulating and fun activities include:  Wet and dry tactile play; such as playdough, sand, water, tea leaves, and cornflour, as well as nature’s materials such as leaves, twigs and conkers. Having fun with these natural elements encourages imagination and allows exploration of a variety of different textures and consistencies.

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Art and craft: In the toddler room we really enjoy creating, whether it be junk modelling, free painting or sticking. We use lots of different tools for our projects such as brushes, fingers, feet or sponges. The purpose of these creative activities is the experience of participating and enjoying. The end product, be it a sunflower, a cat or a rocket is a bonus.

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Role play: Every term we change our role play area. During this period the children can use their wonderful imaginations to make up games and different scenarios using the props and toys provided.  We have had a shop selling shoes, clothes, books or groceries, as well as a garden centre, a baby room, a house, a doctor’s surgery, a hair salon, a travel agency and a restaurant.

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Cooking: We cook every week linking in with our topics where possible and taking into account each child’s dietary needs.  We cook baby pizzas, cheese pasties, scones, cakes, biscuits and many other delights.  We try to eat our cooking at snack time so the children can enjoy the warm fruits of their labour whilst all the aromas are still in their room.  In this way we feel they will easily be able to link their efforts with the pleasure of eating and sharing together.

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Book and cozy corner: This is a permanent feature in our room where the children can go and read a book from our large library or simply have some quiet time.  The books are changed every month and show representations of all cultures, ages and walks of life. Staff are always on hand to read stories to individuals and small groups. We also have time during each day for a whole group story time when the children choose their favorite stories.

In Toddlers we love singing and dancing. Every day the Toddler children and staff enjoy some songs all together. The children will often choose which songs they wish to sing and dance to. We love to listen and dance to a wide variety of music as well as using instruments to make some music of our own.

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