EDUCATION 21
school education? A large recruitment drive to have staff in post to meet staff:child ratios is ongoing whilst well trained, experienced staff are being ‘diluted’ as many councils extend their provision. Extended hours will impact on staff’s time to be reflective, forward thinking and outward looking in their pedagogy. The impact on budgets for centres and the subsequent investment in learning environments and the resource quality within them has to be questioned. Is having pre-school centres for up to 80 children for 1140 hours really enhancing children’s experiences or simply ticking a Government target box?
Clifton Hall Nursery prides itself on having staff from
across the school adding to the Nursery experience: music, French, PE and swimming are all taught by qualified teaching staff. This is in addition to a qualified teacher overseeing the Nursery on a day-to-day basis as a prerequisite for a positive and educationally sound approach to children’s early years’ educational experiences; a quality pre-school education that sadly could not be sustained by remaining in partnership with Edinburgh Council."
READY FOR SCHOOL Preparing your child for school is something that parents can assist with at home. We asked Bright Horizons Nursery Group what activities parenents can use to help their child leave nursery happy and confident with a passion for lifelong learning.
GROWING WRITERS
By building on the large body movements that have already been acquired, children develop more refined skills of hand and eye co-ordination and dexterity . These skills need to be nurtured and encouraged through a range of experiences and activities such as: modelling with play-dough; building blocks; manipulating puzzle pieces; threading beads; cutting with scissors and weaving with paper or ribbons. With the development of these skills, the lines drawn by
children during their first years of life become more and more refined and form the basis for children’s ability to write. Holding a pencil comfortably and moving it to form letters is a complex art that takes time to develop.
Activities to do at Home Here are some fun activities you can do with your child to help develop important skills for writing. • Making marks with a stick in the sand on a beach. • Threading dry penne pasta on string. • Ribbon dancing – making big swirly and up and down movements needed for writing.
GROWING MATHEMATICIANS Maths is everywhere! Wanting more, sitting in the second chair, climbing and counting the stairs, setting the table with one plate and one cup for each person, counting toes – maths is ever present, even from birth.
As young children develop their skills and abilities, help them recognise that what they are doing is actually maths in action.
In that recognition, they begin to understand its value, purpose and importance to them as a tool.
Look out for rich mathematical experiences which naturally
provide opportunities to enhance their progress in the mathematical world .
Activities to do at Home • Cutting sandwiches is a great way to encourage conversation about shapes and early fractions.
• Spotting numbers when out on a walk helps children understand that numbers are essential for getting a bus and having post delivered.
• Helping set the table, supporting counting the right amount of cutlery for the number of people having dinner.
• Sorting socks from the tumble dryer develops skills of matching and making pairs.
GROWING SCIENTISTS
Early science experiences build on children’s innate sense of wonder and nurtures their capacity for scientific thinking. Investigating, predicting, observing and recording are part of this exciting journey of discovery. As children develop and grow, their scientific explorations continually broaden and evolve, resulting in greater understanding and appreciation of scientific concepts.
Activities to do at Home • Making toast helps children explore and investigate the effect of heat on food.
• Growing cress seeds helps understanding of the need for seeds to have water and light – and it’s magic seeing a seed grow into a plant!
• Leave a potato in a box, put the box in a cupboard and see what happens.
• Go on a magnet hunt and see what is magnetic. ■
www.nurseryandschoolguide.co.uk
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