Curriculum and Activities
Our curriculum is a course of learning, we believe that children in the early years, learn through play. We want children to learn and the help we will provide the learning opportunities for the children in our care.
The curriculum is reflected in the provision we make, the way it is organised, through themes and topics, the equipment and resources we choose, the activities we select, the way we talk and interact with children and our expectations of their achievement.
Developmental Records
We at Toucan value your child’s progress, so we make it our duty to fill you in by giving you daily/weekly verbal reports and written weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual (as appropriate) reports on your child’s progress. We will encourage the parent/carer to share with us your child’s home life development and experiences, behaviour, sleep, eating pattern and potty training. This will help us, as our staff will be able to monitor the progress of the child and receive any appropriate Early Years support in the nursery.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
From birth children are social learners, learning to give and take, to interpret signals from others and to initiate responses from others. Playing and problem solving provide rich opportunities for developing skills in collaborative learning (turn taking, parallel play, negotiating and sharing) and for recognising that the views and feelings of others need to be considered. Adults can help children to explore ideas of fairness, tolerance, forgiveness, sharing, dependence, and independence through play and everyday situations as well as carefully chosen books and stories.
Communication, Language and Literacy
Language is an essential meaning of communication. Children learn language through listening, talking, imitating, repeating, practising and playing with sounds. Language enables children to plan, discuss and understand what they have learned, it plays a valuable part in living with other people, making it possible to share experiences and negotiate arguments. With the right resources children can be encouraged to imitate such actions through play. Mark making from an early age is an essential foundation for writing.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Children need to understand about other people both now and in the past, how and where they live. Every day activities like cooking, washing, etc, help develop scientific investigation. Intervention of an adult in activities can help build on children’s experiences, encourage and develop particular skills, concepts and attitudes. We will provide equipment for the children to use such as videos, remote controls, calculators, keyboards, telephones, electronically operated toys and computers. Taken in account the different age ranges, it is important that children have opportunities to play safely with this technology and incorporate it in their play. The children will be encouraged to explore and discover the natural things in their environment such as plants, insects, weather patterns, etc.
Small Steps to a Higher Education
Homework is a priority in our nursery, as children are approaching their first year at Primary school. We will prepare them for the Foundation stage. For the curriculum, we will plan appropriate activities and books. This will enable the child to get ready for their new school life. This may help familiarise them with the environment, therefore we will work closely in partnership with parent and carers to encourage their children to adopt into the school life of further learning. This may help familiarise them with the environment, therefore we will work closely in partnership with parent and carers to encourage their children to adopt into the school life of further learning.
Language Development
Staff will be encouraging the children to speak English, at the same time children will be given the opportunities to develop their own mother tongue. We will be looking at more activities to help the children to promote their languages e.g. tapes, books, etc.
Mathematics
Many of the activities, which give young children pleasure, are a source of mathematical understanding. A young baby moves and explores the space and shapes around. Early awareness of size and shape is based on what can be reached and fitted into the mouth or hand.
Creative Development
Creativity is the power to produce something original, to be able to express feelings respond to objects and events and gains self-satisfaction.
Physical Development
Most children rejoice in the exercise of their growing and maturing bodies. Physical activities build up their general health, strength and stamina.
A course of Learning and Play
