We start our day at 9am, with some children arriving from 8.30 for breakfast club.

On arrival, children are invited to find their peg and store their water bottle and lunch box, if they are staying for lunch. We encourage children to find their name, as a way of independently ‘signing in’ and, if they’d like, they can change out of their ‘outdoor shoes’ and put on some slippers or sandals.

After settling in, children are invited to join our circle time, which begins at around 9.15am. During this time we will practice some morning movement to get ourselves ready for sitting and then say good morning, using a combination of spoken word and makaton - a form of sign language.

Once circle time has finished, free-flow play continues. We plan engaging activities, based on the Development Matters document, which help children to learn key skills and develop their independence. Around our room, we have several stations, including: sand, water, playdough, craft and writing, numeracy and investigation, domestic and roleplay, as well as construction and reading, where children can develop their communication and language, personal social and emotional skills, physical, and literacy and numeracy skills. During this time we encourage child-centred play where the adults in the room guide children to a variety of activities that might benefit their own individual learning journey. However, we great importance on allowing the child to choose what interests them and engages them the most, thus making learning more enjoyable and independent.

Break time is a communal affair, which takes place at around 10am. Children are encouraged to wash their hands and collect their own plate and cup before sitting down together. We offer a healthy, well-balanced snack that consists of milk* or water, a selection of fruit and vegetables, such as apple, banana, orange, cucumber and pepper, as well as crackers or toast. Children are encouraged to pour their own drink and butter their own toast, to develop independence.

After snack, all of the children get ready for outside play. Depending on the weather, children will be encouraged to put on waterproofs and wellies, or sun hats. We weave in a number of opportunities to practice counting throughout the day, including when we line up to go outside! Once outside, the children can choose from a variety of outdoor activities that will help develop both their fine and motor skills, such as pouring and digging in our outdoor sand and water areas or learning to balance on a balance bike.

At 11.30, we ring the bell and everyone is encouraged to find something to tidy away. Then, we make our way inside for some singing! Our children enjoy listening to and learning the words to a variety of traditional nursery rhymes and other more unusual songs, depending on our current theme.

At 12 o’clock, children again are invited to independently wash their hands again before eating lunch together.

The rest of the day consists of quiet play, just after lunch, involving puzzles and books, and while some children might choose to have a rest or a nap on our camp beds, others will engage in more free-flow play, both indoor and out, before settling down for a story, related to our current theme. We are very passionate about developing a love of reading from an early age, and during this time, children will be encouraged to engage with our story time with puppets and props and sometimes music and sounds.

The end of the day consists of another healthy snack, independently collecting our belongings and more songs, before singing our ‘goodbye song’.