Joanne Middleton, Manager. Louise Cloughton, Deputy Manager.
Dalesplay, Town Head, Hawes, North Yorkshire, DL8 3RQ. Tel/Fax: 01969 667789
email: [email protected] www.dalesplay.com
8: Care, Learning and Play
The Accountable Body is Dalesplay.
The programme of activities and the atmosphere of Dalesplay aims to encourage confidence,
independence and enjoyment. Our work has, as its core, the aim of enabling children to
develop their emotional, social, cognitive, interpersonal and physical skills, and their desire to
explore, discover and be creative.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) has four themes which underpin all of our work in
Nursery. The EYFS is used in Nursery to support our planning, teaching and the assessment of
children.
Staff in Nursery will ensure that all children are given opportunities to develop in the three prime
areas and four specific areas. Woven into all teaching are the Characteristics of Effective Learning.
Staff plan activities to ensure that all children’s individual needs are met, they are engaged, motivated
and are developing their thinking skills at all times.
Key Person to support each child on their Learning Journey
A named Key Person will be allocated to each individual (0-5 years). The child’s Key Person will
develop in-depth knowledge about each child and their family. Key Persons will support each child
through transitions and document significant moments and experiences for them in a Learning
Journal. They will work closely with parents and carers to ensure that the child’s needs are met at all
times. All staff are responsible for recording children’s learning through ‘snapshot observations’ and
‘Learning Stories’. Key Persons are responsible for collating this information.
Each child will have at least one learning story recorded each term. Learning Stories originate in New
Zealand and are a way of documenting children’s learning. They highlight significant ‘sparkly
moments’ and are a positive way of identifying how children like to learn. All learning stories must be
typed on the school’s template and shared with parents. Learning Stories will be placed in each
child’s learning journey. Learning Journeys should be kept in the main Nursery then they are
available for parents and children to share or contribute to at all times.
Planning
Our starting point for all our planning is the individual child, the child’s family and the child’s
environment. All elements of the EYFS are used to ensure a balanced and individual approach and
curriculum for all children.
Project partfinanced by the
European Union
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
The Nursery environment is a safe place where all children are able to develop their skills and
understanding through continuous provision. Equal importance is placed on both the indoors and
outdoors. All staff are responsible for developing thoughtful, fun and purposeful enhancements for
each child, (also known as ‘next steps’), and a record of this is kept in our planning books. Topics of
particular interest may be investigated further through planned activities, visits or visitors and through
following our calendar of festivals and celebrations. Resources in the continuous provision are well
organised and when appropriate, labelled to encourage children’s independence. Children are taught
to care for all our equipment and take responsibility when tidying away. The process of developing
the Characteristics of Effective Learning will always be more important than the outcome. All areas of
the EYFS curriculum are equally important and interconnected. Staff meet each month to review the
learning that has taken place in the continuous provision areas and reflect on what else could be
implemented or enhanced.
Cuddles Room (0 – 1 Years)
Cuddles Room provides warmth, fun and security for children under 1 year old, and work in
conjunction with the Early Years Foundation stage Curriculum. The two 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.
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.
A variety of resources, activities and experiences on offer for children under1 years include:
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Music, songs, rhymes, to copy actions and musical instruments to explore different concepts
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such as loud and soft, fast and to get different facial expressions from the different sounds of
music.
‘Peek-a-boo’ and other simple interactive games to encourage social interaction.
Treasure Baskets (baskets containing sensory items with different textures, sounds and
smells).
Extensive selection of books, stories and rhymes which helps to develop communication and
language.
Sand play, water play, paint, play dough help develop creativity and is a sensory experience
for young children.
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
Cuddles- 12 Months to 2 Years
Children 12 months – 2 years in Cuddles room will also work in line with the Early years foundation
stage curriculum to provide the quality experiences your child needs at this stage as they begin to
assert their independence and individuality.
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Music, songs, rhymes, musical instruments, action songs (‘ring-a-rosies’, ‘this little piggy’) to
develop language skills, physical development and expression through music
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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.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
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Stimulating conversation, interactive play and learning to socialise, share and make friends is
all part of the day.
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)
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The nursery staff will support your child through toilet training and developing independence at
meal times in a secure, loving environment.
Cuddles/ Kidszone- 2-3 Years Activities
As well as many of the activities already mentioned 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.
Daily opportunities for outdoor play for health, fitness and physical development.
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.
Sand play, water play to introduce early science concepts such as pouring, measuring, wet,
dry, full, empty.
Extensive opportunities for encouraging expressive development through painting, gluing and
drawing using a variety of art materials.
Play dough and clay are sensory experiences which encourage small motor skills in hands
and fingers.
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.
Cooking and baking helps develop science knowledge such as measuring and weighing.
Healthy eating habits are also encouraged.
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.
An extensive range of construction toys such as bricks and lego to encourage small motor
skills in the fingers and hands.
Kidszone Room (2 to 5 Years)
In Kidszone your child will have the opportunity to experience a range of activities which meet all
seven 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. Childrens learning and development will be recorded in their individual Learning Journey
booklets and linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (EYFS). The child’s key worker
will use these observations to plan how they can progress the child’s individual learning and
development.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
The children in Kidszone can participate in all the activities mentioned previously for the under 3’s
although these activities are more structured in Kidszone and offered at a level suited to their age.
In Kidszone your child will also have the opportunity to experience:
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Interest Tables e.g. a harvest table with wheat, flour, bread or a beach table with shells, sand,
pebbles, seaweed. The children are encouraged to experiment and explore the items on the table
freely.
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Writing Table – to introduce your child to mark making and ‘writing’ using a variety of pens and
pencils. Your child will be encouraged to use the writing table freely which develops pencil control
for more formal writing later.
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Science Experiments e.g. simply showing the children that flowers ‘drink’ water by placing a
white flower in a vase of coloured water – the flower will become the colour of the water.
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Computer Skills – your child will have access to a computer, printer and digital camera in the
Kidszone. Interactive, educational software helps your child learn basic mouse skills such as
point, click, point and drag, scrolling etc. Your child will be able to take their own photographs and
print them out to include in their portfolio if they wish. There are also many other interactive
games and resources available for your child to use.
Policies referred to:
*Involving and Consulting Children (Policy 9)
*Settling In (Policy 6)
Signed on behalf of DALESPLAY
Date
This Policy will be reviewed 1st November 2017
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales