At Colgate Pre-school the learning environment is designed to be independently accessible to all children. We are committed to providing effective learning opportunities that meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Throughout each session the seven areas of learning are available both indoors and outdoors. The seven areas of Learning are:
Prime areas of Learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
- Physical Development.
- Communication and Language.
Specific Areas of Learning:
- Literacy.
- Mathematics.
- Understanding the World.
- Expressive Arts and Design.
We observe children’s likes, preferences and learning styles to plan for their individual learning. Key workers create individual learning plans and record each child’s development in their Personal Learning Journal. Observations, photographs and examples of work will provide evidence of your child’s learning journey. With your permission this record will be forwarded to your child’s future school providing information of their progress through the foundation stage.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
We encourage the children to gain confidence, show appropriate self-respect and be able to establish effective relationships with other children and adults. They work as part of a group and independently and are encouraged to concentrate and seek help when needed. The children are eager to explore new learning and they show the ability to initiate ideas and solve simple practical problems. We encourage independence by giving the children opportunities to select an activity or resources, dress themselves and personal hygiene. We encourage the children to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others and show respect for people of all cultures and beliefs. The children are taught how to take turns and share fairly. They are shown how to express their feelings and behave in appropriate ways, developing an understanding of what is right or wrong and why. We show the children how to treat living things, properly and their environment with care and concern. The children have opportunities to celebrate cultural and religious events.
Physical Development
The children are encouraged to move confidently and imaginatively with increasing control and co-ordination with awareness of space for others.
They are given opportunities to use a range of small and large equipment to develop balancing and climbing skills. We provide appropriate tools and objects to increase fine motor skills and construction. Our outdoor area is open throughout the session, and we operate a free flow environment allowing children the opportunity to choose their preferred learning environment. We have physical equipment in both the inside and outdoor area that encourage gross motor and fine motor skills. Colgate pre-school has also taken part in a creative arts programme and had visits from professional dancers who explored space and movement with the children. We recognise that children in the foundation stage are active learners and encourage children to move around the environment.
Communication and Language
Children are encouraged to communicate with each other to express their needs. Adults use positive language to encourage positive behaviour and support children to develop sharing and negotiation skills. The children listen to stories and talk about their experiences in small and large groups. They begin to use a growing vocabulary with increasing fluency to express thoughts and convey meaning to the listener. Colgate Pre-school liaises with other professionals such as speech therapists to support children’s development. Communication and language are a prime area of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage and is assessed as part of the two-year-old progress check.
Literacy
We encourage the children to respond to stories, songs, nursery rhymes and poems. They use imagination to create their own stories and will hopefully begin to take part in role-play with confidence. At Pre-school we encourage a love of books and teach the children how to handle books carefully. They learn that words and pictures carry a meaning and begin to associate sounds with patterns in rhymes and with words in letters.
The children begin to recognise their own names and some familiar letters and words. They begin to recognise letters of the alphabet by shape and sound. In their writing they begin to use pictures, symbols, familiar words and letters to communicate meaning. Mark making skills are encouraged using a variety of sensory materials such as soap flakes, corn flour, soil, sand and water.
Mathematics
Children have the opportunity to develop their thinking skills through independent and group games. We encourage children to use simple mathematical language through a variety of activities, games, number rhymes and songs. Sorting and matching activities using everyday objects help children develop ordering and sequencing skills. Number recognition is developed through play activities in all areas of the play environment. Practical activities encourage children to recognise and record numbers, they begin to show an awareness of number operations such as addition and subtraction and start to use the language involved.
Understanding the World
We encourage the children to talk about where they live, their environment, their family plus past and present events in their own lives.
They will explore and recognise features of living things, objects and events in both the natural and made world looking closely at similarities, differences and pattern change. We aim to teach them an awareness of the purposes of some of the features of the area in which they live.
The children will talk about their observations, sometimes recording them and ask questions to gain information about why things happen and how things work. We help the children to explore and select materials and equipment and use skills such as cutting, joining, folding and building for a variety of purposes.
Expressive Arts and Design
We extend children’s creativity supporting their curiosity, exploration and play. Opportunities are provided for children to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings. The children explore sound, colour, texture, shape form and space in two and three dimensions. They are encouraged in a variety of ways to respond to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. Through art, music, dance, stories and imaginative play they begin to develop the ability to listen, observe and use their imagination. We provide a variety of materials, suitable tools, instruments and other resources to communicate and express ideas. We encourage child-initiated activities and independent creativity. During the foundation stage it is important to value the process rather than expect an end product. Therefore, we ask parents to value and celebrate all the children’s efforts and understand that children can be creative in many ways.
Forest School
Our Forest School sessions are held a short walk from the Pre-School. Forest School provides the opportunity for children to experience and explore the natural learning environment. Play and child led experiences are embedded in Forest School activities and children engage in real life experiences using natural resources, materials and tools. The outdoor environment heightens the senses and promotes confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing. At Forest School children are provided with a safe environment which encourages them to take risks in their play. They learn how to manage these risks independently which subsequently helps to develop their thinking skills and self-confidence.
Sessions are carefully planned to encourage child led activities and respond to children’s interests. Opportunities provided for children include building and lighting campfires, cooking on the campfire, climbing trees, using tools, making dens, exploring the forest and sourcing the natural resources.
Ultimately Forest School provides a natural outdoor learning environment that encourages exploration and promotes curiosity, risk taking and fun!