WHY SEND YOUR CHILD TO NURSERY?

Tuesday 22 February 2022

Ever wondered what happens behind the doors of a not-for-profit nursery that has over 160 children attending? At Kamelia Kids Day Nursery and Beach School in Goring-by-Sea, we provide an essential service to the community, allowing parents/carers to work whilst their children aged between 0 and 5 are in a safe, secure and stimulating environment.

Our doors open from 7:30 until 6:00 and from that minute children are interacting and growing.

We start with breakfast and this is where children sit with their peers, eating, talking and even learning new maths words. Our preschool children serve themselves with fun size scoops and safe lid jugs, learning independence, choice and building self-esteem. There are no electronic distractions, just a table full of hungry children, all excited to start their day.

Our rooms are all named after flowers Sunflower, Daisy, Rose, Poppy, Lily, Lavender, Ivy, Bluebell, Snowdrop and Primrose, which are set up and ready to go!

Our 4 main rooms have inviting resources, invitations to play, accessible baskets and books ready to explore and allow children to find their happy place. 

Staff are spread out around the room, building bonds and using vocabulary that enhances the children’s experiences, naturally giving a running commentary of what is taking place as well as encouraging turn taking and using language and listening skills.

Children get ready to go in one of our gardens namely the Sensory and Well Being Garden, Daisy Garden, Poppy Garden, Beach and Wildlife Garden and Preschool Garden and now is the time to whizz around on bikes, climb, and get physical or have some sensory fun with sand, water, bark and grass.

A snack is served and the learning continues regarding health and hygiene, eating at a table, making choices between milk or water and trying new fruit, vegetables and breads from around the world.  In Preschool this takes the form of a “rolling snack” which means that play does not stop but when a space becomes available it’s your turn to eat.

The rooms are now buzzing. Our staff practice “In the moment planning” which means the children’s interests are followed and their play extended to move the child organically onto their next step in learning. We love to weave into our day some “wonder” and this may take the form of finding out about the season, or a significant day or event like the Winter Olympics.

This week our Snowdrop Room built a bobsleigh and had skeleton races.Last week it was Bluebell children being involved in the Big Garden Bird Watch, we had great fun with binoculars, clipboards and laminated tick lists. The children love to learn about our cultural capital.

Lunch comes around quick and most children at Kamelia Kids have a hot lunch provided by Zebedees. This is nutritious, well balanced and part of what Kamelia Kids believe is important. Our children try new foods and have their confidence built by watching their peers be “dinner winners”.

After lunch is a quieter time, for toddlers to have a nap, babies to snuggle down in their sleep room and puzzles and book time. Unless you are a pre-schooler and then it’s outside burning off some of those calories you have just consumed.

Children love to learn new skills, riding a trike, climbing our rock wall or building a rocket with open ended resources. Some large tyres with wooden planks allow for risks to be taken and balancing skills to be improved. Our outdoor classroom is great too, giving us shade and protection from the elements, it has a mud kitchen, water tray, sand area and construction toys. This week it turned into the Olympic Village!

The early afternoon can see new children arrive, morning children leave and is a time of transitions.  These are helped along by visual now and next boards and visual cards that all the staff carry. A child whether they be EAL, non-verbal or still learning our routines finds these pictures speak a thousand words.

A snack is enjoyed by our smaller children when they awake from their nap and we then have time to go into our magic carpet room, sensory room or do some activities of our choosing. 

Tea is served and now it’s nearly time for home.  We say goodbye to friends and have a quieter time until 6pm, when the rooms are set up for tomorrow for the magic to happen all over again.

During the day so much has been happening, positive relationships have been formed, the unique child has had the freedom to do what interests them in an enabling environment, that allows the child to learn and develop helping them to reach their full potential.

If you would like to be shown around our amazing nursery, please contact us on 01903 504077. We look forward to it!

Saxton (2010) Estimated that by 6 years of age, children have a vocabulary of 14,000

Carey (1978) suggested that, based on these numbers, children between 18 months and 6 years would have to learn 8 new words a day. 3 words at home and 5 days at nursery.