Health, Wellbeing and the Great Outdoors
Outdoor Learning
Many nursery aged children learn best when they can satisfy their endless curiosity about the world around them through active play and experimentation. Our outdoor learning environment at Claremont gives little ones with big imaginations just that, by providing thoughtful, imaginative and stimulating outdoor spaces to explore. The mud kitchen is the scene of many a ‘culinary delight’ but where sourcing ‘ingredients’ is valued just as highly as stirring the pot at the end. Shaded areas provide the perfect place for ‘car drivers’ to park their vehicles in advance of spontaneous ‘shopping sprees’ whilst would-be plumbers and mechanics never tire of testing the water at the funnel and ‘drainpipe filling station’. Nature is certainly our greatest teacher and why impromptu bug hunts, chance discoveries of new plants in the garden and moments of quieter reflection under the willow canape are an endless draw for busy children on the move at Claremont Nursery.
At Claremont our outdoor learning provision is second to none and why when our Nursery children join the Forest School programme, they are more than ready to venture into the woods for their next adventure …
Yoga
The children at Claremont Nursery have been enjoying yoga since the start of 2019. Yoga has become part of their day and all the children, from babies to Reception, are reaping the benefits of this regular class.
Yoga for children focuses on the children exploring different poses and uses elements of the Early Years Foundation Stage to help them make the most of the class. For example counting breaths, being a tree, and dancing to music make up the lessons. Yoga has many positive benefits to the health and wellbeing of babies, not least of all in helping them to find their centre of gravity. This means that ‘yoga babies’ are often more advanced when it comes to crawling and walking although their stillness and concentration during sessions would suggest otherwise! Yoga is taught by a qualified yoga instructor, who is passionate about children’s development and the role yoga plays in helping children ‘reach for the stars’.
