Atelier Nursery

Atelier Nursery Offering high quality nursery care and education for children aged 16 weeks to five years. A caring, freeflow, mixed age setting for the families of Bath

02/10/2026

🍝 From garden to table

The children have continued to be busy with their cooking - and this time they decided to make something to go with the tomatoes growing in our garden. 🍅🌱

As our home-grown tomatoes begin to ripen, the children thought about how we could use them and decided to make our own pasta ready to enjoy with a delicious tomato sauce.

Making pasta gave the children lots of opportunities to explore measuring, mixing and combining ingredients, as well as developing their physical skills through kneading and rolling the dough.

🌸 Dahlia shadow drawingOur dahlia exploration continued outside as the children took their flowers into the sunshine to ...
30/09/2026

🌸 Dahlia shadow drawing

Our dahlia exploration continued outside as the children took their flowers into the sunshine to discover what happened when light met petals.

The children looked closely at the shadows cast by the dahlias, using pens to carefully trace around the shapes they could see. As they worked, they began to notice that the shadows didn’t stay still.

We talked together about why shadows move as the sun moves across the sky, exploring the relationship between light, objects and shadows. The children could see that as the position of the sun changed, so did the position and shape of the shadows.

There was lots of careful observation involved too - looking closely at the delicate shapes of the petals, noticing how these were reflected in the shadows and thinking about how they might capture them on paper.

It was a lovely combination of science, drawing and outdoor exploration, with the dahlias once again providing inspiration for the children’s investigations.

From vibrant petals to natural pigments to shadows in the sunshine - there seems to be no end to the ways we can explore a dahlia! 🌿🌸

More dahlia fun in the Discovery RoomThe children have continued to explore dahlias by exploring the traditional Japanes...
28/09/2026

More dahlia fun in the Discovery Room

The children have continued to explore dahlias by exploring the traditional Japanese art form of hapa zome. Carefully using hammers to release the natural pigment from the flowers onto fabric, the children were fascinated by the beautiful images the process created. The dahlias were particularly good for this project, with their large, vibrantly-coloured petals.

As the children worked, they were experimenting - what happens when they tap gently? What happens when they use more force? How does the pigment change as it is transferred from the flower to the fabric?

There was plenty of opportunity for close observation too, as the children discovered that different petals and positions created different patterns and marks. The results weren’t completely predictable, making each piece a little experiment of its own. 🌿

Using the hammers also required coordination, control and precision, as the children learned how to position the flowers and fabric and use the tools carefully.

Limited places available at Atelier Nursery, Chippenham!We are currently able to offer just a few places to new children...
25/09/2026

Limited places available at Atelier Nursery, Chippenham!

We are currently able to offer just a few places to new children to join our Outstanding setting in Chippenham. If you are looking for a very special kind of nursery where your child can thrive in a truly nurturing environment, we'd love to invite you to visit.

Please get in touch to talk to our team about our nursery and to arrange to meet you and your little one.

Exploring Painting 🗬 What happens if I paint with this big dustpan brush?🗬 What happens if I add more water to this pain...
23/09/2026

Exploring Painting

🗬 What happens if I paint with this big dustpan brush?

🗬 What happens if I add more water to this paint?

🗬 What happens if I paint this bubble wrap?

The children had a deliciously messy fun time exploring all the different media they could paint with and paint on, how the textures change with the different tools, what patterns they make, how the paint behaves on different surfaces...

The opportunities for experimental creativity were endless.

21/09/2026

🍓 From strawberry plants to strawberry bread

The children have been showing a huge interest in cooking, so we’ve been following their curiosity. This time it was with strawberries they had grown themselves.

The children cared for their strawberry plants, watched the fruit grow and ripen, and then harvested the strawberries ready to use in their baking.

As they made their strawberry bread, the children were also developing some important early mathematical skills.

Measuring and weighing ingredients introduces the idea that quantities can be represented by numbers. Children begin to notice that a recipe needs more or less of something and that changing the quantity can change the result.

They explored counting and one-to-one correspondence as they counted strawberries and other ingredients, making sure they had the right number.

They also developed an understanding of comparison - noticing which ingredients were heavier or lighter, and which quantities were bigger or smaller.

Following a recipe introduces sequence and order too: what comes first, what comes next and what needs to happen before the mixture can go into the oven.

These may seem like simple experiences, but they are the foundations of mathematical thinking - and when children are genuinely interested in what they are doing, those concepts become meaningful and memorable.

From growing, harvesting, measuring, counting and comparing, right through to baking and tasting - this was learning with a delicious end result! 🍓🍞

18/09/2026

Visit to Bath Abbey

Some of our children recently had an amazing opportunity to visit Bath Abbey with the team from Atelier's Piazza learning environment.

The mission was to explore all things building, looking closely at all the details of the abbey, from colourful stained glass windows to ancient arches. Together they discussed all their discoveries and made a note of them.

Then the real fun begins: exploring all their findings back in the Piazza, creating Bath Abbey-inspired structures using the building blocks. What will they create?...

September - Settling in at Atelier 💚Starting nursery is a big step for children and their families. At Atelier, we want ...
16/09/2026

September - Settling in at Atelier 💚

Starting nursery is a big step for children and their families. At Atelier, we want this to be a gentle, positive experience, giving every child time to become familiar with their new surroundings & build a secure relationship with their Key Person.

Every child is different, so our settling-in process is flexible 7 guided by their individual needs. As a general guide, children will have at least four settling sessions before they start with us:

- VISIT ONE
Around 45 minutes, with a parent staying alongside their child. This is an opportunity to explore the environment together, meet the team & begin to become familiar with the nursery.

- VISIT TWO
Around 1–1¼ hours. If the child is ready, their parent may gradually step away for a short period, perhaps going upstairs for a drink for around 10 minutes.

- VISIT THREE
A similar session, with the time apart gradually increased if the child is comfortable. If they managed to settle happily without their parent during the previous visit, this may be extended to around 30 minutes.

- VISIT FOUR
We work towards the child feeling settled & secure enough for their parent to leave the nursery for an hour or more, always following the child's cues & responding to what they need.

During those important first few weeks, we continue to give our new children lots of reassurance & support as they become confident in their environment & build relationships. We also stay closely connected with families sharing honest feedback, letting them know their child is happy, & beginning to feel at home - & equally, letting them know if things aren't going quite so well, so that a little extra support can be given.

We also listen carefully during settling sessions, learning about the child’s interests & comforts. These details can then become part of their experiences at nursery - helping the environment to feel familiar & giving them something they know & enjoy to connect with when they arrive each morning.

For us, settling in isn’t about simply getting a child through the door. It’s about helping them feel safe, secure, known and ready to begin their Atelier journey 💚

14/09/2026

🌱 From growing to baking: nasturtium bread

The children have loved watching the nasturtiums they’ve grown from seed develop, and recently it was time to harvest the flowers they’ve carefully nurtured.

Their curiosity has naturally led to new questions: What can we do with them? How can we use them? And could we bring them into our baking?

Baking offers so many opportunities for young children to learn through hands-on experiences. As they measure, pour, mix and knead, they are developing early mathematical thinking, coordination and fine motor skills, while also exploring changes in texture, smell and appearance.

There’s plenty of language and social learning too - talking about what they notice, sharing ideas, taking turns and working together towards something they can enjoy 🍞

Creating environments that invite curiosity 🌿Following the children’s fascination with dahlias, we created an inviting s...
11/09/2026

Creating environments that invite curiosity 🌿

Following the children’s fascination with dahlias, we created an inviting space where they could continue to explore their interest and look more closely at the flowers they had discovered.

Microscopes, magnifying glasses, flowers and a beautiful selection of creative materials were carefully arranged to encourage the children to investigate, wonder and create. Rather than telling them what to look for or what to make, the environment offered possibilities and allowed them to decide where their curiosity would take them.

At Atelier, we see the environment as the third teacher. The spaces and materials around children can inspire questions, encourage independence and invite them to explore their own ideas. A thoughtfully prepared environment can communicate to children that their ideas are valued, that they are trusted to make choices and that there is something here worth discovering.

Creating these environments is not simply about making a space look beautiful. It is about thinking carefully about what children might notice, what might capture their interest and how the space can support them to investigate, experiment and express their ideas.

Sometimes, the environment itself is what sparks the next question. And from that question, a whole new journey of learning can begin. 💛

If you’d like your little one to join a very special nursery that will feed their curiosity as they learn and grow, we have a small number of places available at our Chippenham Nursery. We’d love to invite you for a visit.

Address

Dover Place
Bath
BA16DX

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+441225447992

Website

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