The Barn Fairfield

All of the children joined Clare for their Forest School session on Wednesday.

Building on the skills they learned last week, the children had a fantastic time roasting marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire (with them being safely cut up afterwards, of course!).

One of the amazing learning outcomes from these sessions is seeing the children's resilience and their willingness to keep trying, even when things become challenging.

One of our toddlers was walking up the hill using the rope and was doing so confidently with Emma behind her offering encouragement and support.

About halfway up, she became upset and said she was scared and wanted help. Emma reassured her, encouraged her to take some deep breaths and asked whether she would like to continue or walk back down. The toddler decided to return to the bottom.

When they got back down and Emma showed her how far she had already climbed. All of a sudden the little one decided to challenge herself again. This time, she made her way back up the hill and successfully reached the top of the rope. She told Clare that she felt scared, but with Clare's encouragement she continued until she reached the tree where the rope was secured.

After talking with Clare for a while, she asked if she could go even further. There was no rope beyond that point, so Clare and the little one discussed how they could continue safely. Listening carefully to Clare's instructions and following them well, she successfully made her way to the very top of the hill.

Once at the top, she waved down and proudly told Clare, "I was scared, but I did it!"

Her sense of achievement continued throughout the day when she returned to nursery. She proudly told her friends and staff about her accomplishment and was excited to share her news with Mum at collection time. The following morning, when she arrived at nursery, she asked if she could go back to the forest again!

This experience was a wonderful example of growing confidence, resilience, determination and willingness to challenge. Despite feeling scared, she persevered, listened carefully to instructions and achieved a goal that she was incredibly proud of.

🌿 Yesterday, our older babies joined Clare for a wonderful Forest School session down in the forest.

From climbing uphill using ropes, to swinging in the hammocks and using tools to hammer wooden nails, the children embraced every opportunity for adventure and exploration.

What an amazing experience! We are so proud of their confidence, curiosity, and determination. 💚

🌿 Another wonderful day in the garden.

Today, the children spent time crawling and pulling themselves through tunnels, helping to strengthen their core muscles and develop the stability needed for future skills such as sitting comfortably and holding a pencil for writing.

They enjoyed digging in the mud, building their gross motor strength, coordination and control. These large muscle movements are essential foundations that support the smaller movements needed for handwriting.

Using all of their senses, the children explored the world around them, discovering different textures, sounds, smells and sights. Sensory experiences help children make sense of their environment, develop language and build confidence in trying new things.

Through transporting, filling, and emptying activities the children practised problem-solving, concentration, hand-eye coordination and early mathematical concepts such as capacity and volume.

While these activities may look like simple 'play', they are helping to develop important skills for both school and later life.

From building the strength needed for writing to encouraging independence, resilience, teamwork and critical thinking, every muddy handprint and adventurous crawl is preparing children for the future.

Our babies spent the whole morning exploring the garden and making the most of the fresh air! 🌿☀️

There were lots of opportunities for sensory discovery as they touched different textures, listened to the sounds around them, watched the birds, felt the rain on their skin and enjoyed feeling the sunshine on their faces.

The children were curious and engaged as they explored the natural environment, helping to develop their confidence, communication skills and understanding of the world around them.

It was wonderful to see so many smiles, moments of wonder, and little adventures taking place throughout the morning. We love providing opportunities for our babies to learn through play and exploration outdoors! 💚

Our wonderful handyman George is busy this weekend transforming this space.

Any guesses what it will be next week?

Here's a clue: calming, softly lit and designed to support regulation and wellbeing. 💫

Another exciting update! 🌿

At the back of the nursery, we have an unused area that has gradually become an overgrown jungle of weeds, nettles and thorny bushes.

We’ve wanted to transform this space for years, and last week Emma and I finally pulled on our gardening gloves and got started. We filled an entire skip with broken and unloved resources and began clearing the area ready for its new purpose.

We were making great progress tackling the jungle when we discovered a sleeping hedgehog nestled amongst the undergrowth. 🦔 Naturally, we stopped work straight away to leave our little visitor undisturbed!

So, for now, these are our “before” and “during” photos. (We forgot to take a before photo with all of the rubbish there.)

Once complete, this area will become a calming sensory space for our children, staff and families to enjoy. 💫☀️

We can’t wait to get started again and share the next stage of the transformation with you all!

🌿 Exciting Things Are Happening at Nursery! 💫

Over the next few months, we have so many exciting changes and new experiences coming to our nursery, and we can't wait to keep you updated and involved every step of the way!

Our first exciting update is the introduction of our Forest School sessions, led by the fantastic Clare. 🔥

Yesterday, our toddlers and preschool children had an incredible afternoon embracing the great outdoors. They learned how to safely whittle wood to help make a fire, built their very own dens, explored the local woodland on a pond-dipping adventure, and even created a swing in a tree!

The children showed fantastic teamwork, curiosity, resilience, and creativity throughout the session. It was wonderful to see them learning new skills, building confidence and connecting with nature in such a hands on way.

Myself (Susan) and Josh are about to start our Level 3 Forest School training so that we can eventually engage all of the children in Forest school activities several times a week.

We can't wait to share more Forest School adventures with you soon. 💚

The children enjoyed navigating obstacle courses, using their problem solving skills to work out the best way to overcome challenges and showing great perseverance when tasks became difficult.

We made the most of the fresh air, listening to the sounds around us, exploring the garden, and enjoying the freedom to run fast and shout loudly.

Outdoor play provides wonderful opportunities for physical development, confidence building and co-operative play with friends.

A fun-filled afternoon of learning and exploration in the garden!