A warm welcome

At Nature Barn Nursery, we understand some mornings can be a bit rushed and a bit busy! We try and make your mornings run as smoothly as possible. Staff will be on hand to welcome your little ones through the door, listening to how your weekend and morning has been. You will then say bye and staff expertly distract children to engage in the room. We provide nappies and wipes so there is less for you to bring in! Please just remember to bring in water bottles and a fruit snack.

Children can play and have a little break for breakfast, leaving parents to feel calm and ready to start their day on a positive morning.

Nursery Care Colchester

Play-based learning

Children have the opportunity to play both inside and outside with the vast range of resources all accessible to children. Staff get to know children’s interests and spark new interests through providing exciting and enriching play opportunities and activities. Play is how children learn and is essential in their early years. It helps them to understand their world, investigate, test and explore, learning new ways of thinking and skills along the way! Play develops children’s curiosity and imagination, helping them to develop their personalities and having new experiences. Staff integrate themselves into children’s play, and skilfully extend children’s learning. They promote children to share their ideas, enabling them to reach their fullest potential.

Children have the opportunity to play inside or outside. Having access to fresh air everyday for children’s well-being. They learn about the world around them, listening to the sounds in their environment and observing the natural world. They can access a range of resources such as climbing equipment and have a space for children to develop their gross motor skills. Children also have opportunities to explore the local community and forest area.

At Nature Barn Nursery, we teach children the importance of caring for our world. We educate children on recycling and the importance of respecting the environment. Children learn to grow their own vegetables and plants, using these ingredients in cooking activities. They also learn about life cycles and get to observe this first-hand. For example, by observing caterpillars growing into butterflies!

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Day Nursery Care Colchester

Mealtimes

Mealtimes are an important part of nursery life, where we can sit together and discuss our day. It is a real social event, where we treat it as if we are having dinner at the table at home. We teach children what they are eating, looking at the ingredients in the meals, developing healthy eating habits and a love of food.

Children are offered a range of breakfast such as fruit, cereal and toast in the morning from 8-8.30am.

Parents then provide fruit for children to have at snack time. Children have snack both morning and afternoon.

We encourage children to ‘self-serve’ and to feed themselves, developing their independence skills.

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Day Nursery Care Colchester

Mealtimes

Children are offered a range of breakfast such as fruit, cereal and toast in the morning from 8-8.30am.

Parents then provide fruit for children to have at snack time. Children have snack both morning and afternoon.

We encourage children to ‘self-serve’ and to feed themselves, developing their independence skills.

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Nursery Colchester

Relax and sleep

Having a good sleep routine is so important for children’s well-being and development. We work closely with families to follow their routines at home. Our rooms are fully adaptable to cater for children that sleep, through having mats and their own fresh bedding, including a soft cuddly blanket. We welcome comforters and staff will be with the children to help them settle, ready for their sleep. Sometimes this is rocking children gently in their arms or smoothly stroking their faces and hands. Sometimes children like a story and cuddle before they are ready to sleep and our staff are on hand to support this.

When children are ready to reduce their sleep to one nap per day, we usually advise for the children to sleep a little after their lunch as a ‘midday nap’. Once children are ready to reduce their sleeps completely in preparation for Sunflower room, staff will work with parents to gradually decrease their naps if they are ready to do so.

Sometimes children do not want a nap but would like a rest. Again, our wonderful staff are always there to provide a quiet safe space for children to relax and unwind. This may be through a snuggle and a story, some meditation or yoga or any other activity that children prefer.

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Home time

Throughout the day, parents will be updated on important care children have received throughout the day via the app. They will be informed of how children have eaten, slept and toileting and nappy changes.

When children are ready to go home, key workers will provide feedback to parents regarding how their day has been. It’s a great opportunity for parents to get to know the staff and share anything with them. We are here to support children and their families, so know our door is always open if you would like a chat. We encourage parents to call us or message us via the app to check in on their children, particularly if they are thinking about their children when at work. Sometimes a little reassurance is all parents need to continue with their day!