Wellington School Nursery is a large, thriving Nursery with 60 places available for children in their ante pre and preschool years. There are excellent indoor facilities and large outdoor spaces including a Nursery Garden.
One of our Early Years Practitioners, Mrs. Kate Smith developed an interest in children’s learning outdoors and in 2009 we began seriously to consider the possibility of opening an Outdoors Nursery to complement our existing excellent indoors facilities.
Kate visited the few Outdoor Nurseries already established in Scotland and embarked on a study visit to Denmark in February 2010. This visit gave Kate the opportunity to study the Scandinavian culture and approaches to learning outdoors.
On her return we began to plan how we would approach setting up Wellington Outdoor Nursery. We wanted to achieve:
- A natural space that children could visit regularly to experience seasonal changes and to be able to move around the site safely, experiencing all the wonder of nature.
- A natural space where children can make a connection with their local environment and develop an understanding of the environment in which they live.
- A space where children would develop skills for life and make decisions about the possible challenges they may meet as they explore the outdoor environment.
Following 18 months planning involving staff, Parents and children Wellington Outdoor Nursery became a reality and we opened on Monday 22nd August 2011 at a woodland location at Doonside, Alloway.
Our Outdoor Nursery is…….
a place where a child can…….
Observe nature
Make friends
Lead their own learning
Become a risk assessor
Be a designer
where a child can……...
Run
Jump
Climb
Sing
Watch wildlife
Make mud pies
Use tools
Experience fire
Build a den
a place where a child can develop……..
Confidence
Independence
Self esteem
Coping mechanisms
Problem solving skills
A respect for danger
……..and most importantly have fun! |
