* Sensory play is part of the routine and all of our Little Chicks will have the opportunity to play with paint, sand, water and even shaving foam!
* We do not use highchairs when it comes to meal times...instead, our Little Chicks will sit on little chairs at low level tables or on the knee of one of the team.
Our youngest age group, caring for children from 3 months – 2 years. The routine is incredibly flexible and is very much ‘baby led’. Everything that the team need is within this space, so ratio is maintained throughout the day.
Little Chicks has a ‘gross motor’ play area which is available to all our babies throughout the day. This is used to encourage tummy time, develop balance, and strengthen the core muscles which will help your Little Chick to get up on their feet and be ready to walk to Goslings
Independence is fundamental to learning and in Goslings we give our children lots of opportunities to build on this. From fetching their own shoes to feeding themselves at lunch time...little steps to big milestones.
Our Goslings room can cater for up to twelve children aged from 18 months – 2 years. The older of our two baby rooms, our children transition to this room from Little Chicks when they are stage ready (not age ready). A more structured routine will help your child begin to develop their confidence and independence while the team use play activities to develop language and communication.
To ensure our ducklings form positive friendships, they need to learn to share, to be kind, empathetic and to care...we are not born with these skills but instead need lots of opportunities to master them.
Ducklings is our room for up to twenty 2-3 year olds. There is nothing terrible about the “twos” just children who need help to understand their emotions and how to best manage them. Children at this age naturally want to be independent and can become frustrated when they can’t. We provide as many opportunities as possible for our Ducks to try, try and try again – they learn that Puddleducks is a safe space to make mistakes – the stepping-stones of learning.
Our Cygnets are growing into swans and with that come some big emotional challenges. Self-regulation is something that takes time to develop, we will help our children to recognise what they are feeling and then how to best manage this...a key skill to conflict resolution.
Our Ducklings move to Cygnets at 3 years old. This is our oldest age group where our children learn important life skills. Our cygnets are exposed to ‘managed’ risk and are encouraged to problem solve to ensure a good outcome. They will learn that they have a choice and also a right to say no.
All of our children will be offered lots of opportunites each day to design, investagate, create and explore with a huge selection of toys, resources and equipment…
We have a large outdoor play area which is equipped with bikes, trikes, balls and hoops! In extreme weather, we have access to a 19x12 meter indoor space too!
Singing, dancing or making our own music is an exciting part of any day. Our children enjoy lots of activities which involve rthyme and rhyme.
Leave the 'good clothes' at home! Sometimes the messier the play, the better the fun! Messy play activities allow children to develop vital skills for learning.
Whether it be with the farm set, dressing up or being in the home area, role play helps develop communication, creativity and critical thinking.
Children will have the chance to explore many different mediums to allow them to create masterpieces that may express their own interests, feelings and/or experiences.
Jigsaws, threading beads, using tweezers or grasping a pencil...all opportunities to develop essential skills for writing, getting dressed or manipulating objects.
Puddleducks is a wonderful place to be a child and where a child can fall in love with the world.
We have four bespoke, age appropriate play rooms as well as a unique 19 x 12 meter indoor play area.
Our outdoor play area complete with a special playhouse allows our children to energetically enrich their learning.
We believe in creating an invitation to play that engages children and encourages curiosity, creativity, and connectivity.
A wonderful team of hard working, thoughtful, reflective and dedicated Early Years professionals.
Together, our team has a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience in Early Years care and education. We are passionate about being the best for your little duck. Through regular team meetings, training and 1:1 supervision – we believe that “when the best of me meets the best of you…there is MAGIC!”
