Nursery facilities
The Nursery is split into four main areas:
Tinies
Non mobile babies benefit from the large, bright, open plan day room, well equipped with the latest in sensory equipment to stimulate the babies senses during their formative months. As babies spend a lot of time sleeping at this early age, we provide a dedicated sleep room. We constantly monitor the temperature to ensure the babies are comfortable and the integrated glass wall allows us to monitor the children at all times. There are never more than three babies to any one member of staff. Your child’s key person will take care of all your child’s personal needs whenever possible reinforcing the primary areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage focusing on “Positive Relationships” building a bond between your child and key person.which continues during your child’s time at Monkey Puzzle.
Tweenies
The Tweenies room is for children 1-2 years with the day structured around their changing interests. The Tweenies room is very well appointed with outstanding levels of equipment allowing your child to discover at their individual level of understanding. The room focuses on the primary area’s of the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ framework and encourages learning through play. There are various dedicated areas in the Tweenies room offering different activities. There is the ‘Story Corner’ where Tweenies sit in a group and are read stories. A sand and water play area, a construction area to develop coordination and a messy play area for painting and generally getting messy. Tweenies also benefit from a staffing ratio of one member of staff looking after no more than three children. The Tweenies also have supervised access to the gardens.
Toddlers
The Toddler room also benefits from a number of dedicated areas. As in Tweenies, the Toddlers have creative areas, a reading corner, circle time and a home area corner. As this is the time when the majority of children start ‘toilet training’, the toddlers room is equipped with brightly decorated children’s toilets, encouraging independence. The unique discovery garden is fully equipped with an impact absorbing surface and lots of outside equipment designed to encourage coordination and balance.
Pre School
Pre School children also follow the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’. We support them, preparing them for their eventual move to school. This is a more settled routine, with children working in small groups. Through our observations of children learning through play, we are able to introduce adult led activities that follow the interest of individual children, linking them to the seven areas of learning: communication and language, physical development, personal social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts and design. The Pre School room is fully equipped including an interactive table top touch screen computer with over 170 activities, laptops and digital cameras. The children have open access to the garden every day (free flow) from their room and complete a lot of their daily activities outside through choice. The garden environments also reflect the areas of learning and allows problem solving on a grander scale.
All the children in all rooms go out for local educational trips, and whether it be to the local shops or places of interest we always risk assess our outings and ensure that ratios are adhered to.
Monkey Puzzle is open from 7.30am – 6.30pm (Core Hours 8.00am – 6.00pm) We support government funding which consists of 15 hours free per week (term time only) from the term after their third birthday.