Baby Bears
Three months – One year 1:3 RatioLeaving your baby as you return to work is never easy. You want to know they’ll be loved, safe and cared for – just like at home.
Our Baby Bears team are early years experts. They support every stage of development – sleep, feeding, weaning, first words, movement and play – while keeping routines consistent between home and nursery.
The room is soft and cosy, with toys, textures, sounds and visual aids to spark growing senses. Babies enjoy crafts like hand and foot painting and spend time outdoors every day, from garden play to village walks.
We follow strict hygiene practices, sterilising toys and steam-cleaning floors, keeping curious explorers safe. We also encourage first steps with gentle support and confidence-building.
The Baby Bears have their own cabin with peaceful bunk-bed cots and direct access to an outdoor play area – the perfect space for little ones to rest, explore and grow.
Staff who work with this age group…
Some pictures from this age group…
Bear Cubs
One – two years 1:3 RatioBy the time your child reaches Bear Cubs, their language and communication skills are most likely well underway and they are starting to say actual words and be able to tell us what they want. Their inquisitive minds enable them to confidently explore all the different toys and equipment such as sand and water, puzzles, animals, cars and books. They enjoy lots of baking, craft, singing and are encouraged to start following simple instructions such as washing hands before snacks and meals and joining in for songs and story time.
We create family albums for each child to encourage close relationships and links between nursery and home and support their emerging social skills with their friends through learning to share toys and take turns.
Every day is an adventure for our Bear Cubs and we make sure each day is as exciting, challenging and as fun as the next, whether it be in our lovely bright stimulating rooms, outside in our garden, or on adventures around the canal or parks.
We are there to ensure that as our Bear Cubs make that amazing transition from babbling babies, unsteady on their feet, to confident chatty toddlers that we provide the comfort, support and stimulation that they need to fulfil their full potential.
Staff who work with this age group…
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Little Bears
Two – three years 1:4 RatioYour little ones will have certainly found their feet by the time they move up to being a Little Bear! In their lovely big room, they can charge around from one activity to the other, including sand and water troughs, role play and dressing up areas, soft play, cars, dolls, kitchens, building blocks or relax in the cosy book corner. They have access to the garden and go out at every available opportunity. Walks around the countryside and canal are part of their everyday activities, to see the canal boats and go on nature trails.
Here, potty and toilet training starts to begin, with easy access to separate toilets and potty facilities. We work closely with parents/carers to support toilet training and encourage the children to practice good personal hygiene by thoroughly washing their hands after visiting the potty or toilet and before all snacks and mealtimes.
We love to get messy and do lots of craft, using lots of different materials and explore lots of different textures. Key skills will really start to develop such as learning colours, shapes and counting and emerging fine motor skills.
We look to develop the children’s concentration skills ready for their transition to Pre-school. Through singing, story and circle time sessions, they will learn to take turns and listen patiently to others. It’s at this age that their social skills really start to develop and real friendships start to emerge.
Emotions can run very high at this age as their minds are developing at such a fast rate and they have not yet learnt to cope with these new feelings such as excitement, frustration or anger. They are also starting to develop their own opinions and may start to test the boundaries. Our staff have years of experience and fully understand the reasons behind this behaviour. They respond by setting clear boundaries, mixed with lots of love, affection and patience.
Most importantly, we have lots of fun in a safe, stimulating and loving environment.
Staff who work with this age group…
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Big Bears
Three – Four years 1:6 RatioBig Bears have access to our new cabin. Children can free flow between the rooms and our vast outdoor space, which has equipment to suit their age and developmental as well as access to our Forest School. Children are always continuing to achieve big milestones and develop at their own pace.
Being a Big Bear is lots of fun, the children love to be much more independent in their exploration, making friends and let their imaginations run wild.
As part of the Big Bears daily routine, the children go outside, where fun, challenging activities are set. The changing nature of the outdoors makes it an incredibly stimulating and multi-sensory place to play. This is important as children learn and gain experience through all their senses.
At this age, Big Bears explore Forest School where they take their indoor learning outdoors, allowing children to take safe, controlled risks in a secure environment. Big Bears use Forest School every day with children engaging in activities such as mud paintings and cooking lunches around our campfire, bug hunts, tree rubbing and much more.
The Big Bears staff will continue to support your child on their potty and toilet training journey, with easy access to toilets and potty facilities. We work closely with parents/carers to support toilet training and encourage the children to practice good personal hygiene by thoroughly washing their hands after visiting the potty or toilet and before all snacks and mealtimes.
By the time your child is ready to move up to the Pre-School Bears they will have conquered toilet training and on their way to be being well round mini individuals, who are confident, happy, caring and loving children.
Staff who work with this age group…
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Pre-School
Three – Five years 1:8 RatioPre-School is a very important time where we start preparing your little ones for school.
Our Pre-School rooms are full of exciting activities and equipment to encourage their skills and imagination to develop. They will start to develop all the necessary skills that they will need to give them the foundation they need for when they start school. They will further develop their pencil control and start writing letters including their own name, learn to cut safely with scissors, put on their own coat and shoes, start to serve their own meals and snacks and help to clear up after play and meal times.
The children are encouraged to develop a strong love of books and often love playing ‘teacher’ reading aloud to their friends. Their concentration, language and communication skills are now very strong and they thrive on the praise and respect given to them by the staff who treat them all as special individuals.
The children grow their own vegetables and go on local trips to the surrounding parks. They perform a Christmas Carols event as well as taking a part in a Pre-School Graduation ceremony.
We can confidently say, that our Pre-Schoolers really do get the very best start ready for school and we are very proud of all of our happy, clever and confident children.
Staff who work with this age group…
Some pictures from this age group…
