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Kirkley Nursery & Centre of Excellence

Squirrels - 2years to 3years of Age

Welcome to Squirrels

Hello my name is Natalie and I am the room lead for the Squirrels
 

The Squirrels room is for children aged 2 to 3 years old. We start each session
by coming together as a group and welcome everyone. During this time, we
sing our ‘hello’ song, discuss our days of the week and sing a few songs
chosen by the children. We also practice our Makaton sign of the week and
observe what the weather is like.
The Squirrels room follows a ‘free flow’ approach, which enables the children to
select their own choice of resources and explore them however they wish to.
Throughout the sessions children have the opportunity to take part in social
interaction groups where they learn to share and turn take with their peers. This
is a great way for them to play cooperatively as well as having fun! The routine
is child-led and we follow the learning styles of each individual child. This way
we get to see what motivates, encourages and captivates them.
We have continuous provision areas within the room, for example, a
construction area, small world area and role play. These areas are changed
and altered on interests of the children. Both indoors and outdoors offered
throughout the day. Every week we build in different themes into the room
which enables children to discover new activities and resources, whilst still
having the option to play freely.
In the Squirrels room we focus on supporting our little ones to be the best
version of themselves. We do this by focusing on developing our ability to
express our emotions and finding alternative holistic ways to communicate. This
is through the use of continuous Makaton Signs, discussing feelings and
different emotions and small interaction groups. Our little ones in particular
have a lot of emotions and we find these in particular helps them to express
how they feel, what they are trying to communicate and how we can support
them.
We work from the Early Years Foundation Stage Development Matters, where
we emphasise that “all children develop at their own rates, and in their own
ways”. The prime areas of learning are Personal, Social and Emotional
Development, Communication and Language, and Physical Development. The
specific areas of learning are Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World,

and Expressive Arts and Design. In order to enable the children to develop in
these areas, we complete and undertake regular observations and plan next
steps using Tapestry. Tapestry is an online observation tool that allows you to
see what your child is doing whilst at nursery, and you are able to contribute to
your child’s learning journey by uploading pictures and comments. Your child
will have a key person while at nursery, who you can speak to regarding your
child’s learning and developing and current interests at home or if you may
have any concerns.
We can’t wait to meet you!