learning

The 3 Prime areas of learning for babies as outlined in the EYFS are Communication and Language Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Physical Development, they are all met in a cross curricular way.

We also provide activities in support of the 4 specific areas of learning; Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design, as they become age and stage appropriate for each baby.

 

Babies learn from the people around them and how they are attended to, the environment that they are in and the opportunities it provides. At minihome the key worker is a crucial part of each baby’s learning environment. By providing a warm, loving relationship they become a secure base from which the baby can begin to explore with confidence.

 

Your key worker (accompanied by a manager) will visit you and your baby at home during their settling in period in order to establish their role as a familiar face, a person who has been welcomed into your lives. We gather information from you on your baby’s needs, likes and dislikes, developmental stage and interests.

 

We make sure that there is regular dialogue, about each baby’s changing needs, between the key worker and the family. As well as daily feedback we provide termly review meetings with your key worker and invite you to contribute to your child’s developmental record at least twice each term.

 

We ensure that the staff team in baby room are all familiar faces for your baby. We work with one or two regular support staff provided by an agency if we need staff cover.

 

 

 

We follow the routine that you have established for your baby, offering milk feeds and naps as you have indicated. Our younger babies are held for bottle-feeding. Changing and feeding are used as opportunities for play, growth and development. They are carried out with love and attention, as needed by the child and not according to a pre determined schedule. These are times when babies can be helped to discover their own bodies and play with water when washing hands and experience new tastes, smells and sensations whilst eating.

 

 

Key workers engage with babies, using a soothing voice and simple language, encouraging imitation and copying your baby. They provide sensory activities for your baby to explore; water, ice, dough and gloopy, sticky, edible things to feel; things to rattle and bang. Talking with, singing to and physical play with babies forms much of the activity for our youngest group.

 

A variety of toys are introduced, soft and hard, noisy and silent, small to develop finger gripping and large for hugging. There are toys that respond to actions, things to push and pull and turn. Toys range in the level of visual stimulation and in the textures introduced. So that not all toys are brightly coloured.

 

Treasure baskets are introduced to this group and continued through to our toddler room. These contain collections of everyday objects made of natural materials such as shiny metal, leather, straw, wood and fabrics. There are a variety of different balls of different materials plus beanbags.

 

Books are read as well as used for feeling and looking at.

 

There are mirrors at floor level, and a variety of textured surfaces for babies to be placed on.
Babies are encouraged to discover their bodies through foot rattles, massage and assisted movements.

 

 

Each week we have a session provided by a musician who comes in to sing songs accompanied by guitar and encourage the babies to move and shake percussion instruments. Music and other sounds are played in the room each day and songs sung at snack time.

 

For mobile babies the activities are an extension from the pre-crawling group. Babies lead the way with their interests and are introduced to new experiences by key workers. Toys are available within reach to allow babies to begin to make choices and have preferences.

 

The range of toys is broader and includes blocks and things to push or pull along. Items requiring finer manipulation are introduced. Low steps and slopes and soft play blocks are available to develop movement alongside pushalongs, carts, rockers and tunnels, plus group action songs and dancing.

 

Babies as they develop take part in painting, mark making with crayons and chalks, moving to music and making sounds and rhythms. As their interest in pretend play starts to grow, adults show them how play in the home corner and with dolls, cars, animals and other small world play items. We enjoy looking at how people from a range of cultures and religions celebrate festivals. In the spirit of extending knowledge and understanding of difference we use direct sensory experiences to provide babies opportunities to try the foods, music, clothes and rituals typical of these festivals. Families are very welcome to share their traditions and ways of celebrating with us at nursery.

 

There is time outside every day in our garden, weather permitting. Babies love to use the push along carts and bikes as they begin to walk. Hours of fun are had with water and bubbles throughout the summer and ice in winter. For small babies just feeling the wind in the air, seeing the trees and leaves moving and the light changing are all vital parts of their sensory experiences.

 

Babies go out of the nursery, in double buggies, to the local parks to use the play equipment, see more of the natural world; ducks, deer and birds at Clissold Park as well as the seasonal plants and mini-beasts throughout our local area. They also visit local markets and shops for fruit and vegetables for their home corner or to prepare for snacks or for food to use in cookery or sensory play such as oaty or cornflour gloop.

 

Babies, like all children at minihome, are observed by their key worker and others to plan and provide for their developmental needs. We also assess their development to ensure that any developmental issues are picked up on and appropriate action taken to support you and your baby to access additional help if needed.

 

 

daily routine

We follow your baby’s routine as you describe it to us, offering naps and milk feeds in the amounts and at the times that you have established with your baby. The routine below is what happens in the room, for your baby to access in their waking hours.

 

 

time	activity	details
08:00 - 09:00	Welcome and Breakfast	A time to share information. Children move on to activities once they have finished their breakfast.
08:30 - 09:30	Free play	The room is set up according to the continuous provision plan and children are free to explore the resources, such as soft play, home corner, construction, water, sand and malleable materials. Playing with the group supports them to develop social skills. Adults support the babies in their exploration and interactions.
09:15 - 09:25	Circle time (during free play)	Singing and stories. Babies are free to join in with singing morning welcome song and have a story
09:25 - 09:55	Messy play activity or daily walk	Planned focus messy/ sensory play activity is set up for babies to explore
09:25 - 09:55	Daily pushchair walks around local community	Four babies and two staff to go on a walk around the local community. This rotates through the group
09:55 - 10:00	Tidy up and wash hands for snack	Staff support babies washing their hands
10.00 - 10:15	Snack time and nursery rhyme session	Children sit on the mat when eating snack and listen to nursery rhyme session
10:00 - 10:30	Special Session	Weekly alternating on Tuesday and Thursday, special singing and music session.
10:15 - 11:40	Outside garden time or free play inside	Children are free to explore the continuous provision in the garden.
11:45	Tidy up and wash hands	Staff support babies washing their hands
11:45 - 12:15	Lunch time	We support each baby to eat according to their parent’s wishes, self feeding or spoon feeding, key workers feed their own key children.  We take time to talk and see this as a learning experience
12:15 - 14:30	Nap time and quiet play time	Many babies sleep at this time so quiet play is available to those who are awake.
14:30 - 15:30	Outside garden time or free play inside	Children are free to explore the continuous provision in the garden
14:30 - 15:30	Music and movement Session	Staff to lead babies in music session, using instruments, silk scarfs, parachute etc.
15:50 - 16:20	Tea time	A lighter meal than lunch
16:30 - 17:20	Big physical free play	Tunnels, balls, bikes, rockers and soft play. The Babies are free to play on equipment with staff supporting them, helping to develop gross motor skills
17:20 - 17:40	Treasure basket session	Weekly treasure basket (different one each week)
17:45 - 18:00	Snack time / story / singing
18:00	Home time	Children get collected by their parents/ carers