Alphablocks Nursery School | Ofsted Outstanding | Hadley WoodWe are pleased to announce that our Barnet / Enfield nursery school has been selected as the Client of the Month for September 2016 by A&L.
Among various nurseries in Cockfosters, Enfield, Barnet, Potters Bar and the surrounding areas, Alphablocks Nursery School is unique in its unwavering commitment to personalized learning and its hybrid approach in early education, combining Montessori, Reggio Emilia, High Scope, and Forest Schools. You can read the full interview here.
By the age of three our children get to be the most wonderful storytellers. They engage in so-called “open ended” activities inspired by the stories we share with them. They learn how to use story props, how to pretend that story-related objects are integrated with their very own experiences. They take roles in their play and are completely immersed in stories, energised and fascinated by them. They become creators by changing parts of the story and making new versions. This is what “active learning” is all about, and it’s learning at its best.
Being outside is often the ideal environment for children to learn. An environment where they can explore different textures, natural sounds, their own physical movements, and experience fundamental things like going down a slope or balancing on a wall. The wide-ranging Every Child a Talker (ECaT) study had reported that children were also a lot more communicative and vocal in an outdoor environment. Outdoor play has a positive impact on children’s well-being, as it gives them the freedom to explore and express themselves through a wider range of movements and sounds. Here at Alphablocks Nursery School we are fully aware of the importance of outdoor play and, in this post, we explain how we make the most out of the opportunities it provides.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework underlines the importance of outdoor play in providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive, as well as to develop their movement, control and co-ordination. Outdoor learning helps children develop space awareness and it supports overall physical development, including posture, balance, and muscle development. Even though there is no doubt whatsoever as to these benefits (and many more!) that outdoor play provides, young children don’t spend enough time in outdoor environments, and this sets the scene for their future attitudes in the first classes of primary school.
But what is it that makes the outdoors such an ideal learning environment? For young children, this is because a natural environment is inherently interesting for them, and attractive in a fundamental way, due to its multisensory aspects, where children can use all of their senses and many different skills at once. It allows them to take risks and observe new things every day like a new sound or the changes in the seasons. At the most basic level, it helps children learn without them even realizing it.
There are a number of established educational approaches in the early years sector and, even though there are many differences between them, they all share the same simple goal: to help every child fulfil his or her potential.
Despite the differences between these approaches, all of them are recognised by Ofsted and form part of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Montessori approach puts at its centre the child’s independence in learning and development, while the Reggio Emilia approach focuses on how the learning environment can act as a ‘third teacher’. Forest School sessions at our nursery develop confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired, hands-on experiences in natural settings.
In this post we review the core features of each approach and explain, in simple terms, how we combine their best elements into a unique hybrid approach which is followed here at Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep, a boutique nursery in the heart of Hadley Wood village, serving local communities in Barnet and Enfield.
