At RHNS we understand that children will learn from their play and the experiences and interactions that they engage in during their time here.
Staff are sensitive to children’s individual needs and will attune to these and their interests and use provocations as a means to support and encourage the child in their thinking. We offer a balance of responsive and intentional experiences where staff will support spontaneous ideas or plan for more specific learning outcomes. Through our planning and working in partnership with parents and families, we aim to support a child’s learning and development during their time at RHNS.
It is through play that children learn about themselves and
make sense of the world
around them.Realising the Ambition (2020)
Each of the 3 play rooms are of similar shape and size and offer children a range of different experiences. In these spaces there is a reading and cosy area, role play area, construction and small world area. The nursery team will also set up a variety of activities each day which promote different types of play which include sensory play (using materials such as sand, water, gloop, playdough or shaving foam), arts and crafts (including mark making)
These experiences are designed to support and develop children’s curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills.
The 0-2s is called the Yellow room.
The 2-3s is called the Pink room
The 3-5s is called the Green room
The nursery uses current and relevant frameworks in supporting children’s individual development, such as Realising the Ambition (2020, Realising the Ambition | Resources | Education Scotland). In the 3-5s group, the Curriculum for Excellence is used to support all experiences on offer and areas of the curriculum are promoted within each area. For example, literacy is promoted not only in the book area where children can access a range of reading materials, but can also be seen in the role play area as signage, food packaging, and reading materials such as shop fliers, which children may experience in the home environment. If you would like more information on how play is supported at RHNS, please email the nursery at rockinghorsenursery@abdn.ac.uk.
At the heart of RHNS we believe in the child’s voice. We encourage, where possible, child-led learning (children making decisions about what they would like to do each day), and from observing their interests, we can plan for their needs. For example, in the 0-2s group (Named the Yellow room), we implement a process called ‘Fascinations’ which involves observing children to examine what their interests are and working with parents to build on these interests. For more information on this, please speak with the room staff.
Promoting diversity
Within the nursery, we take into account children’s cultural needs and use information shared by parents to promote these needs through different activities.
We also work in partnership with the Confucius Institute, and a Mandarin teacher comes to RHNS twice a week to promote the Mandarin language with the 3-5s group.
Community
At RHNS, our local community is part of the nursery. The nursery can access resources and facilities on campus and uses these opportunities to develop and enhance children’s experiences. These include visits to the library/zoology museum, to sessions in the Science hub, and weekly visits to the Cruickshank Botanic gardens.
Outdoor play
At RHNS we have 2 outdoor play environments both which offer a range of different types of play. In the main garden we have an outdoor sandpit, mud kitchen, planting area, a wooden boat, loose parts, a reading area as well as a separate garden which is used by our 0-2s.
We believe that children of all ages should be able to mix freely outdoors, as this promotes nurturing relationships amongst the different age groups. This also enables siblings to play together and join in with each other’s friendships. Having a wide range of resources and areas which are accessible for all promotes the ethos that experiences, space and interactions are important for young children (Realising the Ambition, 2020).
The second garden (named the walled garden) can be likened to a ‘mini forest’. It has mature trees, a different landscape from the main garden. As such, this area promotes more challenging and risky play as children move freely through the grounds. We have made the decision to leave this area quite ‘wild’ to enable the children the experience playing and exploring in such an environment. It promotes problem-solving, offers imaginative opportunities, and children can experience activities such as swinging in a hammock or building a den. As this area is untamed, there are plants such as nettles that children may come upon. However, there are nature’s own remedies (dock leaves) which children quickly learn can help to help ease the situation! There is an abundance of willow trees which can be used to enhance play opportunities and can be used in the den-making process.
When you come to visit RHNS please do add in extra 5 minutes to visit this part of the nursery.
