With our new flock of wooden sheep, we have been appreciating the glorious days. Playing with water, sand, loose parts. Making and hiding in the den, making cakes in our mud kitchen. Childhood could not be more creative and fun than at Claylands.
In a world in which we are preparing our youngsters for jobs, it is imperative to fuel children’s curiosity and appetite for learning. This love of learning, along with the skills to communicate, problem-solve, and self-regulate, will lead to life-long success no matter the profession. Some might say that learning these skills will only happen behind […]
Shelves overflowed with piles of games, equipment and donated items, making the room look more like a car boot sale than a classroom. In fact, there seemed to be more storage space than floor space.… A cluttered play environment can make children restless and unfocused. When toys do not lead to deep engagement, children are easily […]
Outdoor play is central to early development. Exploring, risk taking, fine and gross motor skills development, and indeed the majority of cognitive development, is best learned outdoors. Children need spaces large enough to run, jump, shout, hide, explore freely, have free access to sand, mud, water, freedom to explore – and Claylands Nursery is unique in providing such […]
Here at Claylands we have an on-site cook who uses the Care Inspectorate Healthy Eating Document called “Setting the Table” (See Below) Every Meal is nutritionally balanced for young children and follows their guidelines. It is cooked fresh on the premises every day and our meal times and snack times are social occasions where the […]
Nursery Management has become a discipline in its own right, and our Claylands Nursery Manager is qualified not just to degree level, she has also gained the Post Degree Diploma in childhood practice from Glasgow University. She is one of only a very few people in Scotland to have already qualified at this level. You […]
Sending your child to nursery is one of the biggest steps you will have to make as a parent. It can be a very sensitive time, but nursery can have a positive and long-term impact on children’s capabilities, progress and social development. A child’s brain develops more in the first five years than at any […]
Making the most of water play “Water is one of the basic raw materials for purposeful play. Just like sand, clay and blocks, children can use water without being constrained by the one right way to use it,” writes Sandra Crosser, Ph.D. “Water is intriguing. It seems to draw children to explore its structure and […]