Our Curriculum

Intent:

With our vision at the heart of all we do, our curriculum has been developed to inspire and develop our little children as they explore and react to the world surrounding them - both as they are now and in preparation for the experiences they will face in the future. We encourage our little ones to socialise, to develop friendships and to help their peers. We have carefully developed this approach in a holistic way. As a direct result, the aim of our curriculum is to enrich children’s lives and provide opportunities for children to develop as:

Autonomous Citizens:

Meal times are taken collectively- sitting together as a family is invaluable and

learning often takes part collectively.

Children play and investigate in groups to solve problems and explore solutions, developing a myriad of skills through collaboration.

We recognise children are individuals as well as social beings and, to help them reach their full potential, we have a strong Keyperson system; our staff identify each child’s individual needs and interests and plan for, support and encourage their development. Because of the relationship between the Keyperson and the child, a quasi-family bond is forged. This leads to a feeling of protection and security for our children, enabling them to feel confident in tackling challenges and taking risks.

The drive to independence is not restricted to the outdoors. Within our rooms we encourage children to be autonomous and help themselves. Children learn to dress themselves, search for things they might need in their play, self-serve their meals and help clear the table. They are encouraged to wash their hands and use the toilet by themselves. Most children respond well to these little tasks and they feel proud of their achievements.

Resilient Adventurers:

We are extremely fortunate that the nursery is located in beautiful countryside and has access to a forest. This natural environment enables children to learn various skills such as perseverance, risky play, collaboration, resilience and independence.

We want our children to be able to take risks in a range of contexts such as; physically, socially and emotional. It’s important that children recognise other points of views/ opinions and can manage this emotionally and openly.

Empowered Explorers:

We recognise that our children come to nursery from a wide range of backgrounds; some have not had the opportunity to experience a number of diverse cultural situations. By attending this nursery (and experiencing the forest school), children learn to understand that this environment is shared, cultural barriers are broken down between those children that have those benefits at home and those that do not. Children recognise the forest as something that they share equally. In an attempt to further the idea of equality, we teach children about different countries, cultures and traditions.

We observe each individual child to identify gaps in their experience and learning needs. We plan accordingly to close those gaps in a range of exciting ways, including planning trips, teaching the basics of social interaction and creating diverse learning spaces. We regularly invite the elderly of Tenterden to attend our nursery and meet our children. The children get an idea of what it is like to be elderly, to hear adults’ stories of their lives, to extend their vocabulary and their dealings with people of a different generation.

The children benefit from professionals coming to the nursery from our community to share their skills e.g. the bee keeper, Rocket Sensory, The Doodle man etc

Respectful Communicators:

As a nursery we feel passionately that communication, vocabulary and confidence in speech are an essential part of our curriculum. Play is a huge part of communication. Our Key people wait to be invited into the child’s imaginary world; once they have granted them access, the Keyperson is able to interact imaginatively, developing the children’s language skills through new words and an understanding of body language.

We read quality stories using props and inviting questions and comments. The story interaction is continued as we provide parents with the necessary information to continue the discussion at home.

Interaction between home and nursery is vital in developing keen and successful learners. Exploring and learning doesn’t finish when the child goes home. We work closely with parents, encouraging them to talk, play and discuss things with their children. By doing this, we hope we create a whole and well-balanced child.

Confident Creators

Little Pickles values the importance of self-expression as it supports children’s emotional wellbeing and reduces anxiety. It’s how children represent themselves, their thoughts, and feelings as they develop their ideas.

We encourage self-expression through providing opportunities to explore art, dance, singing, acting. The stage is a valuable contribution allowing children to express themselves independently. As a nursery we value every child’s uniqueness, and we celebrate every child’s individuality.

Little Pickles strives to create a happy, contented environment for children to grow to their full potential, ready for their next big adventure - admittance to primary school. By this time, we hope our little pickles will be curious, confident and independent learners.

Implementation

Every child has a right to reach their full potential, thus it is vital that our curriculum is implemented effectively. At Little Pickles we strive to ensure that our activities, environment and learning experiences are joyful and engaging for all.

Teaching and learning:

Our keyperson approach allows a strong relationship between children and adults who all provide a fun, creative, imaginative, and individual experience that shapes and builds upon the children’s learning.

We believe that knowing each child well and planning exciting learning experiences that build, broaden and widen their knowledge and skills will help children to flourish.

Our curriculum design:

We believe that incorporating children, parents, and the key person as part of the curriculum design process is vital. The key persons knowledge of their children allows them to ensure learning excites, hooks, inspires and engages children using their interests and next steps.