Our Environment:
We have 2 spacious rooms in our preschool called the Buzzard room and the Rainbow room. These are both set up with new activities daily. We often open up both rooms to allow free flow playing for the children to play. We have comfortable sofas which are perfect for quiet time, relaxing and reading and we have big soft rugs and cushions that we use for story and circle time. We have singing time daily. We have some lovely areas set up that encourage role play and friendship building such as the kitchens and home areas. We also have a fully functioning kitchen which we use with the children to do baking and cooking.
We are very lucky to have our wonderful outdoor spaces both under cover and our nature garden where we can offer everything that’s inside but more. Weather permitting, we like to go out there as often as possible. They have access to water, sand, mud and other physical activities. Our children thrive and they learn and develop more when the outdoor environment is offered to them, as it opens up their senses and they can feel the air and see the world around them.
We are also very fortunate to be based at the top of Candys Field and often play out there and go exploring, you would have seen the new park at the bottom of the field which we have access too. And finally, we have our beautiful Lympstone beach just a short walk away and we like to do beach trips often with the children.
A Typical Day
At the start of each day, we will welcome your child with love and cuddles if needed, they are taught to be responsible for hanging coats and bags on their pegs and using their pictures to sign themselves in. We will obviously be there to help, assist and encourage them. We do try to go straight outside with the children once everyone has arrived, either into the nature garden or out exploring.
We then have morning snack and drinks, either outside or back at preschool. The children love hot chocolate and snack time on the beach.
We will then have some wonderful activities set up for the children to explore. We set up the tables inside and the tuff trays outside with lots of fun items that encourage messy, imaginative and creative play, nurturing the curiosity approach that we follow.
The morning sessions will usually end with circle time on the rugs which can include stories, singing and show and tell.
Some of our children will leave us for the day after this session and some will join us. We encourage all children to say goodbye and welcome our friends and make sure everyone feels valued.
Lunchtime:
Lunch times provide a stepping- stone towards full-time education. If staying for lunch your child will need to bring their own packed lunch and drink. Please put names on lunch boxes and drink bottles and be aware of our healthy eating policy when filling it up – no chocolate bars/sweets and only healthy snacks. We would request that adherence to our no nut policy is upheld since it is possible that there could be children on the premises with severe and life-threatening allergies. We would ask that parents provide children with a drink container filled with water so that children can access drinks at all times of the day. Children will be encouraged to eat and drink regularly at preschool.
After lunch the children, for those children that still need to have nap time, we will facilitate this in our special areas we set up for them and watch over them whilst they sleep.
The other children will have more free play either inside or outside, or go for an adventure exploring our Candys field, the beach or through our beautiful village.
We often have activities available such a yoga, a little disco or soft play set up. We encourage movement but also recognise the need for quiet time if your children requires that.
The end of the day is usually finished with circle time where we sing and talk and make sure the children leave feeling happy.
Preparing your child for Preschool
Please remember to send your child in simple clothing, which they can handle themselves when they go to the toilet. They will need an all-weather coat, overalls, wellies and sun hat or warm hat since we will often take them outside. We suggest 3 sets of spare set of clothes in their bag. Please ensure that your child’s name is on their clothes, coats, hats and scarves etc to avoid mistakes. A drawstring PE bag is preferable to store items on their pegs; these can be purchased from us.
They will need a packed lunch if they are staying with us during that session, a named filled water bottle.
Please send nappies and wipes if they still require these.
Settling in sessions
Leaving your child at preschool for the first time can be incredibly difficult. To help you through this we offer free ‘settling in session’. This involves you spending time with your child and their key person at preschool, before popping out for a short time to allow your little one to interact with their new surroundings. You can do this a few times until you feel confident about your child staying with us for a full session. We find this really helps parents and children to settle into preschool life!
Registering for a Preschool place
Please download our Preschool registration, and send a completed copy to admissions@lympstonepreschool.co.uk