Reflective Account Of A Nursery
My setting is St.Joseph’s nursery , which is a roman catholic school , located on Queen’s road. The School curriculum in St. Joseph's follows Aberdeen City Council guidelines and is consistent with the Curriculum and Assessment.It is a public school , which offers nursery class for children aged between 3 and 5. Children can attend a morning or an afternoon session.The morning class consists of 20 children , and the afternoon has 20 children.
PLAY SPACES AND OUTDOOR
The nursery room and storage facilities are situated on the lower ground floor of the school.There is easy access to the nursery and separate entrance for the parents.
The room is large , well-established and beautifully decorated.It is a welcoming space where children can safely …show more content…
play and learn.There are a few different activity areas , where every child can follow his own interests.The first thing a person can see , when walking into the room is the snack corner , where the children have the opportunity to have conversations , they gain independence as they choose for themselves and are encouraged to follow a routine , when having their snack.
The next area is the wateplay , where children can develop mathematical skills , such as filling , measuring and comparing , while having a lot of fun.Different measuring tools,toys and aprons are provided for the kids.
The sand play is where a child get to feel both wet and dry sand and investigate its properties.Pounding and forcing around the sand , can be a way for a child to express his aggression or excitement as well.
The nursery room has big creative area , where children develop their fine motor skills by cutting, sticking, drawing, colouring , and exploring all types of materials.Children often use the materials , in order to recreate objects , and their drawings appear to be one of the ways , they express their feelings.. The constructive area of the room , is a great play space , where children not only have fun , but also have the opportunity to develop mathematical skills , by comparing size , shape , weight.Their gross skills are being developed as they lift and stretch when they are recreating different objects.
One of the children’s favourite area in the nursery is the story corner.It is positioned near the window ,it is a carpeted, comfortable and cozy space.They have their displays of books and CDs.In this area they have their circle time activities , where they discuss what day,month and what is the weather like. Children are having a daily story time , including singing their greeting and other favourite songs.This corner is designed either according to the season or to the theme in the nursery.
Near that area is the book corner.It has variety of favourite children’s books , and is accessible to all children.The books are well selected and are suitable for the children’s developmental stage.
The music corner is situated near the book and the story corner.There are selection of different instruments from all over the world , which give the children knowledge of other cultures and it helps to celebrate diversity.With this type of activity they develop rhythm and listening skills , while creating their own melodies and sounds.
There are games provided for the kids , such as dominoes , puzzles and legos which develop sorting,matching,visual and concentration skills. One of the most interesting to the kids area is the role play as they tend to spend a good amount of time there.This area in my nursery is changed frequently , at the moment the theme is the story about ‘’Goldilocks and the three bears’’ .The space is beautifully decorated and shows the different scenes from the story , including the 3 bears and Goldilocks herself , as well as tables , chairs and beds to develop full understanding of the story.A lot of costumes are provided for the kids such as princess dresses and shoes, firefighter clothes and superhero costumes , which allows children to experiment with different roles through pretend play.The corner is filled with props , such as stove , dishesh , oven.
In St.Joseph’s school , the nursery class has its own outdoor space , called The nursery garden.It is large, and gives the opportunity to explore , interact with nature and have a lot of fun.It contains various play structure , a castle where they have their play role , sand area and colouful slides , as well as scooters which they can ride.In one of the areas in the Nursery garden , there is a sensation path ,made from stones,seashells,wooden pieces,leaves and plenty of others materials , which is the perfect way for the child to get to know the nature.Children are able to access the outdoors on a daily basis.
One of the most interesting and beautiful places is the greenhouse.Every class from the school including the nursery , has its own space for planting.Great activities such as planting , harvesting and taking care of the plants , shows the children their importance in providing food , it is also enable them to name the main parts of a plant and learn about all the different kinds of plants.
Children with special needs
There are not children with special needs , rather than allergies.There is a piece of paper , describing every child’s allergy , it is hanged on the wall , so that every member of the staff can see them and take the required measures.
ORGANIZATIONS USING THE SETTING.
St.Joseph’s nursery , is regularly visited by Dental nurse , School doctor , Speech therapist and Educational psychologist.
The dental nurse visits are of a big importance , as the main purpose is to enhance the importance of health and wellbeing , relating to the Curriculum of excellence.She speak to the children about how to keep their teeth healthy and clean , how to properly clean them and the importance of healthy snack.
The speech therapist work with children who have problems with understanding, communicating and expressing themselves.The therapist will take into account any reasons for children difficulties and will help the children to overcome them.
The educational psychologist assess any developmental or learning needs of the child , and work closely with the parents and teacher in order to help the child to cope with any difficulties.The psychologist will then give an advice , for a positive change and growth.
AIMS AND VALUES OF THE NURSERY
St.Joseph’s nursery provides a stimulating environment for learning , developing relationships and gaining confidence.One of the important aims is : ‘’ To work in partnership with parents and building upon the work , that the parents have done previously’’.In my opinion this would not only help the children’s social and emotional development , but will also make them feel secure and happy .Parents are given as much information as possible , about the care that the nursery provides , the current topics the children are working on and are fully involved in the development of their children.This is a way in which the school delivers the Curriculum for excellence , as it emphasises the importance of working in mutual respect and supporting
children.
As part of the Catholic ethos, St. Joseph’s aims to prevent discrimination and provides equal opportunities for every child. One of the main focuses is preparing the child ,to be full citizen in the multi-ethnic society. Pupils are encouraged to resolve personal tensions through group works , Citizenship activities and assemblies.Educators , parents and all staff are responsible to deal with incidents relating to discrimination or racism.Furthermore , the school is promoting equality through different activities , taking into account the history and values of various groups in the society.With regard to catering for individual needs of children with minority backgrounds , the school will access the support of an English teacher as second language teacher , as well as being sensitive and giving support to the child.
In St.Joseph’s nursery , every member of the staff promotes positive behaviour , while taking into consideration the needs of each individual child , in order to develop child’s social , emotional and personal skills.When promoting positive and improving negative behaviour , the staff would implement different strategies such as : praising desirable behaviour , including turn-taking , sharing , kindness and helpfulness.Moreover , they build self-esteem by displaying examples of children’s own work on the walls.Other ways , the staff is using are distracting them from negative situations , also the educators will always try to understand the reason for certain behaviour , and last but not least they are using motivational stickers as rewards , as well as celebrating child’s small success.
ChildREN have the opportunity to experience a range of activities which meet all eight areas of the curriculum.In the nursery, staff respond sensitively to children and help them when they need further encouragement. They have identified those who would benefit from additional support with their learning. Most of the tasks and activities planned meet the needs of all children.
PLAY SPACES AND OUTDOOR
The nursery room and storage facilities are situated on the lower ground floor of the school.There is easy access to the nursery and separate entrance for the parents.
The room is large , well-established and beautifully decorated.It is a welcoming space where children can safely …show more content…
play and learn.There are a few different activity areas , where every child can follow his own interests.The first thing a person can see , when walking into the room is the snack corner , where the children have the opportunity to have conversations , they gain independence as they choose for themselves and are encouraged to follow a routine , when having their snack.
The next area is the wateplay , where children can develop mathematical skills , such as filling , measuring and comparing , while having a lot of fun.Different measuring tools,toys and aprons are provided for the kids.
The sand play is where a child get to feel both wet and dry sand and investigate its properties.Pounding and forcing around the sand , can be a way for a child to express his aggression or excitement as well.
The nursery room has big creative area , where children develop their fine motor skills by cutting, sticking, drawing, colouring , and exploring all types of materials.Children often use the materials , in order to recreate objects , and their drawings appear to be one of the ways , they express their feelings.. The constructive area of the room , is a great play space , where children not only have fun , but also have the opportunity to develop mathematical skills , by comparing size , shape , weight.Their gross skills are being developed as they lift and stretch when they are recreating different objects.
One of the children’s favourite area in the nursery is the story corner.It is positioned near the window ,it is a carpeted, comfortable and cozy space.They have their displays of books and CDs.In this area they have their circle time activities , where they discuss what day,month and what is the weather like. Children are having a daily story time , including singing their greeting and other favourite songs.This corner is designed either according to the season or to the theme in the nursery.
Near that area is the book corner.It has variety of favourite children’s books , and is accessible to all children.The books are well selected and are suitable for the children’s developmental stage.
The music corner is situated near the book and the story corner.There are selection of different instruments from all over the world , which give the children knowledge of other cultures and it helps to celebrate diversity.With this type of activity they develop rhythm and listening skills , while creating their own melodies and sounds.
There are games provided for the kids , such as dominoes , puzzles and legos which develop sorting,matching,visual and concentration skills. One of the most interesting to the kids area is the role play as they tend to spend a good amount of time there.This area in my nursery is changed frequently , at the moment the theme is the story about ‘’Goldilocks and the three bears’’ .The space is beautifully decorated and shows the different scenes from the story , including the 3 bears and Goldilocks herself , as well as tables , chairs and beds to develop full understanding of the story.A lot of costumes are provided for the kids such as princess dresses and shoes, firefighter clothes and superhero costumes , which allows children to experiment with different roles through pretend play.The corner is filled with props , such as stove , dishesh , oven.
In St.Joseph’s school , the nursery class has its own outdoor space , called The nursery garden.It is large, and gives the opportunity to explore , interact with nature and have a lot of fun.It contains various play structure , a castle where they have their play role , sand area and colouful slides , as well as scooters which they can ride.In one of the areas in the Nursery garden , there is a sensation path ,made from stones,seashells,wooden pieces,leaves and plenty of others materials , which is the perfect way for the child to get to know the nature.Children are able to access the outdoors on a daily basis.
One of the most interesting and beautiful places is the greenhouse.Every class from the school including the nursery , has its own space for planting.Great activities such as planting , harvesting and taking care of the plants , shows the children their importance in providing food , it is also enable them to name the main parts of a plant and learn about all the different kinds of plants.
Children with special needs
There are not children with special needs , rather than allergies.There is a piece of paper , describing every child’s allergy , it is hanged on the wall , so that every member of the staff can see them and take the required measures.
ORGANIZATIONS USING THE SETTING.
St.Joseph’s nursery , is regularly visited by Dental nurse , School doctor , Speech therapist and Educational psychologist.
The dental nurse visits are of a big importance , as the main purpose is to enhance the importance of health and wellbeing , relating to the Curriculum of excellence.She speak to the children about how to keep their teeth healthy and clean , how to properly clean them and the importance of healthy snack.
The speech therapist work with children who have problems with understanding, communicating and expressing themselves.The therapist will take into account any reasons for children difficulties and will help the children to overcome them.
The educational psychologist assess any developmental or learning needs of the child , and work closely with the parents and teacher in order to help the child to cope with any difficulties.The psychologist will then give an advice , for a positive change and growth.
AIMS AND VALUES OF THE NURSERY
St.Joseph’s nursery provides a stimulating environment for learning , developing relationships and gaining confidence.One of the important aims is : ‘’ To work in partnership with parents and building upon the work , that the parents have done previously’’.In my opinion this would not only help the children’s social and emotional development , but will also make them feel secure and happy .Parents are given as much information as possible , about the care that the nursery provides , the current topics the children are working on and are fully involved in the development of their children.This is a way in which the school delivers the Curriculum for excellence , as it emphasises the importance of working in mutual respect and supporting
children.
As part of the Catholic ethos, St. Joseph’s aims to prevent discrimination and provides equal opportunities for every child. One of the main focuses is preparing the child ,to be full citizen in the multi-ethnic society. Pupils are encouraged to resolve personal tensions through group works , Citizenship activities and assemblies.Educators , parents and all staff are responsible to deal with incidents relating to discrimination or racism.Furthermore , the school is promoting equality through different activities , taking into account the history and values of various groups in the society.With regard to catering for individual needs of children with minority backgrounds , the school will access the support of an English teacher as second language teacher , as well as being sensitive and giving support to the child.
In St.Joseph’s nursery , every member of the staff promotes positive behaviour , while taking into consideration the needs of each individual child , in order to develop child’s social , emotional and personal skills.When promoting positive and improving negative behaviour , the staff would implement different strategies such as : praising desirable behaviour , including turn-taking , sharing , kindness and helpfulness.Moreover , they build self-esteem by displaying examples of children’s own work on the walls.Other ways , the staff is using are distracting them from negative situations , also the educators will always try to understand the reason for certain behaviour , and last but not least they are using motivational stickers as rewards , as well as celebrating child’s small success.
ChildREN have the opportunity to experience a range of activities which meet all eight areas of the curriculum.In the nursery, staff respond sensitively to children and help them when they need further encouragement. They have identified those who would benefit from additional support with their learning. Most of the tasks and activities planned meet the needs of all children.