Raspberries

A Rich Learning Environment

Raspberries Meal Times:

Meal times are an important social time for the children. They sit in small groups supported at all times by an adult. The children are encouraged to use a knife and fork properly and to display good table manners. They are also encouraged to help serve themselves and control their own portioning where appropriate. Meal times are an excellent opportunity to expand children’s understanding of the natural world and the world around us. We talk to the children about what is in their food, how it is grown and where dishes originate from. Please see our Healthy Choices section for further information.

Raspberries: 2 years to 3 years.

As with all of the nursery the Raspberries area has been designed as a bespoke space for the children. Comprising of two principle rooms as well as a dedicated sensory room and bathroom facilities. Starting with the upstairs quiet area this provides the children with an intimate space where practitioners can bring small groups of children for focused activities or just for a quiet story. They then move down into the bright and spacious main room with masses of natural light. This room provides an environment designed to encourage and inspire all the children.

The Raspberries have their own, dedicated Sensory Room, specifically designed for their age groups needs and interests. Please see the Our Spaces for more information about the benefits of sensory rooms for children.

Raspberries Staffing and Ratios:

Children in our Raspberries room are cared for on a maximum 1:4 ratio. This enables us to support each child and to ensure their safety at all times. Your child will be allocated a key person in the room who will be your principle liaison with the nursery. They will help support your child in their personal care and development. For more information please see our Useful Stuff section.

The Raspberries Learning Environment:

Working with the EYFS 7 areas of learning the different areas of play become more defined in Raspberries. Our construction, small world, mark making, mathematics, role play and home corners are well stocked and laid out to encourage the children to use each area fully and to move from one activity to another as their interest guides them. We provide lots of creative and sensory play such as painting, playdough, sand, water and gloop as well as music and drama, allowing them to experiment and explore.

Raspberries in the garden:

The Raspberries room opens directly on to our amazing garden, which provides a whole world of opportunity for adventure and learning. Please see Our Spaces for more information.

The Important Milestone of Toilet Training!

Every child achieves this milestone in their own time but it is common for many children to become interested in toileting at around the age of two years. We work along side parents and carers to identify the right time for their child to start this important process and to support them in achieving this. To help make this process as smooth and successful as possible the Raspberries have 2 bathroom areas with 3 child sized loos downstairs and 1 upstairs, each has low level sinks. We know that the window of opportunity between a 2 year old identifying that they need to use the toilet and it being too late can be very small so we make sure that these facilities are as accessible as possible to improve their chances of success!

Sleep Time for Raspberries:

Many of our children in the Raspberries room still benefit from an afternoon nap. With the variety of spaces available we are able to provide a calm and quiet environment for them to nap effectively. Children in the Raspberries room sleep on mats snuggled up with blankets and their favourite comforters.

Transitions:

Moving on to the Elderberries is a very big adventure for both child and parent. Our practitioners will work with you to help make this process as smooth as possible. Please see our Useful Stuff section for more information.