Footsteps Day Nurseries Lichfield - Valuing the Importance
W
GazetteFeature
of Outside Play
e told you last month about Footsteps; the recently acquired & refurbished children`s day nursery and pre-school on Walsall Road, Lichfield. Now improvements to the outside area are also complete we went back to see just what has been achieved and discover how this new resource will be used. Footsteps Day Nurseries have been operating locally for over ten years and have developed a real understanding of how to provide children with great opportunities to explore the outdoors. It is no secret that children like to run and play outside but at Footsteps the outside space is valued as far more than a safe place for the children to let off a bit of steam, Footsteps` founder, Catherine Harvey explained: “Play is a child`s work” is a commonly heard expression in early years education and is very much at the core of what we do – the principle of Learning Through Play relies on creating inspiring, even challenging spaces for children to explore and so learn new skills. The natural environment is an incredibly inspirational space and so is a brilliant resource to use when helping children reach their full potential.” Working with an award winning landscape design
company, the outdoor environment has been created around 3 distinct areas – The central courtyard is a sensory/discovery area which can be accessed freely from the main building, a much larger area in the back garden is available for running, jumping, riding bikes etc. and is equipped with a bike track, allweather play grass and other interesting surfaces. The rest of the large garden makes up the Forest School area; an essential and very popular part of all Footsteps` nurseries. Forest schooling began in Scandinavia in the 1950s, intending to pass on knowledge of the natural world and environmental issues. Designed to develop personal, social and emotional skills and raise self-esteem; it encourages independence and provides opportunities for active outdoor play and discovery. Children are encouraged to take care of themselves and each other, and are given responsibilities such as (well-supervised) use of tools and fire lighting. There’s no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing - Thinking of the recent snow and last year`s soggy summer we had to wonder how much chance the children will get to use these new facilities but Nursery Manager Karen told us: “Because we provide full waterproofs for all the children, free of charge, we know that we never need worry about wet weather
when we plan our activities. The children can use the space throughout the year, encountering new and exciting experiences with the changing seasons.” More information and contact details can be found at www.footstepsnurseries.co.uk or why not go along and see for yourself? Their next open day is on Saturday 2nd March between 10:00am and 2:00pm
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