2 minute read
Little Lancing
The start of 2020 was a busy one for Little Lancing. We began the new year with a fresh intake of children joining the Nursery and our numbers continue to grow, particularly in our Investigators Room for our toddlers. We have also welcomed new members of nursery staff to strengthen our provision and to accommodate our increasing numbers. We also periodically run Little Llamas, a very popular series of stay and play sessions for parents considering Little Lancing for their future childcare needs.
Inspired by some of the most influential pioneers of Early Years Education such as Reggio, Steiner and Montessori, our children have been exploring authentic resources and ‘loose parts’ play providing endless opportunities for creativity, counting and sorting, and critical thinking. Sensory play is an important element of our children’s learning, for example, using malleable materials and tools and exploring sensory trays of cornflour, sand and cereal to develop their mark making and pre-writing skills.
Advertisement
The children enjoyed a huge variety of themed, playbased topics over the months. We celebrated World Book Day all week with story-reading, going on bear hunts and bringing in their favourite books. Our children have enjoyed being outside whatever the weather and we are also playing our part in a project to rejuvenate Broadwater Brook and Sompting Brook. We have taken delivery of 10 saplings in pots to tend over the coming months before they are collected and planted by the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust.
More recently, we have responded to the changing situation with COVID-19, based on advice issued by Public Health England and the government and in consultation with Lancing College. Towards the end of March, life at Little Lancing has changed virtually overnight as a result. We remain open, at the time of writing, for our families of key workers and other essential occupations and have been able to assist other families requiring childcare but whose nurseries have been closed. We are keeping in touch regularly with all our Little Lancing children who cannot attend and we are missing them so much.
Woodland walk
Sensory play
Busy in the kitchen
Investigating what’s been frozen in our icebergs
