The learning spaces at Little Stars Day Care are split between 2 floors. On the first floor there is a sleep room, a creative/messy room and a baby room which will mainly be used for children who are 3 months to 2 years old. On the ground floor you will be welcomed into the Reception area where you will sign your child in for the day and be greeted by your child’s key worker. You will also find a sensory room, a two-year-old room which leads straight into the outdoors and a kitchen.
Baby room
Babies learn key words, they learn to walk and how to feed themselves. Babies benefit from a structured routine, fun interactions and lots of love and encouragement as they practice these new skills. The baby room team will plan a variety of interactive and stimulating activities to support them achieve each milestone. Staff will engage babies in lots of stories, songs, rhymes, messy play and heuristic play. During heuristic play babies engage with real-world objects to investigate, explore and try to find out what they can do. This supports babies’ critical thinking, imagination and creativity.
2 year old room
At age 2 children are learning new words rapidly, experiencing lots of emotions and are developing their physical skills. Children benefit from a structured routine, lots of opportunities to be independent and to learn about their feelings and emotions. The team will follow children’s interests in play and support their learning through planning their next steps there and then, in the moment. Children will have lots of opportunities to explore natural construction, block play, messy activities, the joy of reading through stories, role play and to care for living things amongst many more exciting activities.
Indoor Learning
Sleep room
Babies and toddlers need naps in the day to learn, concentrate and to be healthy and happy. We have created a sleep room separate from play so that children can get the rest they need in a quiet and tranquil environment. To wind down for sleep we will play soothing music and staff will gently pat children to sleep. Babies (under 1) will sleep in a dream coracle from community play and toddlers from age 1 will sleep on a bed mat. Sleep time will be 12.00-2.00pm. We will adapt sleep routines to meet children’s needs.
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Sensory room
Sensory exploration with bubble tubes, fibre optics, lights and textures encourage children to explore the awe and wonder of the world and has many benefits, including:
- Providing a calm and relaxing space for children to self-regulate their emotions and behaviours.
- Providing sensory stimulation for children to explore through their bodies, supports children develop their visual, auditory and tactile responses.
- Motivates children to explore their curiosity, increases their attention and supports them to make connections with what they already know to learn new
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Art room
Messy and malleable (mouldable) play such as playdough, clay, cornflour, nappy crystals and using tools have many benefits, including:
- Developing the finger muscles to support children to go on to hold a pencil in a pincer grip and to cut with scissors.
- Developing hand-eye coordination to support children go on fasten buttons, pull up zips, tie shoelaces and thread beads.
- Supporting children to try out their ideas and to predict what may happen as they adjust colours or textures.
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Outdoor Learning
The outdoors is one of the best possible environments in which to learn. Children experience joy and excitement as they play outdoors. They make discoveries and thrive in well-resourced and well-planned outdoor spaces. It is more important than ever that children play and learn outdoors as young children today are spending ever-increasing amounts of time indoors. They are having fewer outdoor experiences and are less connected to their natural world.
We have created an outdoor environment that supports this curiosity and full of rich and exciting possibilities. Our outdoor space supports children to explore, investigate, make connections and express their creativity in a multitude of different ways and experience the wonder of nature. We provide and plan for spaces in which children are encouraged to communicate, work together, stretch their thinking, investigate, explore and discover, and spaces for quiet reflection.
Outdoors, children are more exuberant and active; they use more language and employ their senses to a greater extent. The outdoors should be given at least the same importance as indoor space, receiving similar amounts of resources, provocations and adult interaction. The space will provide challenge and have the resources to allow children to develop their creative and critical thinking skills across all areas of learning.
