Nature Play, Risky Play and the many benefits you will see as we incorporate this into our centre curriculum here at The NEST Early Education Centre of Excellence
Our view which regards the environment as the ‘third teacher’ alongside educators and families ensures that we engage in Nature Play and Risky Play every day as an essential component of our ongoing curriculum. Our physical spaces have the potential to influence what and how our children learn, and we consider the external environment very carefully in our early learning centre; we really want to ensure our approach is one that carefully curates learning, wonder, joy and discovery in the natural world.
Extensive use is made of natural materials and our learning spaces are designed to stimulate and encourage cognitive skills, critical thinking, problem solving, memory retention skills, better reasoning and improved concentration.
Exposure to nature in our learning spaces also helps our children to regulate their emotions better and gives them opportunities to take risks, discover and explore new things, solve problems, unleash their creative sides and develop a sense of wonder. These natural play environments give children a break from the modern structured world which is ruled by screens, schedules, time limits and tests, providing them with an unstructured place where they can think independently, direct their own learning, play passively if they want to and express themselves freely.
We are underpinned by our influence in the Reggio Emelia philosophy and believe that children should be given the freedom to explore the outdoor environment and as they conduct their own learning experiences, they will become more engaged in their learning, more resilient, more socially competent and more self-confident. From the tactile surface of bark and grass to a squishy mud patch, a seating area made from tree stumps to a swinging rope, a growing garden to a pond for wading, stones and pebbles for collecting to pieces of wood for building, natural resources provide endless options for children to learn through play.
Its important to remember that for children, play is learning. This includes allowing them to explore a sense of risk, while working within our supported and guided boundaries. We allow our children to push themselves to figure out what will happen, without knowing the exact outcome – it is a fundamental way for them to develop their self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and risk management skills; research (Brussoni) shows that engaging in risky play can actually reduce the risk of injury too!
Our children reap great benefits as they grow connection and appreciation of the natural environment. In the structured, busy and technologically advanced world we live in, the role of outdoor play that we experienced as children is being forgotten – we see this as important part of our work here at the centre and look forward to sharing the results of this with you.
Communicate With Us And Get Knowledge About How Our Centre Works
/in Early Education Centre /by AdminEnrolling your child in an early education centre is a big decision to make. We understand your concern and care for your child’s future. Hence we focus on developing a strong foundation for your child’s future growth.
Our early childhood education centre believes in transparent communication between our staff and parents. A clean and clear transfer of knowledge helps us to understand your child in a better way. In exchange, you are also well informed about your child’s growth and learnings.
How do we communicate with you at our centre?
It is important to us to gather, analyse and interpret information about your children that is meaningful and relevant to them and your family as individuals and groups. Additionally, capturing an understanding of them and your family’s identity, knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities, and interests provides us with the knowledge to get the idea of your child’s behavioural pattern and descriptive of what your children are investigating and exploring. We are more focused on learning, progress and achievements leading to the ultimate outcomes for your children.
We do this in a variety of ways. Our most preferred method is our one-on-one conversations with you on a daily basis; in addition to this:
All these techniques and strategies are brought together to facilitate our communication plan. If there are gaps here for your family or if there are other ways that you would prefer to communicate with our early learning centre in Gold Coast, please let us know; we are happy to accommodate your needs and requirements.
Craft vs Creativity – How We Approach Our Creative Expression Here at The Nest Early Education Centre
/in Early Education Centre /by AdminChildren’s creativity is the most important form of self-expression. For a child, being able to express themselves openly and without any judgment is not only satisfying but also fulfilling. The creative experiences that the children have during their first five years of life can significantly enhance the development of their creativity.
Creative experiences can help children express and cope with their feelings while assisting us to learn more about what they may be thinking or feeling. It also assists with showing the children problem solving skills and new ways of thinking.
So, with all these benefits to creative arts, we as a leading childcare centre in Gold Coast are reluctant to be drawn into the craft and structured art concept. Having the demand for an ‘end product’ often stifles creativity and when we use a template or model, we rob the children of the opportunity to create their own art, entirely from their own imagination and experiences.
So, you won’t see any template art here at our early education centre. We also limit adult structured art e.g. ‘the handprint that is cut out and made into a bird’. Whilst these items are much loved keepsakes that families often look for, the message that they are giving to the child is ‘I need to make mine just like that otherwise I am not good enough’. For some children this is difficult to do.
At our early childhood education centre, we believe in giving the children access to art, a multitude of items to create art and then let them do it the way they want to do it…. This is how creativity is fostered.
Being an efficient early learning centre in Southport, we also believe that offering you a piece of art that is created solely by your child carries more value than a production line driven generic copy of a model piece of craft.
Benefits Of Risky Play In An Early Education Centre
/in Early Education Centre /by AdminNature Play, Risky Play and the many benefits you will see as we incorporate this into our centre curriculum here at The NEST Early Education Centre of Excellence
Our view which regards the environment as the ‘third teacher’ alongside educators and families ensures that we engage in Nature Play and Risky Play every day as an essential component of our ongoing curriculum. Our physical spaces have the potential to influence what and how our children learn, and we consider the external environment very carefully in our early learning centre; we really want to ensure our approach is one that carefully curates learning, wonder, joy and discovery in the natural world.
Extensive use is made of natural materials and our learning spaces are designed to stimulate and encourage cognitive skills, critical thinking, problem solving, memory retention skills, better reasoning and improved concentration.
Exposure to nature in our learning spaces also helps our children to regulate their emotions better and gives them opportunities to take risks, discover and explore new things, solve problems, unleash their creative sides and develop a sense of wonder. These natural play environments give children a break from the modern structured world which is ruled by screens, schedules, time limits and tests, providing them with an unstructured place where they can think independently, direct their own learning, play passively if they want to and express themselves freely.
We are underpinned by our influence in the Reggio Emelia philosophy and believe that children should be given the freedom to explore the outdoor environment and as they conduct their own learning experiences, they will become more engaged in their learning, more resilient, more socially competent and more self-confident. From the tactile surface of bark and grass to a squishy mud patch, a seating area made from tree stumps to a swinging rope, a growing garden to a pond for wading, stones and pebbles for collecting to pieces of wood for building, natural resources provide endless options for children to learn through play.
Its important to remember that for children, play is learning. This includes allowing them to explore a sense of risk, while working within our supported and guided boundaries. We allow our children to push themselves to figure out what will happen, without knowing the exact outcome – it is a fundamental way for them to develop their self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and risk management skills; research (Brussoni) shows that engaging in risky play can actually reduce the risk of injury too!
Our children reap great benefits as they grow connection and appreciation of the natural environment. In the structured, busy and technologically advanced world we live in, the role of outdoor play that we experienced as children is being forgotten – we see this as important part of our work here at the centre and look forward to sharing the results of this with you.
How To Make Your Little One Feel Belonged at an Early Education Centre
/in Early Education Centre /by AdminWith our busy lives and so much to cope with, it has become nearly impossible to provide kids with the deserved care and awareness they need to realise. From teaching basic things like outdoor games to teaching them the value of relationships, it has become difficult to focus on every detail.
But the good news is, with the early education centre, we can efficiently focus on our work while our kids learn every key element required.
Of course, it is an easy task sending off the kids to an education centre, but it may be a significant concern to them. Kids usually take time to adapt themselves to new places and become comfortable in surroundings with strangers. So, let us have a look at a few points that should be kept in mind when sending your little one to an early childhood education centre.
● Ask them about how they feel – As a parent, it is essential to ask your children about how they feel like being away from you for a few hours of the day. Talk to them about the new things they will be learning and teach them how it is beneficial to them. When kids feel comfortable in a certain place, they take no time to get involved there.
● Create a familiar atmosphere – As a teacher, it is your major duty to make all the students feel equal. And especially when you are a teacher to kids, the task becomes more fragile and handful. Children are not habitual of staying away from their parents for a long time, but if they get a familiar atmosphere, they can feel at home. So, create an environment where they feel loved and belonged.
● Let them learn a few things on their own – kids learn things the best when they try doing something on their own. If they are going to a Southport childcare, make sure to give them the space they need to really feel comfortable. Let them sit with friends they like, let them draw whatever they want, and let them eat with their own hands. This is how a child starts to learn new things.
An education centre is an essential place to go in every kid’s life. However, being a parent, you must pick the right centre considering various facilities offered there. We, The Nest Early Education Centre, have been offering the best practice child care and early learning programs to help children reach their potential. Visit our campus today!
Our childcare centre celebrating….children!
/in News /by AdminOur Early Learning Centre In The News!
/in News /by AdminOur early learning centre is in the news 😀
Kids On The Coast Magazine recently interviewed our founder and chatted about our approach to early learning and what makes us unique and different from other early learning environments.
We are so proud of all our centres and our passionate & dedicated educators who live, breathe and fully nurture our centre philosophy.
If you want to find out more about our approach, why not pop into The Nest in Southport and discover for yourself.
We can’t wait to welcome local families looking for childcare in the Southport, Benowa area so we can showcase what our amazing childcare centre is all about.
High-quality Childcare, right in the heart of Southport.
If you are looking for high-quality childcare in the Westford West area or the Maudsland area, we welcome you to visit
Munchkins Early Learning Centre and Little Bunya’s Early Learning Centre.
High Quality Childcare In Southport.
/in News /by AdminThe Nest Early Learning Centre Of Excellence has had quite a few busy months since opening their doors in September.
The centre is filled with laughter and chatter and our children are thriving in our surroundings.
See what has happened over the last month and if you are looking for high-quality childcare in Southport, we invite you to come along and visit The Nest.
Our exploration of Christmas has begun! How amazing are these interpretations?
Art in a Reggio environment is an interpretation of an experience, not a copy of other’s ideas or suggestions. We treat art as an expression of the child’s current understandings, rather than a representation of an object. This perspective makes art a tool for making meaning further supporting our process before product philosophy..
#reggioinspired #reggioemiliaapproach #allchildrenareartists #earlychildhoodspecialists
Our little kindness angel hiding in the Christmas tree one morning.. such delight on the children’s faces when they find their little angels and then discuss how they can display/create/interact with the kindness intention.. such a lovely and beautiful addition to our pillars of kindness.
Outdoor play or as we like to call it “outdoor classrooms” are such a great way to let the children explore their surroundings and get connected to the outside world.
We spend lots of time foraging the grounds for herbs, veggies and even go on little adventures to the park on our grounds to give the children
The spirit of Christmas is really coming alive in the centre. We are having a wonderful time with the kids and we can’t believe how much the kids in our care have already accomplished. They truly are the centre of our universe and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish over the next month.
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Open Day At The Nest
/in News /by AdminIn order for us to make adequate time for each family, we would appreciate you registering your interest to attend our open day.
Please contact our centre director or 07 55 312 964
From all of us at The Nest, we can’t wait to meet you!
The Nest Is The Best
/in News /by AdminWe firmly believe that our children are capable and competent beings, who develop themselves by interacting with others.
Our environments and the opportunities that we present to our children give them the confidence to make their learning meaningful. Many looking at these images might just see children playing with dolls.. we see many young hands manipulating buttons, tying laces, working out how press studs work, filling washing buckets, squeezing hose attachments, working out the depth of water needed to submerge dolls, pinching together pegs, how to coordinate holding the clothes and pinching at the same time ( quite a challenging skill for young ones) cooperating with their peers, taking turns, role modelling real life experiences and conversation.. lots of conversation ….both with each other and with the dolls. Such a calm and beautiful morning experience in our warm spring weather.
If you are looking for a quality early learning centre, filled with state of the art resources and operated by passionate and qualified early childhood specialists, look no further than us.. we have a proven track record of providing a wonderful early childhood experience for your whole family.
Southport Childcare Centre Fills With Joy
/in News /by Admin