A Week in Saplings
Our Saplings class provides a learning environment where children are encouraged to be independent and to develop self-confidence. The environment has been thoughtfully planned to create ample space for our children while retaining the feel of a welcoming family home. Our children have access to a wide range of activities and resources which are divided into many different areas including role-play/mark making, book corner, literacy area, maths, ICT, construction, small world, creative, sensory/malleable, sand and water, as well as continuous access to our free flow garden.
Our staff make sure there is a good balance of focused and free play activities, providing Saplings with the nurturing and attention they require to explore their developing skills.
Every morning we start the day with our welcome session. Each child chooses a pillow, sits with a talk partner and asks each other how they are feeling today. They then sing the days of the week song and talk about the plan for the day.
Throughout the morning, small groups of children engage in guided Phonics, Literacy, Maths and a Craft activity, led by one of our specialist teachers.
We also have our ‘Welly Walk Wednesday’ mornings when we go to the local woods for forest school activities.
Before lunch, we celebrate our learning experiences and positive behaviour by sharing our observations and rewarding our Saplings with leaves to add to our kindness tree.
We also give a banana to our class Monkey ‘Have a go, Joe’ every time we notice a child challenging him/herself to try something new. (When he gets 10 bananas he actually grows!)
We then accompany our children to the lunch hall, where we have a relaxing lunch which is extremely encouraging and focused on developing positive, healthy relationships with food.
After lunch, our Reception children (those aged 4 or over) have one hour of free playtime in the big garden where they meet up with friends from other year groups. Our Nursery children (those aged between 3 and 4) have the option of sleeping on a little bed or relaxing with stories and puzzles.
When the children return to the classroom, we have our daily brain break session. We sit in a circle and follow our Mind Up program, which is a precious part of the day. This moment of peace and focus gives us the opportunity to talk through our emotions and senses; children work through any tension that they might be feeling.
During our afternoons, we have a wide range of activities which vary day-to-day, including our current topic, yoga or guided meditation, cookery, art skills, sports and balance, quiet reading, music and movement, drama and dance, sensory integration and early philosophy.
