Wonder Years is lucky to have a large outdoor area and outdoor play is an important part of our nursery life.
We spend a lot of time in the nursery garden, in all but extreme weathers. Children love being outdoors and there is a wealth of research boasting the emotional, as well as physical benefits, for children’s wellbeing and development, when outdoor play is a part of their daily routine. Outdoor play is always a choice, never compulsory of course.
The garden offers a wide variety of opportunities for climbing, running, riding, making, building, growing and gardening. We have a mud kitchen, a water table, a Lego station, an island, a hugely popular hill to race up and down as well as tyre stairs to climb and a race-track to drive around. We have a lot of fun outside at Wonder Years.
As well as the garden we take full advantage of a small woodland opposite the nursery as well as periodic trips out to parks, pet shops, markets, etc (train rides into Brighton and back, from Preston Park are very popular, sometimes just counting different vehicles that pass by the bus stop can be great fun).
Taking learning opportunities outside is such an important way of enriching and cementing children’s education at all ages. Young children are generally very physical learners and the outdoors offers so many rich opportunities for physical and visual learning.