Young children are the ultimate sources of wonder and natural curiosity, with limitless drives to explore. They are the world’s natural problem solvers, seeking new and exciting challenges and ways to ‘do’ and improve things. They predict outcomes, test their ideas or questions, spot patterns, estimate and evaluate critically. Through incorporating aspects of STEAM into our child-led-play environment, children are encouraged to develop their resilience and to communicate, work collaboratively and to make compromises. Each of these skills are aspects of the EYFS Characteristics of Effecti ..read more

  The Role of an Atelierista The atelier and atelierista are integral parts of the Reggio Emilia approach. The atelierista, a teacher with a background in the arts, works together with children in the atelier (studio). Together they will often embark on long-term projects and experiment with a variety of creative mediums. The atelier is a learning space and shared environment where children can express themselves through ‘the hundred languages’. This may be through singing, drawing, dancing, clay or natural materials. ‘The hundred languages’ represents the infinite potential where childre ..read more

    Have you met Odin at nursery? Odin is a cavapoo that comes to nursery on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, every week. A cavapoo is a cross between a Poodle and a King Charles Cavalier. They are both playful and affectionate breeds, which don’t tend to shed. He is hypoallergenic but no dog can be 100% hypoallergenic. However, he is bred from the most hypoallergenic breed, so may cause fewer symptoms in allergy sufferers. He is also very affectionate and loves a cuddle and a stroke! Odin is my dog and I have been bringing him to nursery since I homed him at 10 weeks old. I researc ..read more

Another year is coming to an end, we have welcomed many new families to the Inspirations community, our babies are now toddlers, our toddlers now pre-schoolers and we said goodbye to our capable school leavers. What a year it has been! Last January as a nursery we made a new years resolution, to continue to learn from nature and make the right choices for our children and our planet, and this is something we stuck to. Our children here continue to inspire us daily, their curiosity and passion to  lead their own learning guides us as the educators to continue to grow as people and as a set ..read more

The pre-school years are an important stage in a child’s language development. It ensures the foundations are in place for later learning, literacy and forming relationships. At Inspirations nurseries we provide a language rich environment incorporating the Reggio Emilia Approach into our pedagogy. The children’s voice is at the heart of our ethos and is encouraged at every opportunity. Group morning meetings enables children to express their thoughts, ideas and experiences, as well as listening to other’s and asking questions which has a positive impact on confidence and self-esteem. Communi ..read more

Rounded body, short dark yellow-tipped spines and a short tail – is it a Gruffalo I hear you ask? No, it’s the Hedgehog! Hedgehogs are a picture of cuteness and are largely widespread throughout Britain. In the summer time they spend most of their days sheltering in moss, grass, leaves and hedges. In fact, the reason they are called ‘Hedge’ hogs is because of where they build and nestle in hedges, bushes and shrubs. The ‘hog’ part comes from the small snorting and grunting sounds they make, which is similar to a pig. There are a few facts about Hedgehogs, for example; They are nocturnal They ..read more

Much more than just loose parts and glue Back in June, shape and structure created from loose parts became a shared interest, the children would make 2D shapes and arrangements with lolly pop sticks. Naturally this progressed into 3D shapes as the children explored the idea of building upwards with bobbins and corks added in. We wanted to find a way of making these structures more permanent, a way of their models being able to interact with each other instead of standing alone on a shelf. From here the Sticking table was created! An old repurposed cable reel became a platform for these structu ..read more

This week in the Art Studio has had a child led focus on pattern, but how did we get there? Last month we found a butterfly on the decking that was no longer alive. The children shared ideas on what might have happened? ‘It got stung by a wasp!’ ‘It was eaten by a fox!’ Whilst they came to their own conclusions we brought the butterfly into the Art Studio for a close examination. Out came all the research books as we identified it as a ‘Speckled Wood’. The butterfly inspired some drawings, which lead onto paintings with particular focus on the wing patterns and colours. This naturally lead ont ..read more

Inspirations nurseries endeavour to not only prepare children to be ‘school ready’ but do all we can to support their well-being around this time. Firstly, we gather information as to which school the children are going to and chat to them about their new school. We then contact each school and invite the reception teacher to come visit their new children to see them playing in a familiar setting at either Horsforth and Adel. Most children will attend sessions at their new schools, but they can often feel shy, therefore seeing them at nursery gives them a true idea of their personality and th ..read more

Saturday 9th July we all came together on the field behind Nursery to have a carnival style summer party and to celebrate our soon to depart school leavers. We had bouncy castles, a steel drum band, face paints. a parade and costume competition, BBQ and a school leavers ceremony. Thank you to Truly Scrumptious and 1Toy2Play in Horsforth for providing our prizes for most colourful, and most innovative costume. We all had a wonderful day in the sunshine and we hope you did too.   The post Summer Carnival 2022 appeared first on Inspirations Nurseries & Forest Schools ..read more