About us
A day at Little Nippers
Arrive and Register
The children arrive at the setting at 8.45am and put their bags, drinks bottles and lunch-boxes away independently. They then self register by finding their name and putting it on our board.
We encourage the children to sit on the carpet and we say good morning to each individual. We talk about what day it is and what the weather is like outside. We then all count the children and adults and put the information on our ‘today’ board.
Free-flow learning
Our free-flow time is when the children have a wide range of opportunities to learn through play. During this time each keyworker will support individual child development with planned activities . We have a ‘Cafe style’ snack throughout the morning from 9.45am for the children to access. At 11.00am we encourage all of the children to explore the garden and get some fresh air.
Story sharing
At 11:30am we encourage the children to work together to put all of our equipment away. We then all have some quiet time sharing stories together on the carpet. We enjoy sharing a story with the children before lunch and singing songs.
Lunch
We share lunch together from 12 noon till 12.30pm.
Outdoor play
After lunch we all go into the garden for physical play and fresh air. The children will then have a free-flow afternoon with planned keyworker activities.
Story and song time
At 2.30pm we sit down to share more stories and songs together before welcoming our parents in at 3.00pm for home time.
“I like the tools in the builders yard”
— Joshua
Starting at our setting
The first days.............
We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, the staff will work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting.
The session
We organise our sessions so that the children can choose from, and work at, a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to learn to work with others.
Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to take part in outdoor child-chosen and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor playroom.
Clothing
We encourage children to wear the protective clothing that we supply when they play with messy activities, however they still may get wet and dirty so please send them with spare clothes.
We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off, and putting on, outdoor clothes and changing shoes to boots and back again. Clothing, shoes and boots that are easy for them to manage will help them to do this.
Please put your child’s name in all their clothing and footwear, you would be surprised how many children have the same shoes, boots and clothes. In summer please send your child with a sun hat and sun protection lotion with their name on. In the winter please send your child in warm clothes with a coat, hat and gloves. We play outside each day except in extreme weather conditions such as high winds and electrical storms.
Snack
We operate a ‘café style’ snack time when small groups of children come together with an adult to share snack time. The café is open for 45 minutes during the morning session and children can choose when they are ready; in this way we can encourage free flow of play and respond to the children’s needs. Our fruit and vegetables are supplied by our local greengrocer who provides with a different seasonal box each week to enjoy.
Here are some quotes from the children at Little Nippers, in their own words, to give an insight into a day at Little Nippers from a child’s point of view.
“Playing with my friends and playing with the trains”
— Mia
“I like it when we sit down and read a story”
— Eleanor
“I like playing with the bikes in the garden”
— Izzy