Learning and Play
Our welcoming environment is set out to support children in all areas of their learning. We observe how children use the environment and adapt it to reflect their choices.
Each area of Acorns provides children with the space and resources they need to enable them to develop their skills. We cultivate an environment which reflects a balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities.
Our wonderful outdoor space encourages children to explore and become independent. We have a fantastic mud kitchen where children can create interesting recipes, explore the resources available to them and role play. The children also have their own allotment, where all year round they are able to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables.
How we support children:
Social Skills Groups are small groups led by an adult who teaches the children how to interact appropriately with others of their age. These groups can help children learn conversational, friendship and problem solving skills. They can also help children how to control their emotions and understand another child’s perspective. Children can learn important skills that they’ll use for the rest of their lives which include how to:
Greet others
Start a conversation
Respond to others
Maintain a conversation
Share and take turns
Ask for help
At Acorns, our groups are called ‘Superstars’. Within the group, there are children who are good role models and who actively take part over a 6 week period with sessions lasting approximately 20-30 minutes. The children received a signed certificate at the end of the six weeks of which they are very proud.
Letters and Sounds is a phonics resource published by the Department for Education and Skills in 2007. It aims to build children's speaking and listening skills in their own right as well as to prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills. It sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills for children. Activities are divided into seven aspects, including environmental sounds, instrumental sounds, body sounds, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, voice sounds and finally oral blending and segmenting. At Acorns, small group work for short periods of time i.e. approximately 15 minutes, allows planned activities to be experienced daily using a variety of resources that not only engage the senses but which are good fun too.