Kindergarten Pods

At Young Friends Kindergarten we’re lucky enough to have our home in a lovely house in Hove, East Sussex.

Both of our family groupings operate as a kindergarten pod, each with its own space. We have two kindergarten pods, one for birth to two year olds (Hedgehogs) and one for two years to school age (Foxes).

Both environments are set up to provide stimulating play and learning spaces, cloakrooms and sleeping areas, and are equipped with changing and toilet facilities, sinks, and plenty of storage for all the loose parts and open-ended equipment.

 

Kindergarten pods 1

A loose parts nursery

As we’re a loose parts nursery, you won’t find any pre-determined toys in our nursery rooms. Instead, we take the approach that one person’s trash is another’s treasure – so our rooms are well stocked with an array of bits and pieces that will spark your child’s creativity and build their confidence as they explore. Everything is, of course, safe for little fingers, and sustainably sourced, re-used and re-cycled.

Mixed Age Groups

We know the benefits of social learning, especially within mixed age groups. As our environments are set up to be child led, so are their social opportunities. Because our children have the freedom to move around the nursery, they are free to develop friendships from all our age groups. Older children learn care and empathy from being with the younger children and younger children learn vital social and language skills from older friends. It is a very inclusive ethos, children with typical and neuro-typical abilities all together, finding their own way in our big, happy family.

For very young children, it may be the first time they’ve spent any great length of time away from their family. We understand that this is an important transition, and having a familiar room as well as a place in a family group at kindergarten is important in helping them feel safe and secure. We know that very young children (under twos) especially need a designated area to safely try out their developing physical and social skills. Also, older children enjoy resources which may be challenging for younger children and begin to play in a more sophisticated, autonomous way. Because of this, both the Foxes and the Hedgehogs also have their own spaces.