About Pebbles Day Nursery Farnborough

Pebbles Day Nursery has been part of Naturally Curious Childcare since 2011. Currently we can look after children from three months until they leave for school after their fourth birthday. We have three main play rooms at the setting, including baby unit.

Pebbles Day Nursery follows the Curiosity Approach method of teaching and learning, the nursery is filled with open end resources to inspire and make little minds inquisitive to the wider world.

The Baby Room

The homely 12 place baby room is fully equipped to deal with everything the under twos can (quite literally at times) throw at us. With staff ratios of 3:1 it’s a safe and peaceful environment that enables learning opportunities and positive relationships for all. Children progress at their own pace whilst our dedicated team of practitioners ensure each child receives the best possible care. The team work directly with the parents to ensure that the routines you have at home are mirrored within the setting, providing consistency for your baby. This in turn helps them to settle and become content and confident in the new environment.

Fresh, home-made food is prepared on the premises and made palatable for whatever stage of weaning your child is at - we promote baby led weaning which has current research and benefits towards your child's speech later on in life.

The baby room has a vast array of equipment and open ended natural resources including loose parts and treasure baskets. Each baby takes part in sensory play, exploring those textural experiences that allows them to express their emotions through manipulating materials such as sand, shaving foam, paint and many more. This helps improve their senses experiencing touch, taste, sound and many more. The richer the textural experience, the richer their cognitive and language development will be .

When it’s time for a well-earned nap, the babies have their own cosy sleep area which is peaceful and soothing. Comfy cots, fluffy blankets and calm music set the atmosphere for a lovely snooze.

Pre School / Early Years

The Curiosity Approach continues in The Early Years room which caters for children from the age of two until they leave for school. With a maximum capacity of 16 children we are able to really get to know each individual child and their family. Children are encouraged through independence to control their own learning and have the freedom to self-select according to their own current interests.

Practitioners use what they known about the children to plan learning invitations to entice your children covering all areas of learning such as adventurous play promoting physical development, personal, social and emotional development plus the skills to stay safe and manage appropriate risks.

Provocations are provided to encourage learning opportunities and extend the children’s knowledge and understanding. Resources and equipment are often changed to promote curiosity and imagination to explore the environment around them becoming confident little people. We love to get creative with a wide range of paints, sand, water and other art materials so please dress your child for mess on a nursery day.

School readiness is a key part in our early years environment - school readiness is known as something that a child should be achieving before starting reception. As early years educators we have an important role to play in supporting and promoting school readiness and transitions.

Sometimes we feel pressure to get our children 'school ready' but most children will gain the important characteristics and skills to transaction to school within our approach. It's not all about writing their names or counting up to 10 but providing children with confidence and high self-esteem which is embedded in them through allowing them to lead their own play, become engaged, ask questions, build friendships, investigate and become independent.

Do they understand how to stay safe? What acceptable behavior is? Do they understand their actions have consequences? Will they take turns and share with one another? Can they actively learn, confidently share ideas and critically think?

These are some of the vital skills that will ensure your children progress well at school and become confident learners. We, of course cover areas such as literacy and maths but in an interesting, inspiring way. Our children are all amazing, unique and individual people, so let’s allow them to learn in their own way empowering them to be creative and confident little people.

Meals are enjoyed together providing socialisation and communication amongst all the children and adults. Children are encouraged to be independent, setting the table, dishing out their food and passing items along the table for their friends. Sharing foods socially with friends is an ideal way to introduce children to healthy ways of eating, and such situations will be all the more successful if the children are free to choose and access the food independently. Social learning happens throughout our meals times as children learn new vocabulary and practice skills such as turn taking, waiting and sharing.

The Great Outdoors

Your child will have lots of access to the outside and the elements - remember dancing in the rain and splashing in puddles as a child yourself? All rooms lead out to our large covered decking area, allowing for outdoor play all year round. Our early year’s children have continued free flow access to our new garden area providing opportunities to promote gross motor development with climbing and building, a variety of constructions using loose parts such as drain pipes, wood, tyres, logs, a giant sandpit and the very popular mud kitchen.

Nature is promoted by planting flowers, herbs and growing vegetables in our vegetable garden seasonally. It's our view that the garden is an extension of the inside area and all if not more learning takes place in the great outdoors.

Your child will have fully supervised access to the college’s large fifty-acre site. Giving them and us ample opportunity to experience the large grassed field and woodland area. Our children especially love rolling down hills, hunting for bugs, digging and climbing up mounds of bark. We have daily trips to the sports field and also we use it for our successful sports days. 

The children take part in supervised activities involving our fire pit - they regularly toast marshmallows, cook homemade burgers and make warm milk using this amazing bit of equipment. All activities are risk assessed alongside the children meaning they understand how to stay safe and how to manage risks. It's important that we trust our little people to challenge themselves and take appropriate risks.

It's known that children sleep better, eat better and behave better with outdoor play and fresh air. In the warmer month’s children eat outside and even sleep outside where possible.

If this all sounds good to you, fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch!