Our Early Years Centre is for age 2 to 5 years.
Our EYC Class is a place where your child can:
- make friends
- learn to give and take
Where she/he can:
- run
- jump
- climb
- sing
- make a mess
A place where your child can develop the ability to use language effectively by:
- observing
- creating
- experimenting
- questioning
- talking
through play….
And Have Fun!
All of which is vital for their future development.
Ballantrae Early Years Centre prioritises outdoor experiences. Play in the outdoors is crucial to your child’s development. Engaging with nature not only enhances physical health through active play but also fosters cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Outdoor environments stimulate curiosity, encouraging exploration and creativity as children interact with their surroundings. These experiences promote teamwork and communication skills as children learn to navigate challenges together. Furthermore, spending time outdoors helps build resilience and a sense of independence, laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. By integrating outdoor play into early education, our centre creates a holistic environment that nurtures well-rounded children prepared for future challenges.
Once a week our Early Years children experience Forest Kindergarten, where we spend the day at a grassy wooded area across from the school.
Forest Kindergarten offers young children frequent, regular play opportunities outdoors in a natural setting in almost all weathers throughout the year.
Forest Kindergarten supports child-centred learning through play, in a ‘real world’ context, provides young children with freedom to explore, using multiple senses, promotes health and well-being, confidence and physical and emotional resilience, supports the acquisition of knowledge, skills and care for the natural heritage. It is not surprising that parents and carers are increasingly keen to see their children offered regular and frequent outdoor experiences.
Forest Kindergarten aims to foster children’s connection to the natural world. By playing and learning about how to be outside, the children develop confidence and independence. Through a child-led approach, staff help children to cherish nature and learn about real life. Typical experiences include:
- Simple investigations and explorations with minimal equipment, using natural materials as the learning resource.
- Playing games, using the woodland for inspiration. Often these involve a lot of physical activity.
- Having snack outside and foraging wild food.
- Listening to stories and participating in songs, rhymes and simple games which help them learn how to be in nature.
- Simple stewardship activities such as planting trees or bulbs or creating habitat piles for minibeasts, in agreement with the land owner or manager.
- Having time to relax and chat with friends.
- Observing simple wonders of the natural world such as discovering a worm emerging from soil or a bird flying overhead.
- Setting up a tarpaulin shelter or adventure tipi.
For additional information on our Early Years, please go to the Handbook page for our Early Years Handbook.
