Posted on 24th Sep 2024 | Nicola

Caterpillar Room : Autumn Update

A Calming and Nurturing Environment

The Caterpillar Room at First Steps Cornwall has been carefully updated to create a tranquil and nurturing space for infants aged 0-2 years. Using soft colors and gentle lighting, the room promotes a sense of calm and security, essential for babies as they begin to explore their surroundings. This peaceful environment helps children feel comfortable and supported, allowing them to confidently engage with various sensory and learning activities in a safe space.

Engaging Sensory and Learning Activities

To foster early childhood development, the Caterpillar Room now offers a variety of stimulating activities. These include creative activities like painting and water play, which are designed to encourage children’s sensory exploration and fine motor skills. Painting allows toddlers to engage with colors, textures, and shapes, while water play provides a soothing yet stimulating experience. It helps them explore cause and effect, develop hand-eye coordination, and understand different textures. In addition to these, treasure baskets filled with textured objects help infants use their senses to investigate the world around them. Such activities not only entertain but also lay the foundation for early cognitive and motor skills​.

Indoor-Outdoor Play for Physical Development

A significant enhancement to the Caterpillar Room is the integration of a dedicated outdoor area, which enables children to move freely between indoor and outdoor spaces. Outdoor play is essential for physical development, providing opportunities for toddlers to crawl, walk, and explore in a natural setting. The space also allows for extended water playoutside, combining sensory experiences with physical activity. This dual focus helps strengthen muscles, coordination, and balance. The mix of indoor and outdoor environments ensures that children benefit from fresh air and diverse sensory experiences, crucial for holistic development​.

Personalised Care with Key Workers

In the Caterpillar Room, each child is assigned a key worker, responsible for maintaining close communication with parents and providing personalised care. This key worker tracks each child’s developmental milestones, such as crawling or walking, and creates tailored activities to support their growth. For example, if a child begins to show interest in movement, activities like water play and painting can be adapted to encourage coordination and balance. The key worker ensures that every child feels secure, happy, and engaged throughout their time in the room​.

Learning Journals to Document Growth

Each child’s development is carefully documented through learning journals, which serve as a record of their progress. These journals include photographs, observations, and examples of the child’s work, such as their first painting or moments during water play. Parents are invited to contribute to the journals by adding comments or photos from home, creating a comprehensive record of the child’s growth both in and out of the nursery. This collaborative effort helps maintain a strong connection between home and nursery, ensuring consistent support for the child’s development​.

A Holistic Approach to Early Learning

The recent updates to the Caterpillar Room demonstrate First Steps Cornwall’s dedication to offering a nurturing, developmentally supportive environment. The combination of sensory activities like painting and water play, the integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, and the personalised care model ensures that infants have the opportunity to explore, grow, and thrive in a secure setting. These updates reflect the nursery’s commitment to providing the best possible start for young children​.

What Our Parents Say

Since my children started, they’ve had the best experience and we are so grateful to the whole team.

From the start to the end, my son has been cared for, loved and supported by all the wonderful humans at First Steps.

It is evident that the emotional wellbeing of each child is a priority.

Thank you for all your support, kindness and love that you have shown both my children.

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