New Outdoor Garden for the Baby Room: A Bespoke Design for Exploration, Play, and Discovery
At First Steps Cornwall, we are excited to unveil our newly designed outdoor garden for the baby room. This bespoke outdoor space is created with our infants in mind, featuring unique elements that encourage sensory exploration, physical development, and social interaction. Key highlights of the garden include a custom playhouse and a specially designed digging area, where babies can immerse themselves in hands-on, natural play. This garden is designed to be a nurturing environment where curiosity blossoms and little ones can begin exploring the world around them in a safe and engaging setting.
An Interactive Playhouse for Imaginative Play
Our new garden has a custom playhouse tailored to inspire early imaginative play. This baby-sized structure features open doorways, low windows, and soft, rounded edges to ensure safety as babies crawl in and out. Inside the playhouse, little ones can touch and explore various textures, sparking their curiosity and supporting sensory development. The playhouse is not only a cozy retreat but also an early tool for social play, as babies begin to mimic adult behaviours, interact with each other, and start to understand the concept of role-playing.
A Hands-On Digging Area
Adjacent to the playhouse is the garden’s designated digging area, a feature that lets babies engage in a tactile, hands-on play experience with soil and sand. This area is specially designed for young children, with baby-safe soil and soft tools that are gentle on little hands. The digging area is an ideal spot for babies to explore textures and practice fine motor skills by scooping, digging, and patting. Digging in the soil not only introduces babies to nature but also supports hand-eye coordination and muscle development, fostering an early love for gardening and discovery. Supervised by our attentive staff, babies can safely dig, explore, and enjoy sensory-rich, hands-on learning.
Engaging Sensory Elements
Our garden features a variety of sensory-rich elements beyond the playhouse and digging area. Babies can engage with colourful, baby-safe plants that are accessible at ground level, allowing them to touch soft leaves, feel different textures, and take in natural scents. Additionally, a gentle water feature introduces a soothing sound, creating a calming ambiance that stimulates the senses without overwhelming them. These elements encourage babies to experience and appreciate the wonders of nature.
Encouraging Physical Development
With thoughtful features throughout the garden, babies have ample opportunities to develop both fine and gross motor skills. The playhouse and digging area provide activities that build strength and coordination, while soft ramps and low steps encourage babies to crawl, pull up, and balance. These physical challenges are perfect for developing confidence and motor skills in a supportive, baby-friendly environment.
A Space for Social Interaction
The playhouse, table and chairs and digging area offer ideal spaces for early social interactions. Babies can explore the garden side-by-side, observing each other’s actions and beginning to understand cooperative play in a supervised setting. These shared activities encourage communication, empathy, and bonding as babies interact with their peers.
A Commitment to Sustainable Growth
Sustainability is an important part of First Steps Cornwall’s values, and our garden reflects this commitment. Native, low-maintenance plants were chosen to minimise water usage and upkeep. This eco-conscious approach keeps the garden vibrant throughout the year and helps teach our little ones about caring for the environment.
A Lasting Impact
The new outdoor garden at First Steps Cornwall, complete with a custom kitchen, table and chairs, playhouse and digging area, provides a special place for infants to learn, explore, and grow. This thoughtfully designed garden invites our youngest learners to connect with nature and build essential physical, social, and cognitive skills in a nurturing space. We welcome families to come experience this wonderful addition to our nursery, where each day brings new opportunities for discovery and joy.
