If there is one thing that sets Learning Curve apart from other nurseries, it is the focus we place on children spending time in the fresh air. Our outdoor space is extensive and varied, with different areas providing our little ones with exciting places to play and learn.
Our delightful meadow is probably the children’s favourite area. With its willow house, the many logs that can be moved around to create dens and castles, a bank for climbing, the fire pit, and all the beautiful natural surroundings of plants and trees, this is a truly magical space. Endless imaginative games are played out here, along with mini-beast hunts, balancing challenges and running races. The lines between play and learning are completely blurred, as we allow the children’s natural curiosity to lead them on to explore the natural world. At snack time, the children themselves take it in turns to serve their friends and clear away afterwards.
Our working kitchen garden, with its big raised beds, gives the children an opportunity to connect with the process of planting, growing and harvesting. Understanding where our food comes from is something every child should be able to do. Here we grow everything from herbs and onions to potatoes and pumpkins. The produce is picked and passed onto Kat in the kitchen, to be incorporated into the delicious meals that are cooked on site every day. We are currently extending this area, so that we can become more self-sufficient. To one side of the kitchen garden, there is a pretty area with a herbaceous border and a seat, where children can choose to spend some quiet time.
The extensive space immediately outside the doors has hardstanding perfect for bike riding. The big open-sided shelter is available for shelter if the rain is too heavy, as well as for outside eating, and special events including the Nativity at Christmas. There is a climbing frame, a playhouse which is perfect for imaginative play, a water play area, and a big tunnel, topped with grass and shrubs which the children find irresistible.
Accessed directly from Honey Street (our babies’ room) and Walnut Grove (the toddler room), is the Quad. While our little ones spend time in all the outside spaces, this is a dedicated play area for our youngest children, with plenty of outdoor toys, and a shelter for rainy days.