Learning Through Play
At Little Sparks, we believe in learning through play. Our carefully designed environments cater to the unique needs of both children and families, with specific goals and objectives in mind. We focus on recognising each child’s strengths and embracing every teachable moment to help them flourish, both academically and personally.
Explorers
We have a dedicated baby unit offering a calm caring learning environment for children aged 6 weeks to 2 years. Our baby unit offers places for up to 15 children with a dedicated highly skilled baby room team.
The baby room has its own milk preparation area where bottles and snacks can be easily accessed throughout the day.
The cosy, home-like environment offers a wide range of resources to explore and cultivate curiosity and learning such as a range of treasure baskets, sensory play, home corner and cosy comfy areas where the children can snuggle and relax.
Our slide with stairs and ramp allows your children to build on their physical skills at their leisure.
The babies access the outdoor play area each day and attend trips within the local community.
Creators
Our toddler room caters for up to 12 children with direct access to our outdoor play area. Our toddler room offers a variety of activities to stimulate your toddler's imagination through play.
Toddlers are given the freedom to experience a range of sensory play including sand, water and a creative station. Allowing their creative side to be explored at their leisure.
Also on offer is a large role play area, construction and small world fun zone as well as magic maths learning - to begin to support your child's experience of numbers and shapes through play.
Our experienced staff use the children's interest and learning needs to set up a stimulating learning environment supporting your child as they freely explore.
Investigators
Investigators is our tweenies room for children aged 20 months – 28 months
The room offers a home from home learning environment with resources low level for our children to freely explore and promote independence, the space has a cosy area for children to relax and explore books and ICT resources, with a range of activities that support building, imaginative play, role play and expressive arts and design. The sand and water trays allow the children to explore daily sensory experiences with a designated mark making area to allow our children’s creativity to flourish
The room has it own climbing frame and slide to support the children’s physical skills along with its own designated outdoor space. The rooms designated dining areas provided children with a calm space to enjoy their meals and snacks and socialise during meal times, children are able to self serve their meals and build their confidence in being independent
Inventors
The pre-school room provides care for up to 23 children and offers a well-resourced learning environment to support learning and preparation for school.
The space provides a home from home feel with a range of areas to stimulate the imagination and challenge learning.
We nurture the children's natural curiosity at the investigation station - encouraging them to use their senses to explore a range of objects such as Little Sparks treasure and natural objects. A firm favourite is using the light-up magnifying glasses to explore and describe every detail to one another!
The interactive whiteboard where children can explore phonics, pencil control activities and develop their ICT skills completes this space.
Sensory Area
In addition to our three rooms, Little Sparks Clayton has its very own sensory room.
The sensory room not only contains a second nursery library but offers a quiet space for the children to explore treasure and sensory baskets, to enjoy lightbox activities which encourage a range of fine motor activities that support concentration and problem-solving.
Children's learning experience are furthered with play in the large ball pool and lights den, complete with flashing lights and fibre optic fun.
Outdoor Space
The outdoor play area is split into three sections where all children can explore the natural world.
Our garden offers a bike and tricycle riding area, a large climbing frame with slide and castle and telescopes which are adored by the children.
No nursery garden would be complete without a mud kitchen where tasty treats can be created, along with a gardening patch.
Our garden school area has its very own herb garden, vegetable patch and insect garden. Here the children can explore nature caring for our flowers, vegetables and herbs and the nature that likes to visit us. Weekly garden school experiences are planned for the children where they are not only helping maintain the garden but also exploring the life cycle of nature and how we care for them.
The garden classroom boasts its very own piano, reading library and mark making area.
Little Sparks children enjoy playing outdoors in all weathers, throughout the seasons.
Parents are asked to provide wellies and wet suits, but spares are always on hand so the children can have lots of fun splashing and getting messy.