Children thrive at Little Moo Moos.
Outdoor Play Facilities
Outdoor play is essential to early childhood development. Children learn social skills by interacting with other children, with adults, and even with objects and natural materials found in the environment.
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a favourite with all the children. They follow the path –and through the gate– where they come upon a little nook, with a giant tractor tyre overhung by the ‘tree of life’, with all sorts of wonderful discoveries to be made, like little “hairy Molly” caterpillars! The children plant all sorts of seeds and plants in the vegetable garden, from huge, feathery fennel that smells like liquorice and tastes sweet – to big, orange pumpkins for Hallowe’en.
The Playground
The playground is a marvellous place indeed. With a big, high tree house right in the middle, a racetrack for all sorts of trikers and bikers, sand pits with diggers, swings & slides, stepping stones and balancing poles, hard surfaces, soft surfaces, grass, stones… and of course, the football pitch!
The Hay Barn
Well, every farm has a hay barn! Ours provides an amazing indoor space with plentiful of room for a whole class to develop their gross motor development skills! The large windows are low and the children enjoy looking out into the fields at the munching cows plodding around. “Hey, is that grumpy goose chasing Farmer Rory again?!”
The Byre
We are very proud of our most recent addition –The Byre and Look-out Tower– a fantastic place which everybody adores. It is a specially designed, purpose-built, safe environment. We put on our wellies and venture across the yard, out to The Byre. There, we can see Daisy being milked – up close, right beside her. There are little beds where the newly-born calves are being cared for – and we can feed them. Animals, as we know, have a wonderful, therapeutic effect on children.
The Look-out Tower
As you walk up the stairs from the Byre, there is a great surprise –ta-dah!– the specially designed viewing gallery, with a 360 degree view of the farm, from the elds and yard, into the shed where all the cows sleep, and the other shed where the tractor comes and goes with giant bales of hay, to the next shed where the bales are “scattered like an exploding jack-in-the-box”… and nally into the last shed, where the birthing cows lie – or sometimes the big, huge bull takes up residence.
And lots, lots more… Little Moo-Moos extra-curricular activities
Before & After School Programme
The Little MooMoos Explorers & Thinkers Club is for those parents who have an earlier start or perhaps a later finish to their day – either on a permanent or occasional basis. There is a great array of organised activities to choose from, all relevant to their age.
French classes
The children will have the opportunity to learn French as part of their curriculum. Children have significant advantages when they speak more than one language.
The benefits of learning French as a second language;
- Strengthen their problem-solving, reasoning and creative thinking skills.
- Develop their understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures
- Enhance their first-language and overall literacy skills
- Opens a child to the world by developing the child's curiosity.
Children memorize everything so they have an exceptional capacity for learning. It is advised to start learning a foreign language as early as 3 to 4 years old to make sure that it will be remembered on a long term basis. Learning French is a long-term process. If the children start learning it at an early age, they will acquire the language more easily than an older person would. Our French teacher, uses a method which encourages the children to speak their first words of French almost immediately. The emphasis is put on oral ( listening and speaking).
Nature rambles
Occasionally, we take the children on nature rambles down the fields. We always inform the parents of this in advance. A consent form must be given to and signed by a parent for trips ‘Down the fields’. The ratio of children to adults will be in compliance with the Pre-school Regulations and our insurance policy.
Baking Club
Collecting blackberries, making homemade jam, homemade brown bread, scones, and vegetable soup with vegetables from our Garden, Pizza, pigs in blankets, cookies and Muffins.
When baking, each child will have a chance to be ‘Chef of the day’.
Farm Walks
Children enjoy first hand experiences while walking on Farmer Rory’s farm, feeding calves. If we are lucky, we might even see a calf being born. We also visit the milking parlour, making children aware of ‘where milk comes from’ and what we make from milk (food pyramid/tasting), linking in with the Healthy Eating Policy. This gives the children first hand experiences and nurtures active learning. The ratio of children to adults will be in compliance with the Pre-school Regulations and our insurance policy.
Gardening
Little Moo Moos have wonderful outdoor facilities. The garden provides opportunities for the children to explore, create and inquire. It helps establish connections with school friends and with nature. There are few things children enjoy more than digging in the soil. They are fascinated when looking for worms and bugs. They also love to water the garden and anything else in the vicinity! Gardening gives children a sense of responsibility and achievement. Children, who are introduced to gardening at a young age, will have a love of gardening for life. They will also respect the environment.
Children who have a garden can spend endless hours exploring & thinking. All of the seasons bring new experiences for them.