This page will point out some of the things in our environment and show you corresponding pictures.
Family Pictures
All our families are different but all are very special. The first thing that you will see when you enter our nursery is a wall with framed pictures of all our families. When children and families come in and see their own pictures on the wall – they know that Rainbow is a place where they ‘belong’. Children feel safe when they see familiar things around them, and by having pictures of themselves and their families on the wall, not only do we build a sense of security for them in the physical environment, but their sense of self-esteem is also developed.
Displays
We believe that its very important to display children’s work and creation in ways which show we really value what they’ve done. This is important for their self-esteem, as they seen their own work displayed around them. A language rich environment helps children understand that ‘print carries meaning’ – we make sure that all our displays have a clear explanation of what we’ve done in English and Hebrew. We put children’s names on the front of their work, so their names are visible, we encourage them to be proud. Here are some of our display areas:
Pegs
Children each have their own peg, with their name and their picture. The pegs are situated by the front door and are very low. We encourage all children, even the very youngest, to know where their peg is, and to be able to reach it for themselves. They can store hats, coats, bags – whatever they like, on their pegs.
Labels
A language rich environment is important, children need to see print in their environment from a very early age. They grow to understand that print carries meaning, and this is the first step to learning to read. Its important that writing is displayed in a variety of ways, including both handwriting and printed text. Everything in the nursery is labelled, not just so we all know where things go but also to provide an environment rich with language!
We love nature
We have a nature box, with a range of nature items inside, such as pinecones and carob sticks. The children can take these out to explore textures and surfaces of nature materials.
Shoes off
In our sleep room and the back playroom, we have a ‘shoe free’ zone. By keeping outside shoes off when we’re in these rooms, it helps keep the floors and surfaces clean. Children can freely crawl around and carry out floor based activities without the dirt, dust and detritus that stinky outdoor shoes bring in. All our floors are vacuumed and washed on a daily basis.
