Our Facilities and Activities

What do the children do at South Beccles Pre-school?

First and foremost, they have FUN.

However, all our activities are carefully planned to the Foundation Stage Curriculum used in Nurseries and Schools.

A child will usually begin the first stage of the National Curriculum called the Foundation Stage that focuses on the distinct needs of children aged three until the end of the the reception year of primary school. It is a broad, balanced and purposeful curriculum, delivered through planned play activities to help ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Children will develop skills such as speaking, listening, persistence, as well as early reading, writing and numeracy so that most will achieve and some, where appropriate, will go beyond the early learning goals by the end of the foundation stage to help ensure they experience the best possible start to their education. 
Extracted from ParentsCentre - A Department for Education and Skills website

So the children have fun whilst learning at the same time!

South Beccles Pre-school has a wide range of activities for the children to enjoy and learn from. Some of them are listed here.

In addition, each half-term has a different theme with activities linked to the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals.

EXAMPLE - 2nd HALF OF SPRING TERM 2008

The theme for this half term is GROWING: PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Week 1. We will be using this week as a ‘settling in week’; encouraging the children to talk about what adventures they have had during half-term and helping them to adjust to our Pre-School routine. We will begin to discuss the spring time changes we can detect outside. The children will be encouraged to think about our display board, sharing their ideas of what living things we can recreate to put onto our board. .

Week 2. This week will be based around flowers. In the Pre-School will be a florist shop where the children can role play, taking turns at being the customer and being the florist. We will be encouraging the children to take part in craft activities making colourful flowers. We will also have a practical activity allowing the children to pretend they are in the garden, where they can dig in soil and help pot some plants.

Week 3. The focus of this week will be fruit and vegetables. We will be exploring how fruit and vegetables grow, comparing types of vegetables that grow on top of the soil, and those that are root vegetables. We will help the children to understand what is needed for plants to grow healthily. The story of Jack and the Beanstalk will feature in this week, along with activities linked to this story. 

Week 4. This week we will encourage the children to think about all the animals that are born in Spring. The children will enjoy rhymes such as; 5 little ducks, 2 little dickey birds and little Topsy Rabbit. We will be making lambs, calves and rabbits to appear on our display along with a variety of birds. Musical activities will be on offer where children will be encouraged to move around the hall in a style linked to a certain animals; hopping like a rabbit, or flapping their arms like a bird.

Week 5. We will be looking at the story of the little Red Hen expressing how nice it is to help each other and to share in tasks. We will explore this story in depth considering the wheat that grows and is needed for the bread, as well as exploring what all the animals need to keep fit and healthy. This will enable the children to acknowledge what they need to stay fit and healthy, as we discuss what is necessary for all living things to grow.

The full plan, showing how our activities link to the Early Learning Goals, is always available to view at the Pre-school. The Sure Start video about the Foundation Stage can be borrowed from the Pre-school by arrangement.

Some of the activities the children enjoy at South Beccles Pre-school and their educational benefits.

COMPUTER WITH A RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL GAMES - Develops mouse control. Encourages, counting, number and letter matching skills. Introduces Information Technology.

PAINTING, DRAWING & PRINTING - Develops hand / eye co-ordination. Promotes brush and later pencil control and therefore pre-writing skills. Introduces the concept of mixing colours. Allows self expression and a sense of achievement.

ROLE PLAY - Encourages imagination and language. Allows children to imitate adult roles. Introduces the concept of playing with other children and sharing. Role play areas include a play house, office, shop, kitchen, nursery and laundry.

COOKING - Promotes hygiene and safety. Encourages talk about the ingredients and predicting what might happen to them. Introduces the concepts of weighing and measuring ingredients.

DRESSING UP - Provides opportunities for imaginative play and for imitating adult roles. Promotes dressing skills. Encourages sharing and turn taking.

GAMES e.g. board games - Promote social skills and turn taking. Helps counting skills. Introduces the idea of following simple rules of the game.

PUZZLES - Develop the ability to think logically. Promote hand / eye co-ordination. Gives a sense of achievement when a puzzle is completed.

BOOK CORNER & STORY TIME - Promotes Literacy and pre-reading skills. Encourages an interest in books. Promotes concentration.

WRITING AREA - Promotes pencil control, hand / eye co-ordination and pre-writing skills. Allows children to use writing as part of their play and for a variety of purposes.

MATHS AREA - Introduces counting, sorting, weighing and number recognition. Introduces mathematical concepts and language such as addition and subtraction.

WATER - Introduces mathematical concepts such as floating and sinking. Helps hand / eye co-ordination. Promotes sharing and taking.

WOODWORK, CUTTING & STICKING - Develops hand / eye co-ordination. Promotes find motor skills skills and the use of tools. Allows self expression and a sense of achievement.

SAND - Introduces mathematical concepts such as full and empty. Encourages social skills and language.

MUSIC - Using simple instruments to accompany or create their own music. Develop spatial awareness when moving to music.

SONGS - Encourages listening and language skills. Helps children learn to count.

DOLL'S HOUSE & FARM HOUSE - Encourages language and imaginative play.

PLAYDOUGH - Promotes development of fine control of hands and fingers.  Develops concepts of weight.

TRIKES & CARS - Helps develop gross motor skills and a sense of spatial awareness.

CLIMBING FRAME - Promotes physical development, confidence and turn taking.

TRAINS & CARS - Encourages language and imaginative play. Promotes sharing and taking.

LEGO, STICKLEBRICKS & BUILDING BLOCKS - Introduces counting and sorting. Develops hand / eye co-ordination. Promotes find motor skills skills

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