Tour of Bobtails
Bobtails Full Day Care was founded in the late 1990's, by a group of parents wanting quality childcare in the Lipson area of Plymouth. In the early days Bobtails had several homes before being based in the grounds of Lipson Vale Primary School, our current premises, which we have rented from the Lipson Vale Trust since 2002.
We are a member of the PLA (Pre-school Learning Alliance) and have adopted the PLA's model constitution. We are also members of All Children First, which is the name of Plymouths Early Years Partnership, who provide support and training opportunities.
Changes to the environment
Recently the setting has undergone some amazing transformations. The outside area was the first area we wanted to change. As a setting we recognise the importance of an enabling outside area.
- Being outdoors has a positive impact on a childs sense of well-being and helps all aspects of a childs development.
- Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on differing scales than when indoors.
- It gives children first hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world.
- Outdoor environments offer children freedom to explore, use thier senses, and be physically active and exuberant.
It is a well accepted principal in early childhood learning, that children learn best through free play and discovery. Quality play involves the whole child: gross moter, fine motor, senses, emotion, intellect, individual growth and social interaction.
The Indoor Environment.
The inside of the setting has also undergone a massive transformation. The walls are painted in soft cream and the floors have been laid with a special soft saftey lino, so they can be easily kept clean.
The indoor environment contains resourses which are appropriate, well maintained and accessible for all children. Indoor spaces are planned so they can be used flexibly. It is a safe, secure yet challenging space for children.
Throughout the setting different areas are set up in order to offer learning opportunities for the children.
The Book Corner
Reading is about children's understanding and enjoying stories, books and rhymes, recognising that print carries meaning, both fiction and fact, and reading a range of familiar words and simple sentances.
Our setting has a wide range of books and story sacks which are freely availiable for the children to use. We also have 6 core reading books that are incorporated each week whithin the planning so the children can become familiar with these particular books.
The Mark Making Area
Writing is about how children build an understanding of the relationship between the spoken and written word and how through marks, drawing and personal writing children ascribe meaning to text and attempt to write for different purposes.
The setting offers a variety of resourses for the children to have the opportunity to mark make in different ways. The area is availiable at all times to the children and adapted regularly to meet their interests and needs.
The Home Corner and Role Play Area.
Developing imagination and imaginative play is about how children are supported to develop and build their imaginations through stories, role plays, imaginative play, dance. music and art.
The home corner is often set up differently to correspond with the weekly planned themes. Over the years the home corner has been set up as many different things incuding
- a fruit and veg shop
- a firestation
- a vets
- a train station
- a school classroom
- a doctors surgery
- a travel agent
to name a few.
Our Sensory Area
Being creative is all about how children respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch or feel. Our sensory area offers many different resourses, objects, smells, sounds, textures and materials for the children to experience.
ICT Area
ICT is about how children find out about and learn to use appropriate information technology such as computers and programmable toys which support learning.
We have recently purchased a BBOT which the children have enjoyed programming.
An Enabling Environment
The rooms are set up so the children can easily access the toys and resourses of their choosing; in doing this the children are able to have free choice in what they would like to play with throughout their time during the session.
A rich and varied space supports childrens learning and development. It gives them confidence to explore and learn in a secure and safe, yet challenging indoor and outdoor spaces.
