Grass Roots Nursery Group
Grass Roots Private Day Nursery Tel:01422836280 grassrootsdaynursery@gmail.com
Grass Roots Preschool Tel:01422417659 grassroots.newroad@gmail.com
St. Peter's
The Fold
(Under 2's)
A Nurturing Start for Little Ones
The Fold is a cosy and secure space designed for children from 12 weeks to two years, offering a homely atmosphere where babies and toddlers can explore, move, and engage in stimulating play. With plenty of floor space, children are encouraged to develop their mobility and independence, supported by a carefully chosen range of activities that foster early learning and development. This self-contained room benefits from its own kitchen area, ensuring everything is readily available to meet each child’s individual needs.
Guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), The Fold focuses on three prime areas: personal, social, and emotional development, communication and language development, and physical development. Practitioners nurture confidence and emotional well-being through meaningful interactions, encourage early communication skills with songs and play, and support movement and coordination through activities that strengthen motor skills. With an adult-to-child ratio of 1:3, practitioners provide attentive and responsive care, ensuring each child feels safe, secure, and valued.
The room is filled with a variety of age-appropriate resources that children can explore freely, allowing them to engage in experiences tailored to their learning style and stage of development. The outdoor space plays a significant role in their development, and children of all ages enjoy a shared area where they can interact and engage in active learning. The Fold also features a dedicated outdoor space with artificial grass and shade, providing a safe and stimulating environment for non-mobile children to explore comfortably.
Each child is set up on our online system, where parents can track daily updates on meals, sleep, and care routines, as well as learning journals with observations recorded by practitioners. This ensures families stay connected to their child’s progress and experiences at nursery.
The Paddock
(2 year olds)
Each child has their box inside the room to store belongings and artwork. These small touches help reinforce a sense of belonging and responsibility while supporting their independence.
Outdoor play is an integral part of daily learning, and children of all ages share a large outdoor space, encouraging social interactions and active play. Practitioners ensure children spend as much time outside as possible, embracing movement, discovery, and meaningful engagement with the world around them.
Families can access daily records and observations through our online system, offering insight into each child’s experiences and development.
A Space for Exploration and Growth
The Paddock is an engaging and dynamic environment designed to encourage exploration and creativity. Within this space, children have access to a cosy reading nook, a climbing wall and slide, imaginative play areas, sand and water stations, painting, and sensory playdough activities, all carefully selected to foster hands-on learning.
As children develop independence, The Paddock supports their growing confidence with a dedicated potty area, equipped with books and resources that encourage positive potty training experiences. Toilets and nappy-changing facilities are also available in the nearby bathroom, ensuring children have easy access to all they need.
A Place for Inquiry and Discovery
The Meadow is designed for children aged three until they start school, providing a stimulating and supportive environment where learning happens through play, inquiry, and hands-on experiences. An Early Years Teacher works closely with all children, offering additional support to those preparing for school transitions, ensuring each child builds confidence, independence, and problem-solving skills.
Building upon foundational abilities, The Meadow introduces the specific areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), including maths, literacy, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. Children explore early numeracy skills through interactive play, develop reading and writing skills in dedicated literacy areas, foster curiosity about nature and people, and express their creativity through painting, role play, and music.
This space is homely and friendly, offering a broad range of age-appropriate experiences that allow each child to learn in a way that matches their interests and individual development. Each child has their own peg and drawer for coats, bags, and artwork, supporting their independence and encouraging a sense of ownership within the space.
The bathroom area is freely accessible, providing toilets, potty stations, nappy-changing facilities, and handwashing areas to support self-care routines. With free-flow access to the outdoor learning space, children can choose between indoor exploration and outdoor adventure, fostering autonomy and extending their learning beyond the classroom.
Parents can stay connected to their child’s experiences and progress through our online system, which provides updates on meals, rest routines, and learning observations from practitioners.
The Meadow
(3 & 4 year olds)
Outdoor
Area
A World of Movement and Exploration
Children learn through movement, and outdoor play is a fundamental part of their development. Our outdoor space supports physical activity, curiosity, and independent exploration, providing opportunities for water play, sand and mud kitchen experiences, construction activities, play frames with slides, and a dedicated stage and playhouse that encourage storytelling and imaginative role-play.
Babies and toddlers have a separate decked area, allowing them to play safely while still interacting with older children. Practitioners continually develop and adapt outdoor spaces based on children’s interests and the seasons, ensuring that learning opportunities remain dynamic and engaging.
Outdoor play is more than just physical exercise—it is a space for discovery, problem-solving, social connection, and sensory exploration. Whether investigating nature, engaging in collaborative play, or simply embracing the joy of being outdoors, children develop confidence, resilience, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Here are seven benefits of outdoor play (from the NCT website)
1. Help your baby sleep better at night
Research shows that babies sleep better at night if they’ve had some fresh air and sunshine during the day. Definitely worth a walk or play outdoors to help your baby sleep better.
2. Outdoor play is a fun way to learn
Getting outdoors to play is a brilliant sensory experience for babies and toddlers. There is so much for them to see, explore and learn. The changing nature of the outdoors makes it an incredibly stimulating and multi-sensory place to play. This is important as babies and young children learn and gain experience through all their senses.
3. Developing motor skills
Young children need the opportunity to use their whole body and develop their gross motor skills. Playing outdoors in your garden or local park lets babies crawl or toddle further. As they get older, they’ll have space to run and jump outside. They can also develop their fine motor skills as they pick up natural treasures like leaves and fir cones.
4. Encourages a healthy lifestyle
Getting outdoors with your toddler can help them burn off some energy and encourages a healthy lifestyle. Through physical activity and challenges, being outdoors helps children sleep, eat, and live more healthily. This encourages them to form healthy habits for life.
5. Care for the environment
Playing outdoors is a brilliant way to get out in nature and become aware of the environment. Children who gain knowledge and appreciation of nature are more likely to become environmentally aware adults.
6. Positive impact on the whole family
It’s amazing how fresh air can blow away the cobwebs and make a world of difference to how you feel as a parent. Even a short walk can do the world of good for the whole family. Especially on days after a sleepless night or when your child is feeling grumpy or grizzly at home.
7. Make new friends
Getting outside is also a good opportunity for parents to get some gentle exercise and meet friends.