At The White House Nursery each of our settings features a fantastic landscaped garden complete with allotment, construction site, outdoor classroom, nature area and a mud kitchen!
Outdoor play in general has many benefits to children's health and well being. The open space and freedom to run around allows children to burn off excess energy, bringing them a feeling of happiness and wellbeing.
Breathing in fresh air helps to strengthen your child's immune system and allows them to sleep better at night. Outdoor play also offers children the opportunity to learn about natural materials and the environment around them including plants, animals and changes in the weather.
The mud kitchen in particular combines lots of styles of play which makes it a great all round activity. Some of these include role play, imaginative play, sensory play and creative play.
The mud kitchen also supports children to develop a range of skills such as: hand eye coordination when pouring, filling and stirring... communication, sharing and team building skills when working together with friends and practitioners... as well as fine motor skills when picking leaves and using paint brushes.
During these activities the children often get very engrossed in what they are doing and can get quite messy, particularly when using mud and water in the mud kitchen. So it's super important that parents send their children to nursery with the appropriate clothing for these activities.
A warm coat, wellies, hat, scarf and gloves should be provided for all children as we do not have enough of these to provide them at nursery. An all in one waterproof suit is always a good idea too! This allows children to fully immerse themselves in their play without becoming cold or uncomfortable.
All children's clothing and belongings should be clearly labelled with their name so as not to go missing or get mixed up with others. Your child's wellies and waterproofs can be kept at nursery if needed.