Exploring Nature with our Baby and Toddler Group

For many children, nothing is more enjoyable than getting messy and playing in nature. This week our Baby and Toddler Group took a dive into a world of sensory experiences, engaging with various textures through hands-on interactions with natural items whilst enhancing their fine motor skills.

The day started off with listening to a story and flowed into a fun activity where we got to pour bright sand between coconut shells and use dry tree leaves, sticks, and colourful flowers for imaginative face creations. Balancing was tricky but walking on wooden planks became a playful exercise where we got to control our bodies and travel from one end to another. We also drove little cars on wooden roads and crafted bird feeder tissue rolls.

In imaginative play, the dinosaur small world became a focal point. With our favourite dinosaurs, we used our imagination and creativity to create worlds filled with new ideas. This activity not only nurtured our imagination but also deepened our understanding of the earth's timeline and appreciated that amazing creatures which existed long before we did.

We explored unconventional tools like nature brushes and soft brown soil. This led to the creation of paintings and handprints, allowing us to connect with different textures in nature.

As icing on the cake, we had a lively singing session where we used our listening skills and followed directions whilst enjoying some good music.

The list of activities seemed endless, stimulating holistic development and memorable experiences for our enthusiastic toddler group. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of all this educational fun?

By Ruth Canute