It is not unusual to see our staff walking around bare foot, photos on Seesaw of little learners feet and activities involving our ten toes. Why do we put an importance on this?
Our feet are what ground us to the earth around us; an anchor that keeps us stable, present and sure-footed. Our toes move individually so we can spread them apart and increase our surface area, improving our balance and agility.
It is so important to expose children to different textures, which we do through sensory experiences all the time…but it’s usually for all other parts of our bodies than the feet!
What does grass, metal, wood, linoleum or marble feel like beneath us? What about using them; to paint, to play, to explore and to learn!
When your child comes home from nursery with dirty feet, rejoice. Those mucky little toes are proof of a days hard work for your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Adventure is out there…
In the EYFS space, there is a lot of talk about ‘risky’ play. We prefer the term ‘adventurous’ play and here’s why we LOVE it!
Adventurous play is a key aspect of early years education; children being able to push their boundaries, step out of their comfort zone and try new things is all part of growing up. Sometimes, this means trial and error!
As children hit that two year mark, they will start to pick up the speed and take advantage of their newfound balance, coordination and movement abilities. This should be celebrated and it is important you give children the space they need both physically AND emotionally to explore.
A scrape on the knee or stubbed toe is going to happen to your child whether you keep them in a bubble or not. Children will be children, after all! They see what they want and go get it, without fear or overthinking it and we think that is a truly magical thing.
Children will only push themselves as far as they are developmentally ready to go, it just takes a lot of repetition, time and patience to get it right sometimes.
Support from afar, give them the room and watch them grow before your very eyes! They will thank you for it.
The Inspire Philosophy: A Kaleidoscope of Colour
One of the compliments we get the most about our nursery space is that it feels like a “second home”. As time goes on, we have started to reflect on that. Why does our nursery meet that lofty goal? One of the main aspects we have worked towards improving upon over the years is phasing out bright, neon and harsh colours. Colour is wonderful and has its place in a learning environment to expand upon children’s knowledge, idenfiticafion and understanding of colours. Though, the trend of nurseries washing the walls in bright yellow and blue, toys made in every colour under the sun - it seems to be fading away in the modern age. As we learn more about the psychology of children, it’s been found that too much colour in an environment can be overstimulating to the senses and therefore make it hard for children to focus and engross themselves in their play. And realistically, where else in a child’s life is there so much bright, busy colours in such a concentrated space? The way we have made our nursery speaks to children as it resembles their home! With small pops of more pastel colour, alongside calming neutrals and natural tones that we see in nature. It helps bring the outdoors indoors and bring a sense of warmth and calm to our indoor learning spaces.
This is how we do things, but there is no right or wrong way to approach the topic of tech. Life is all about balance, how do you find yours? #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Old School or New School?
The age we live in is modern, new and inventive. The brilliance of our phones and other gadgets only seems to become brighter as the years go on.
You may have noticed that in our nursery photos, inside our classrooms and if you walk around the nurseries many playgrounds, that there is something missing. Something that makes us fairly unique in this modern world; we don’t use screens in our nursery!
While our teachers use their nursery phones to take photos while the children are engrossed in their play and you may hear music from the speakers at times, we have made a conscious decision to limit the exposure to technology in the nursery.
Because of the world we live in, children have plenty of time to explore tablets, phones and television screens at home. And with boundaries and limits, they can also be wonderful educational tools.
However, in the nursery setting, we have a stronger focus on developing connections between the children. Social skills, physical development, imaginative play, communication and language and all the other core developmental areas.
So while they are at the nursery with their friends and teachers, children can focus purely on their play with little distraction.
This is how we do things, but there is no right or wrong way to approach the topic of tech. Life is all about balance, how do you find yours?
This is how we do things, but there is no right or wrong way to approach the topic of tech. Life is all about balance, how do you find yours? #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Watch, Wait and Listen
Have you ever watched a child, truly observed them play without inserting yourself? As adults, it’s a natural instinct to want to be part of a child’s process, as we are a vital part of their development and support in all areas of their lives.
Sometimes, though, you’re not needed. And although that can be hard to process, we need to give children time, space and the independence to learn on their own.
Make mistakes, experience new things, triumph on their own. Give them the choice to involve you instead of jumping in straight away.
Children can feel the pressure when you ask them questions about what they are doing and as an adults, our curiosity into the minds of our children is almost as abundant as their own. It’s important to take the pressure off of them sometimes, to allow them to talk freely and naturally without having their thought process be interrupted with a question.
Give it a try. Oh, the conversations you will hear!This is how we do things, but there is no right or wrong way to approach the topic of tech. Life is all about balance, how do you find yours? #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Experimentation
This week, we tried something new. New for the children, new for our staff, new for the nursery. And oh, what fun have we had!
Everyday, beautiful projects are being created across the nursery. We love to experiment with new ideas and bring our Kid’s Island flare to activities and experiences, both new and practiced.
Many ideas came together to create what you see here in these photos. An idea of a nursery wide experience like the splash day, talk of more free creative expression that isn’t limited to the classroom and finding the best use for large blank canvases. Eventually, we landed on an indoor ‘yes’ space where paint was our medium and the room was our canvas.
Every age group and class has experiences something different. While some children were more keen to sit down and paint their hands and feet methodically until they were all blue, others wanted to race paint-drenched cars down ramps or mix all the colours to create their own new one.
We are working to break down the stigma of paint being limited to the end of a paintbrush. So, we leaned into the idea of children using their bodies as the tool to create art, without fear of messy hands or ruining clothes. And we think the results speak for themselves.
How did we do? #theinspirephilosophyThis is how we do things, but there is no right or wrong way to approach the topic of tech. Life is all about balance, how do you find yours? #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Ages and Stages
We have been living in unpredictable times these last few years. A part of the process of staying healthy in these times was putting some of the things we love on hold while we figured out how to do them in a way that keeps the children’s safety at the heart of what we do.
As the world adjusts to this new normal, we can start to rejoice as former regular practices in the nursery return. And one of these things is the mingling of different age groups.
Not only do older children tend to enjoy interacting with and guiding the younger ones, but the younger ones take so much joy in getting individual attention from older children and learning from them.
It helps children to socialize and use their communication skills to share, take turns and negotiate in their play, as well as help them to learn to collaborate and cooperate with each other!
These skills can be fostered by adults too, don’t get us wrong - though, we all know there is nothing cooler than the big kids when you’re small. It helps introduce new ways to grow,
develop and build upon the idea of the entire nursery being one big home-away-from-home.
They learn from one another and cherish their time together, whether it’s new friends or old, siblings or cousins. There is always some special moments to be shared - together! #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Celebrations
Currently in the UAE, the celebration of Eid is taking place. It is an exciting time of year for the Muslim community filled with spiritual connection, generosity and an appreciation for friends, family and those less fortunate than ourselves.
In nursery, the concept of holidays like Eid, Diwali, Easter and many other religious holidays are hard to explain to young minds. Although, key aspects of these holidays are not so hard to incorporate into activities, discussions and everyday practice.
Many holidays are centered around colour, the moon, seasons and social customs; such as being thoughtful, generous, charitable and mindful.
All of these are wonderful topics to discuss and learn about, regardless of the time of year. It is, however, always nice to have these yearly reminders come around to let us look at our lives and cherish what we have, to be reminded of the good we’ve done and challenges over-come.
Rest, relax and rejuvenate over the holidays and spend the time with those who matter the most! #theinspirephilosophyAs an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Cozy Up
What makes you feel cozy? Is it a dim-lit room, candles burning lowly, a warm bath, knitted blankets and fuzzy socks? As adults, this is what usually comes to mind when we think of coziness.
Being cozy in a space encompasses the feeling of safety, security and completion. We can appreciate it and crave it, however, it can be hard to put into words.
Children are exactly the same as us. A warm, cozy environment to play, learn and relax in is essential to a balanced life and at Kid’s Island Nursery, we’ve been working very hard to achieve a sense of coziness around the nursery.
There is a wonderful word in Norwegian called “Hygge” which encompasses the meaning of being warm, safe, cozy, content and feelings of wellness under one lovely umbrella.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s definition of cozy is different. It may be sitting down to look at a book on their own, laying down for a snooze with a blanket on the carpet or singing songs with their friends.
What matters most is that children are content enough in their setting to grow in confidence and settle down. #theinspirephilsophy
As an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
The Inspire Philosophy: Go with The Flow
The nature of children is curiosity. Whether it’s exploring the world around them, asking questions wherever possible and navigating their learning in their own way; children are creatures of change and exploration.
As early years practitioners, we have to apply ourselves in a similar mindset. When we plan activities, we design them with the intention of invitation and provocation in mind. And what we may have initially planned may end up going in a different direction than we once thought.
And that is the beauty of teaching in early years. What starts out as a sensory activity for hands and noses to enjoy ultimately becomes a full body experience. And who are we to limit children in their exploration of experiences by restricting them? Safety willing, there is no reason children should be stopped from jumping in head first if that’s what they desire.
Adaptability is not just a skill we teach children, it’s one we have to abide to ourselves. It’s okay if things don’t go to plan all the time because sometimes the most unexpected things in life turn out to mold the more precious of memories. #theinspirephilophy
As an eco nursery in Dubai who has been established in Jumeirah for the last 30 years, we are honored to welcome the next generation of students into the Kid’s Island Nursery in Jumeirah family and it is rewarding to hear parents say “I remember what it felt like when I experienced this at the nursery for the first time”. It is important to cherish your warm childhood memories and even more important to create new ones with your child.
