The Inspire Philosophy: Celebrating Seasons

Being based in Dubai, we are so fortunate to be able to learn about different cultures; their traditions, holiday celebrations and incorporate them into the nursery’s learning adventures.
Children love to celebrate, whether it’s a cheer at the end of their favourite story or an actual holiday like Christmas or Eid. However, we can ensure all these holidays are represented through celebrating the seasons that they fall within!
There is so much to celebrate about the changing of the seasons. Whether it’s the smells of cinnamon and the crunching of leaves in Autumn, touching ice and baking cookies in Winter, smelling flowers and celebrating colour in Spring or enjoying the sun and sand in Summer.
Seasonal activities are engaging and exciting for children of all ages . The wonderful world of seasons and the changes in smells, sounds, tastes and weather are a sensory dream! #theinspirephilosophy

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: Barefoot

Two of our bodies most sensitive areas, full of nerves and receptors, are our hands and our feet! Little hands are always experiencing new things, but what about their feet?
Children’s brains learn through experiences. The input from what they touch, taste, smell, feel and hear is what creates new neural pathways in their brains and in turn, every time they experience those same sensations again, the process gets just a little bit faster. That’s why we always say that practice makes perfect!
How does it feel to dip our feet in ice cold water? Or feel the slipperiness of paint between our toes? How about the tickle of grass as we run through it?
The more time spent barefoot, the more opportunities there are for children to experience all of these wonderful sensations!
Not to mention, allowing your feet to have that strong, solid connection to the earth is an essential part of staying grounded. It helps encourage calmness and self-regulation in children too!
So the next time you go to the park, play in the garden or do messy play, why not do it barefoot? #theinspirephilosophy

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: Transformations

In the nursery, we introduce, encourage and foster the idea of appreciating nature in all its forms. From the smallest of ants crawling across the grass, to the towering trees and birds in the sky. Children are naturally curious beings and learning about the world around us can be incredibly fascinating for them.

A butterfly was found in the garden of one of our families and it was brought in to be observed as a learning opportunity. In the morning, it was still wrapped up in it’s cocoon, waiting inside patiently to emerge. Throughout the day, the children continued to check in on it and suddenly it started to wiggle and shake.

All of a sudden, the cocoon opened up and there, the butterfly emerged! Seeing such a beautiful and intricate process occur before their very eyes can help children to understand the more complex aspects of nature. It can help to teach them patience, observation skills and the life cycles of the natural world.

Take the time to look around you, investigate your gardens and surroundings and open your eyes to the wonders around you! #theinspirephilosophy

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: Get Up, Stand Up!

It’s time that we change up the narrative of focus and concentration being tied to sitting in a chair at a table.
Children, especially in early years, shouldn’t have to be restricted when they are learning, especially when doing art work.

When we take away the chair, we open up the possibility for true exploration of an activity. You may not even realize it until the chairs are gone, as only then will you be able to see the full range of motion that children are capable of while maintaining their focus.

When seated, we can only go as far as our arms can reach. Our space is limited to the confines of our bodies. But when we remove the chair from the equation, we can stand, sit, squat, lie down…the options are open to go as far and wide as we wish to.

The benefits that come from allowing children to experiment and be free with their positioning are astronomical. Not only can children move with more freedom, but drawing on your hands and knees required core strength! It builds upon their growing muscles and encourages strength and balance. All things that growing children need to reach their full potential in their future learning adventures.

Let’s remove the barrier together. Give children the space, freedom and opportunity to learn on their feet instead of sitting in a chair. #theinspirephilosophy

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.⁠⁠
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Inspire Philosophy: The Forgotten Sense - Sound ⁠

Inspire Philosophy: The Forgotten Sense - Sound ⁠
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When we think of sensory play, what do our minds jump to? Play dough, water play, tuft trays with sand, slime or Moon-sand. We might even imagine beautiful smells of cinnamon and clove from an autumn fairy soup or the familiar smell of the earthy soil in the Mud Kitchen. ⁠
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But there is one sense that always seems to fly under the radar that is just as important as touch, smell or taste. Sound!⁠
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Sound can relax us and bring us to far away places in our mind, inspire the pace of our play or the energy of a room. ⁠
Children are incredibly sensitive and receptive to sound and the use of sound in play can be beneficial to give children a life long appreciation and understanding of sound and by extension, music. ⁠
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Making instruments out of recyclables and materials like beans and rice can be an engaging process activity that leaves children with a wonderful noise maker at the end of it. You can make music from anything though, just pick up two sticks and bang them together and hey, there you have two drumsticks! ⁠
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However, we should never underestimate the power of silence either. Sound and silence work together beautifully. Children love to dance, sing and move to music but silence can give children the opportunity that they need in the day to relax, decompress and recharge. ⁠
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It’s all about balance, variety and most importantly, fun!⁠
#theinspirephilosophy⁠
⁠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.⁠⁠
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The Inspire Philosophy: Storytelling ⁠

Stories is an integral part of every child’s life; whether it’s before bed when they’re snuggled up under the covers or beside their peers during circle time at nursery; stories enrich children’s lives in many ways.⁠
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Stories help to ignite children’s imaginations and let their minds run free. Some feature talking animals, magic and fantasy galore, or on the other hand, we can sometimes learn more about our earth and our bodies. Some stories are good for bed time, some help us to move our bodies and show us how and other just make us laugh! ⁠
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They also teach children important life lessons in digestible, simplified ways that speak to them. ⁠
For example, in the story pictures above, The Very Busy Spider doesn’t have time to play, eat or swim with the other animals. While this is perplexing to the other animals, all they have to do is take interest in what the spider is doing. At the end of her story, the owl acknowledges her beautiful web once she has finished as it sparkles in the moon light. It teaches children about farm animals, the activities they love to do and more, but most importantly, it highlights that sometimes it’s okay to do your own thing and be busy! ⁠
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The concept of being an individual and following your own interests is a concept that children might struggle to grasp, but within the story, it is easy to understand. “The spider didn’t answer. She was very busy spinning her web.” ⁠
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You may read the same story a thousand times and bore of the same words, characters and pictures; but children are learning the ways of the world and everything in it through the words and pictures in your hand. #theinspirephilosophy ⁠

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.⁠⁠
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The Inspire Philosophy: Breathing New Life

The last two years has seen plenty outdoor renovations around the nursery. And as summer approached, it was time to turn our attention indoors.⁠⁠
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What started as a small project in one room, inspired us enough to think bigger and so a huge renovation project to all our Home Bases, Gym Room & Play Room was put into motion. Before we knew it, the whole nursery was in for a lick of paint, beautiful murals on the walls and inspirational décor added to enhance our mindful and eco-conscious environment. ⁠⁠
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To make the vision come to life, walls where knocked down, furniture was repurposed, lots-and-lots of decluttering took place and, in the end, it all contributed to a more open, free-flow environment for everyone to find joy in. ⁠⁠
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Change and innovation is a sign of growth and is a necessary part of life! For us, it’s also invigorating and inspiring, as the end result is always worth the time and effort! ⁠⁠
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The nursery is still the same amazing place you know and yet, with the changes we made, it has become that little touch warmer and more inviting! #theinspirephilosophy⁠⁠
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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.⁠⁠
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The Inspire Philosophy: Our Process Art

Have you seen any stacked cardboard boxes or hanging mobiles around the nursery covered in, what appears to be, very abstract art? ⁠⁠
Our focus when doing artistic and creative activities with the children is never what the finished outcome is. While there is always an inspiration and meaning to creative activities, there’s usually very few instructions and order to the art that our children in the nursery produce. The important part of the creative process is just that; the process, not the product! ⁠⁠
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What was meant to be a spiders web or a herd of animals in the jungle probably looks a little more…unique. But that’s okay! What matters is that the children learned something from the action of doing. ⁠⁠
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It’s okay that the penguins beak is where it's feet are, and that instead of black and white, it's pink and green! Praise the creative freedom and remember that the learning comes from the process. #theinpsirephilosophy

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: Mud Matters

The Mud Kitchen at the back of the nursery is a very special place to everyone within the nursery, adults and children alike. ⁠⁠
It's an area that represents play to its maximum potential; exploration of textures, team working, communication and imagination through the creation of projects big and small. ⁠⁠
It also gives children the chance to immerse themselves in nature and gather an understanding and respect for plants and other living things. ⁠⁠
As adults, it is important that we model the behaviour and kind of play that is expected of children in an area like a Mud Kitchen, so that they can reach the full potential of their play. ⁠⁠
Which means that it is our job to get dirt under our nails, make some mud pies and show the children how getting messy can be fun! #theinspirephilosophy

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: Make Your Own...⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let’s make Moonsand!

Let’s make Moonsand! Not only is Moonsand incredibly easy to make, it provides amazing sensory play for children as it is soft, squishy and can be packed down hard to make different shapes and forms. ⁠⁠
Here is the recipe we used while making it with the children! ⁠⁠
• 5 Cups of Flour ⁠⁠
• 1 Cup of Oil (Baby or Vegetable Oil) ⁠⁠
• A few drops of vanilla essence or essential oil for smell. ⁠⁠
Now let's get mixing! ⁠⁠
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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.