3 – 5 years

Our 3-5 room accommodates 16 children and is a bright and cheerful room which promotes independence. All the resources are within easy reach of the children to allow them to choose what they want to play with.

The children can be creative in our arts and crafts area as well as in our writing area and have opportunities to use their imagination in the role play area. We also provide a sand and water area, music area, construction and small world areas as well as a quiet area for reading books. The 3-5 room has an interactive smart board which allows the children to participate in ICT as well as finding new information regarding their monthly topics through internet access which is closely monitored by staff. 

Each staff member plans 2 activities per week. Staff plan their activities using “A Curriculum for Excellence” which is the national guidelines set out by the Scottish Education Department. This encourages the children to become Responsible Citizens, Successful Learners, Confident Individuals and Effective Contributors. There are 8 areas of the curriculum which the staff use to plan their activities. The staff also use Big Book Planning and mindmaps with the children which allows them to contribute effectively to their learning. Any photographs taken, work and comments collected are all stored in these books. Using big book planning also allows the children to comment on their own work as well as the work of others.

The children use this room for dining and during this time we promote independence and responsibility by allowing the children to help give out the plates, cups and cutlery as well as serving their own lunch and snacks at the table. We are a healthy eating nursery and provide alternatives for any child who may have allergies or dislikes to certain food. The 3-5 year old children are also involved in the preparation of their snack, this involves a trip to the local shop to buy ingredients for their snack and with supervision from staff they are able to cut up their own fruit, etc.

We have a physical room which the children use at least twice a day. The children can play on the climbing frame, complete an obstacle course or play ball games as well as other physical activities within this room. As part of their physical development the children also participate in a dance class once a week. The children also have the opportunity to spend time outside in the local area, visiting the library. Etc as well as going for a walk around Glasgow Green.

There are children’s toilets out with the room which the children are allowed to go to on their own. This is to encourage responsibility and independence especially for the pre-school children.
Our 3-5 room has an eco schools committee which plans a variety of activities to teach the children about their environment and what we can do to help it. We have recycling bins allocated close to the nursery and the children make regular trips to this with items they have collected at home as well as in the nursery.
Another way we promote independence is by allowing the children to inform their parents/carers of the activities they have participated in throughout the day. Staff will also inform the parents/ carers of this information through verbal communication