Our Approach

Curiosity Approach

Over the past 10 years, technology and modern-day toys have replaced the impromptu traditional drum sessions with kitchen pans or enjoyment of an empty carboard box. We identified influential issues such as colours and brightness of environment and the limitations of specific plastic toys.

We began to develop our own approach, having visited Reflections Nursery, established creativity pioneers, and followed this by periods of self-reflection, assessment, and evaluation. We then discovered Curiosity Approach, which included the elements of Reggio, Steiner, Te Whariki and Montessori, which we loved, and felt as if it was the foundation for our future.

In 2020, we began our journey along the Curiosity accreditation and the benefits have been very positive for children and the staffing team. We have made our environments homely, incorporating wonderful opportunities for open-ended play. We have a range of loose parts and we have rehomed the plastic toys. We now have a natural, calm, welcoming nursery that is full of magical curiosities. There are lots of provocations to learning, both inside and outside in the garden and we are now heavily child led, resulting in short notice trips, and overnight room environment changes to meet the children’s interest and indeed, curiosity.

As this approach has developed, it has become apparent that we embrace a balance of Montessori and Curiosity. Parents will observe that we encourage children to serve their own lunch and tea and are encouraged to clean and wash their plates. We promote independence, which in turn develops confidence. We provide real life resources for their play, including such resources as  pans, hammers, saws, locks, and keys, to name but a few. The resources are open-ended meaning they can be adapted for many different uses.

We believe this Curiosity Approach to be most beneficial for a child’s development.