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In addition to indoor and outside play areas, the rooms at the UCL Day Nursery have designated messy play, quiet areas, and home corners.
All rooms at the UCL Day Nursery make full use of available space and we regularly use the playground and local communal areas for activities with the children.
In addition to our multi-functional rooms, we have secure outdoor space where the children play and interact with each other.
Baby unit
Researchers Room
We are registered to care for up to 12 babies in our baby room with four members of staff
Continuity of care is paramount in the baby room, staff have a wealth of experience and understanding of the importance to build upon good relationships with the parents during the settling in period, as we are aware that this is the first experience that many of our parents have at being separated from their children for a long period time and they may feel sensitive about the experience
The room is resourced with age appropriate toys, which are within easy reach of the babies to encourage their independent choices of play. The furniture where the toys are stored are of low level which encourage the babies further with their development to pull themselves up with the use of the furniture as an aid to standing and cruising around.
Along with the core experienced that UCL Day Nursery offer, activities are carefully planned for and set out each day to help support the children’s start to their leaning journey.
Philosophers Room
We are registered for up to 15 toddlers in our toddler room with five members of staff.
We encourage the children in toddlers to explore their environment at their own leisure. The room is furnished once again with low-level furniture and divided into different areas: art area, book corner, role-play area and construction. Resources are within easy reach of the children, on their level, to encourage their independent choices.
There are a combination of well-planned adult led and child led activities on offer, which enable the children to learn new and exciting skills that are supported with the everyday core experiences that UCL Day Nursery has to offer
Engineers Room
We are registered for up to 12 older toddlers in our larger toddler unit with four members of staff.
We encourage the children in toddlers to explore their environment at their own leisure. The room is furnished once again with low-level furniture and divided into different areas: art area, book corner, role-play area and construction. Resources are within easy reach of the children, on their level, to encourage their independent choices.
There are a combination of well-planned adult led and child led activities on offer, which enable the children to learn new and exciting skills that are supported with the everyday core experiences that UCL Day Nursery has to offer
Heuristic /Sensory room
“Heuristic play is about curiosity and exploration. As children select, manipulate, explore, compare items, they discover what the object can and can’t do.
UCL Day Nursery's heuristic room is based in our baby unit and resourced with real life everyday objects which provide the children with an opportunity for open ended discovery.
During a heuristic play session a child will choose an object which can help them gain an understanding of what it is, how it feels and what it can do. Each child’s choice will lead to another in a pleasurable process of discovery.
In heuristic play everything a child does is successful. During a session, play is supervised by the staff but there is very little adult intervention. Instead the children interact socially with their peers around them.
Through heuristic play a very young child will learn turn taking, sharing and discovery either alone or with their peers and at their own pace.
Time in a sensory room helps children improve their visual, auditory and tactile processing, as well as fine and gross motor skills. By providing a sense of calm and comfort, sensory rooms help children learn to self-regulate their behaviors, which ultimately improves focus senses.
Children with special needs can benefit greatly through sensory experiences. Without the distraction of a busy room with lots of children and over stimulation it is often easier for them to engage in meaningful experiences.
Babies can be soothed and calmed and it gives all children a sense of awe and wonder as they look at the lights and objects and feel the sensation of different textures with their hands and feet. It is a place where new children settling can bond with their carers.
Look. Listen. Touch. Taste. Smell.
From birth, children are exploring their senses and processing new information. They begin to make sense of the world around them as they grow through the exploration of new textures, materials and resources. Sensory play is a valuable way of engaging children in activities that will heighten their senses and enrich their learning. Sensory play encourages discovery and independent thinking, as well as inspiring imagination and creativity. Research shows that there are many different ways in which sensory play can benefit a child’s development and learning.
