Yellow Butterflies is our dedicated baby room welcoming children from the age of three months to eighteen months. We appreciate that your child is the most precious thing in the world to you and your family. It has been carefully designed specifically with infants in mind with a strong emphasis on coming as close as possible to the homely family-oriented atmosphere infants are accustomed to. We recognise that the attachments that babies make when they are young, are so vital to their learning and therefore we have a dedicated team in the baby room to help them feel safe and secure.
We work in close partnership with parents and carers to create a home from home ethos. Each child is assigned a key worker that will work closely with the child and create a positive relationship that will be the child’s foundation for learning and development. The relationship between the child and their key worker forms a secure base where the child can share feelings and seek comfort. We value the unique child and strive to create a warm and nurturing environment.
Maria Montessori’s concept for infants is called ‘Nido’ which is an Italian wording meaning ‘nest’. The Nido protects and provides learning experiences for babies from three months to between 15 and 18 months. Our Montessori infant environment can be considered an adapting continuum between two basic needs of the developing infant. On one hand is the bonded relationship between adult and child, whilst on the other is support for a growing sense of self and independence. The prepared environment is characterised by order, simplicity and beauty which meets the needs of the child.
The practitioners in Yellow Butterflies facilitate learning and development by role modelling and supporting children to become more confident and self-aware. All members of the Yellow Butterflies team have all be selected for their dedication and are highly experienced and trained to work with this specific age group. We strive to make the transition between home and nursery as smooth as possible and incorporate children’s individual interests and preferences when the child arrives to the setting.
Our daily routine involves singing and group time where we get to know one another via songs, games and interacting with others. These early interactions teach children valuable social skills and encourage independence therefore providing children with first-hand experiences and teaches them valuable life-skills. We engage in lots of messy play using our senses and exploring textures to learn about the world and our surroundings, this is how we find out new and exciting experiences. Heuristic discovery play is encouraged using treasure baskets, mobiles, tactile activities and music to ensure babies explore real objects to develop their senses and satisfy their natural curiosity. We approach learning by playing and exploring and provide a mixture of structured and free play opportunities. We improve our problem-solving skills by exploring puzzles, construction materials, cause and effect and trial and error experiences. We develop our physical skills both in- and outdoors by continuously moving around and challenging children to improve their abilities. We aim to teach children to use words to communicate but also support communication and language by using pointing, gestures, signs or simply vocalisations to gain the attention of others.
Through the variety of approaches, we implement helps us focus on children’s well-being and happiness.
The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From this almost mystic affirmation, there comes what may seem a strange conclusion: that education must start at birth – Dr Maria Montessori
