Butterley Park

Clowns Nursery

Butterley Park

Lesley Crescent

Ripley

Derbyshire

DE5 3AD

Telephone: 01773 747983

Email: clownsnursery3@yahoo.co.uk

Opening hours:

7.30-6pm Monday to Friday

Closed Bank Holidays

All our rooms have had extensive modernisation and offer an open plan layout for the children to explore and investigate freely.

The Nursery is led by our experienced Managers, who have responsibility for the leadership and management of the Nursery and work closely with the strong staff team, to deliver quality care and education for your child. We are proud that many of our staff at Butterley Park have been with us for over 5 , 10, 15 and even 20 years.

Our Baby / Tweenie Room (up to 2years)

Our baby room is a large open plan area that is a spacious, stimulating and friendly environment in which the babies can develop and grow.

We have spaces to encourage all areas of learning including our sensory corner, art and craft area, construction and imaginative play etc. The babies are able to move around freely and investigate with all the set activities as well as having access to lower level resources to explore for themselves.

We have our own kitchen to prepare bottles and snacks throughout the day, and a sleep area where the babies can relax and sleep in a peaceful and calming environment.

The team in baby room have been based with this age group for several years - offering consistency and dedicated knowledge.

All our staff have Paediatric First Aid training.

Create

Build

Explore

Our babies are encouraged in all areas of development by the activities we plan as well as spontaneous activities and observations whilst choosing how and what they explore. Our baby room staff always have your child in mind when planning activities and resources used to help towards their development stages and their next steps.

Your child's time in our baby room is full of new experiences, exploring senses, interacting and forming friendships, enjoying outdoor play and having lots of fun.

We aim for quality childcare in everything that we do, and your child's happiness, well-being and development is our main priority.

Splash

Our Toddler Room (2years - 3years)

Our toddler room is split into two large spacious rooms, which allows free flow for the children to explore and choose where to be.

The children have access to all areas of development, including construction, imagination, small world, sand & water, crafts and book areas.

We also introduce group activities such as baking, gardening, story time, singing and outdoor play into the children’s daily routine.

At mealtimes children are encouraged to self serve along with learning table manners and social skills.

The children have access to their own wash room where the Clowns staff help with potty training and hygiene routines.

We have a large outdoor area to the rear of the property.

Toddlers have their own soft play area that is accessible all day long and we also have a large grass area for all children.

Construct

Enjoy

Investigate

Grow

Learn

Our Pre-School Room (3years and above)

Our Pre-School Room has two large spacious rooms, with different areas for all stages of development. We introduce more literacy, numbers, shapes and sorting in our Pre-School Room to get them ready for school, as well as maintaining the stages of development in all the other areas as well.

We encourage free flow play in our Pre-School Room so the children can explore and investigate with their chosen areas and equipment. As well as always having access to the equipment and facilities, they also have group activity time, forest schools, one to one with key workers, outdoor investigating and much more.

Our Pre-School children also take part in Forest School sessions every week where the children learn new skills using tools, as well as forming stronger bonds with their nursery friends and experiencing outdoor activities that engage and stimulate their development.

Thrive

Develop

Wonder

Engage

Outdoors

Situated on over half an acre we consider our outdoor space to be an excellent environment to deliver all areas of the curriculum.

We use our outdoor space all day, every day.

The children enjoy:

Mud kitchens

Sand, water and other malleable activities

Growing beds

Sensory gardens

Group activties

Picnics

Games

Obstacle course

Gruffalo story trail

Picking flowers from our wild meadow

Large construction areas

Wheeled toys

Dens

Book areas

Science and investigation

Treasure hunts

Plus opportunities to run with their friends and roll down our grassy bank...

Our extensive outdoor area gives opportunities for group activities, obstacle courses, picnics, games and educational learning.

At the back of the lawned area is our very own woods, we have two entrances, one is up the railway sleeper stairs and through our wood castle and one is through a laurel arch that steps down into the woods. This is where the children get to explore nature and their surroundings. This is also where the children attend their Forest School sessions

We encourage outdoor play all year round no matter the weather. There's no such thing as bad weather when you have all the appropriate clothing!

We also have planters in all areas for the children to plant their own bulbs and seeds and watch them grow.

Over the years parents and families have joined us to enjoy graduation ceremonies, christmas concerts, summer family picnics, and stay and play sessions.

Gardening

Young children are very curious to learn about the environment that surrounds them, and being in the garden provides the opportunity to explore different smells, textures and tastes. The garden also encourages physical activity, which is fundamental in the development of movement skills.

We encourage all ages to take part in gardening whilst here at Clowns, all rooms have their own planters and pots to grow flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs which are then used in the kitchen and for various craft activities.

The children use watering cans, utensils and gloves to take care of their planted gardens, making sure they are watered, trimmed, shaped and looked after.

As well as looking after their plants, we also have a sensory garden for the children to enjoy and explore whilst taking time to relax in the natural environment.

Our Woodland

We have a large wooded area to the rear of our garden where the children from all ages explore and investigate. In early spring we see our woodland floor covered in beautiful bluebells and we start to see the beginning of buds and the leaves starting to grow on our trees. Through summer our woodland becomes a sheltered hideaway where the children love to create natural art work and build dens. In the autumn our woodland is covered in fallen leaves and conkers from our chestnut tree which the squirrels love to collect, and the children love to watch them. But in winter, when the children are all wrapped up warm they love to play in the fallen snow, build snowmen and cosy up in our fire circle drinking hot chocolate and biscuits at snack time.