The Cedars Neighbourhood Nursery

Children have opportunities to be outside on a daily basis all year round,  The children have open access throughout the day, whatever the weather. We see our garden as an extension of our indoor space extending activites outside.  We link the indoors and outdoors environments so that children can move freely between them.  The outdoor environment offers challenges, children can learn about risk taking and keeping themselves safe, we support children to understand how to behave outdoors by talking about personal safety, risks and the safety of others.

Playing outside;

• Helps children to use up energy and to any release tensions. 
• Is a great place for children to make lots of noise and run around.
• Its fun and increases children's well-being.
• It can increase self-confidence and assurance.
• Children have the opportunity to make choices and decisions for themselves.
• Stimulates the appetite, aiding the digestion and the circulation, develops the lungs.
• Promotes healthy sleeping patterns.
• Helps to develop muscle tone, balance and motor control.
• Develops skills such as running, jumping, hopping, climbing, stopping, starting, pedaling, steering, crawling through, under and over equipment.         

The nursery garden is an ideal environment for the children to really appreciate nature, the garden is surrounded by trees, furry caterpillars in the willow arch and carefully planted with plants that attract insects such as butterflies. The Cedars also has a pet rabbit called Benji, the children enjoy taking Benji around the garden on his lead and helping to look after him.

In addition to this, the nursery garden has a large built in sand pit, and a large deck that is used in all weather conditions.

The outdoor environment

• Being outdoors has a positive impact on children's sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children's development.
• Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors.
• It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world.
• Outdoor environments offer children freedom to explore, use their senses, and be physically active and exuberant.