Exciting Times Ahead!

[Guest]

So my committee run pre-school setting is currently based in a pack away village hall but the two schools we fed into amalgamated in September to form a new school with the prospect of a new school being built for 2011 some time with the notion of my pre-school joining the new site with our own room. However nothing was ever confirmed in writing which was slightly worrying- even more so when the preliminary plans of both the outside and building layout were released a few weeks ago.

We got our DO onto the case who initially said the decision for which group would be in the nursery area would be the decision of the LA and could possibly go to competative tender. This was unnerving as several local day nurseries have suddenly exploded in terms of out of school provision on school sites...I thought surely we would have stiff competition if they offered their services for wrap around care....

ANYWAY our DO then rang us during the week to confirm that WE have definately got the room!!!!!!!!!!! It's so very exciting- we will have approx. 60 sq m, a separate entrance, office, kitchenette, own child-sized toilets! (which we don't currently have), cloakroom plus a beautiful outdoor area (massive area if consider we have access to whole school outdoors area) with a covered veranda and sliding patio doors to outside and sliding doors connecting to the Reception class next door! Plus the EY department of LA are going to find us some money so we can buy new furniture and equipment!

We cannot believe our luck as in the same week we also won a competition for £1000!

So now the leader and I are visiting other settings to gather ideas on how we would lay the room out, use of space both indoors and outdoors and the furniture/storage but where to begin otherwise!?!

We cannot believe how lucky we are but now what comes next??

Hopefully with the £1000 we hope to buy some decent outdoor and physical play resources but equally we are unsure as to what as we will only be at the hall for another 18months or so. We have several catalogues of ey resources but it is so easy to get carried away with the considerable amount on offer-v confusing at times! We haven't anything particularly highlighted from SEF/EQUIP but are aware as staff that our outdoor area in partic needs revamping although we cannot physically change the environment

Also, I have a lot of EYPS funding which we hope to use to buy some beautiful comm. playthings blocks as I attended a workshop at a uni conference last year which was v inspiring. We are also hoping to use it for the leader and I (if not all staff) to visit Penn Green...my LA have just visited but I couldn't attend for various reasons but it looks amazing!

 

So anyway the point of my post is to ask all you lovely supportive people if you have had previous experience of moving to a purpose built setting and if you have any vital pieces of advice?

Also does anyone highly recommend any particular resources/equipment which they feel has benefitted their practice?

Can't wait for your replies! Sorry for such a long post, I have so much to share though!

[wellerkaren]

I am so happy for you x x you must all be so excited x x

[hali]

wow how exciting fingers crossed

[Annie-pops]

That's brilliant - it's great to have exciting times ahead to look forward to. We managed to accquire some of the community play things large blocks and we use them everyday, they are fab - very expensive but they are soooo useful if you can get some x

[Guest]

Well done, I know that excited feeling all to well, we will be moving in the may half term to a new building. Fingers crossed we get our grant for resources, community playthings are high up our list to fit out the interior. I promise to put some photo's on here when its all finished.

[Guest Spiral]

Well done, I know that excited feeling all to well, we will be moving in the may half term to a new building. Fingers crossed we get our grant for resources, community playthings are high up our list to fit out the interior. I promise to put some photo's on here when its all finished.

 

 

Wow cupcake, that's just fantastic! Best of luck, and I'd love to see your photos,

 

Spiral.

[Guest Spiral]

Well you certainly are an extraordinary chicken aren't you - what fantastic news. I'm so pleased for you. It is a long road, but.... well worth it!

 

very best of luck - have sent you a pm.

 

Spiral.

[Guest]

community play things have wonderful hollow blocks

 

in my experience children need very little.

how about outside large boxes with different materials, wooden and natural items, sand toys, water toys, bricks, pebbles

real tools ie hammer and saw, box with different coloured scarves, box with musical instruments, mine also love the garening bag with spades,trowels etc

[Cait]

It's a tricky one, I find necessary outdoor resources seem to change depending on the children. We invested in some 'windy day' resources, scarves and windchimes and streamers and noisy things one year and the next year group were interested in other things, so we got magnifying glasses and pooter pots and digital cameras, then last year they were more into digging and we got lots of spades and wellies and outdoor clothing, this year ..... well they are just running about with wheelbarrows at the moment and playing on the slide and trampoline. Perhaps when it warms up a bit and they don't need to be quite so active outside then they'll start to investigate more. Only time will tell!