t Little Explorers, we create a warm, calm, and joyful space where every child feels happy, safe, and ready to learn. Our nurturing environment helps children grow in confidence, independence, and resilience as they explore the world around them.
We love working hand-in-hand with families, celebrating every step of each child’s learning journey together. Most of all, we make nursery life fun, interactive, and full of exciting adventures—because learning should be something children love!
🌟 Long Term Goals and Wishes 🌟
We aim to nurture happy, confident, and curious children, helping them develop key skills and a love of learning:
- Confidence and Independence – feeling capable, self-reliant, and open to trying new things
- Communication and Emotional Development – expressing themselves while learning to manage emotions
- Self-Recognition and Care – identifying belongings and developing essential self-care routines
- Focus and Direction – listening, concentrating, and following instructions
- Early Literacy and Numeracy – recognising letters and numbers, building foundations for reading, writing, and maths
Termly Planning at Little Explorers
At Little Explorers, we follow the Wanderlust Hygge-inspired approach, encouraging children to learn through curiosity, nature, and hands-on exploration. Each term, we focus on seasonal themes that help children connect with the world around them through play, stories, songs, and sensory experiences.
Spring – My Senses & Nature
Rain • Rainbows • Bluebells • Blossoms • Dandelions • Ladybirds • Butterflies • Buttercups • Snails • Soil
Summer – My Community & Outdoors
Strawberries • Pebbles • Grass • Dragonflies • Beetles • Roses • Bees • Rock pools • Sunflowers
Autumn – My World & Wildlife
Berries • Streams • Deciduous trees • Owls & birds of prey • Pumpkins • Fungi • Moons & stars • Hedgehogs & foxes • Fire • Spiders
Winter – My Environment & Wonders
Bark • Deer • Snow • Ice • Northern lights • Moss • Catkins • Fog • Storms • Birds
Learning Through Wanderlust
Our topics are flexible and led by the children’s interests, making learning personal, relevant, and exciting. Each theme is supported by:
- Storybooks and nursery rhymes connected to the term’s focus
- Nature-based experiences and outdoor exploration
- Hands-on activities that develop skills across all seven areas of learning:
- Communication & Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social & Emotional Development
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts & Design
- Literacy
- Mathematics
For each term, we have termly wishes for our Explorers and Adventurers, guiding their growth in confidence, independence, and a love of learning. Together, this creates a rich, playful curriculum where children can explore, discover, and thrive every day.
How We Monitor Your Child’s Progress 🌟
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which sets high standards for learning, development, and care. One of the ways we meet these standards is through ongoing observation, helping us understand how your child is developing and plan activities that are fun and challenging.
At Little Explorers, we use OPAL (Observation of Play and Learning) to keep your child at the centre of everything we do.
Through OPAL, every three months, you will either:
- Receive a progress report highlighting your child’s strengths and areas where they may need support, or
- Be invited to an informal discussion with your child’s key worker.
This approach ensures that every child’s learning and development is closely monitored and supported, helping them grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity.
We also use EYLog, a secure app connecting you directly with your child’s learning. Through EYLog, you can:
- See your child having fun and learning through photos, videos, and observations
- Track their development and next steps
- Communicate with your child’s key worker, commenting on observations or adding notes from home
Observations fall into the seven areas of learning:
- Personal, Social & Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication & Language
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts & Design
This ensures every child receives personalised support and enriching experiences that help them grow, learn, and thrive.
🌿 Learning Outdoors Every Day
Children access our outdoor provision every day, enjoying a wide range of stimulating activities and resources as part of the EYFS curriculum. Outdoor learning supports:
- Sensory experiences – feeling the wind, rain, and snow, and listening to different weather sounds
- Holistic development – exploring new challenges and managing risks, such as staying hydrated in hot weather or being careful on ice
- Discovery of living things – noticing how animals and plants respond to weather changes
- EYFS learning opportunities – painting with mud, catching rain in containers, counting, and exploring shapes
- Fun adventures – open fire cooking, den building, splashing in puddles, crunching leaves, mini-beast hunting, and much more.