Little Barn Owls opens their doors for a professional development day not to be missed!

Winners of Nursery World’s Nursery of the Year 2015 and Enabling Environments Awards,

Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School invite you to a professional development event for

Nursery Managers, Owners, Head Teachers, Teachers, Practitioners and Early Years

Professionals:

The Third Teacher: Enabling Children in Environments of Enquiry:

Sat 27th February 2016 9.30-4pm £90 per person (20% discount for parties of 5 or more)

Little Barn Owls opened in 2010 and has since won many awards for its principled and innovative delivery of Early years education. This year we opened The Training School @ LBO and have delivered consultancy, workshops and professional visits days to practitioners all over the country and abroad.

Little Barn Owls is a 70 place Nursery & Farm School set on a working farm in rural West Sussex. We consider LBO to be a place of relationships, education and professional development. Most importantly we are a group of adults researching with children the important question of how to live well?

Our approach is a bit different. We have been influenced by the philosophies of the Reggio Emilia approach for several years, but also have a strong commitment to outdoor learning and Forest School principles. Our nursery has a large free-flow garden with a farm school that homes twenty animals, a large growing area, and indoor and outdoor art studios (Ateliers) where our professional artists (Atelieristas) work every day with children. We also run a forest school programme and employ dedicated Farm School and Outdoor Learning Coordinators to enable children’s emerging interests, fascination and theories to develop – often into long term enquiries which become projects of collaboration between children, pedagogues and artists. LBO is a place where chickens and pigs meet art, children and the natural inquisitiveness of the human condition.

On the professional development day, after a thorough tour of the nursery spaces, ateliers and farm school, we’d like to show you a presentation with examples of the way we work which demonstrate how an enabling environment with the right conditions for learning can lead children to engage in rich, long term projects of their own interest, inspired by our enquiry – based learning approach. Transport will be provided from the nursery, so we can do this part of the day in the comfort of a lovely nearby country hotel where we will also have lunch before the presentation starts.

Here’s what some recent visitors had to say about our last professional development day:

“I’m absolutely speechless.. I just can’t believe what I’ve seen today. I’m so inspired” Nursery Owner and Education MA student, London

“It’s so amazing, I have to pinch myself!” Wendy Scott MBE, Nursery of the Year Judge

Little Barn Owls received an Ofsted Outstanding grading in 2013 and has achieved three consecutive
outstanding grades in Learning and Development over the past 5 years. Owner and Director, Hayley Peacock is the founder of the Sightlines South East Network for Creative and Reflective Practise and has written about and presented the work of the nursery for various other organisations and industry publications such as Greenwich University, Nursery World and Teach Early Years Magazines.

Booking Information
Please provide the following details by cutting and pasting the following into an email to
info@littlebarnowls.co.uk to book your place on this professional development event:

Name (of all participants):
Professional Title/s:
Name of Setting/School or Organisation:
Contact email:
Contact telephone number:
Any dietary requirements we need to know about for any members of your group:

Payment details
The Third Teacher: Enabling Children in Environments of Enquiry is £90 per person
(20% discount for bookings of 5 or more), to include buffet lunch and refreshments.
Please send bacs transfers to:

Little Barn Owls LTD
Account No: 83290905 Sort Code: 20-42-58

Spaces fill up quickly, so please ensure we have confirmed your place before transferring any money to us!

Or please send a cheque made payable to Little Barn Owls LTD, Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School, Moat House Farm, Rusper Road, Horsham, RH12 3HE.

 

 

 

Bringing the worlds of home and nursery together!

 

Over on the LBO Parents and Nursery Association Facebook page parents have been sharing stories on how they utilise Tapestry to not only see what their child has been up to at nursery but also how they upload comments, photos and videos of their children to share with their educators.

In support of this, we wanted to share with you how we connect families and educators using Tapestry....

When I sat down at my PC this morning I was delighted to see Bethany's mum had uploaded a photo of Bethany painting their new front door with her dad. This was a big moment for the family as after a long time saving and searching, they had just moved into their new house.

 

I went to chat to Bethany about this big, new event in her life and she explained that mummy had wanted to paint the door light blue but daddy wanted grey! We looked at the photo together and decided to help mummy and daddy decide on a colour, we would look at some colour charts.

After a little deliberation, Bethany decided to use paints to create her own colour for the front door. While busily working we chatted through the changes going on in her life and what it is like moving house. It was a wonderful way for me to be able to see into Bethany's world and help Bethany connect home life with nursery life - complimenting each other as opposed to being in isolation.

After our busy morning painting, I uploaded these photos on to Tapestry for Bethany's mum to look at. We were thrilled to see her comment pop up shortly after!

"Wow, this is amazing! Thanks so much Charlotte - Beth will really have loved this and I can't wait to chat about our colour options when she gets home tonight! Thank you for using our home observation so brilliantly!"

With the greatest of pleasure we are delighted to announce that Little Barn Owls has been short-listed as a finalist for the prestigious national award of

Nursery World’s - Nursery Of The Year 2015.

Nursery World is the biggest trade magazine and online platform for the Early Years industry across the UK, and as standard all good nurseries, pre-schools and childminders subscribe as Nursery World are essential in providing vital updates in government policy as well as sector news, innovative resources and upcoming changes to us as providers. There are a few other awards out there for the early years community, but for want of a better explanation, the Nursery World Awards are basically the Oscars of our industry! So naturally we are over the moon to be one of the 5 nurseries in the final for this award. They are also very influential in providing a mouthpiece to our lobbying bodies such as the National Day Nurseries Association and the Pre-School Alliance who campaign tirelessly with our support to ensure government take the early years industry seriously and our rights, funding, and conditions are fought for. All reasons why we are so proud to have been short-listed for this award.

This year Nursery World told us they received a record number of entries in the several hundred’s for Nursery of the Year 2015. With around 18,000 nurseries across the UK, this is the biggest and most well recognised accolade we could try to achieve in our industry. Both Craig and I are extremely proud of the staff and the tireless way they work to maximise the children’s experience at LBO. We all celebrated being nominated with a few bubbles at our staff meeting on Tuesday evening! We won’t find out till the event in London on the 26^th September..!

On top of that, ten of us are attending the Business Matters Awards at the Gatwick Hilton on Friday night as we are finalists for 3 awards there too – Team of the Year, Innovation in Business, and Work Place Training & Education for Staff. So we will be getting our glad rags on and will be sure to take a few pics to share with you – please have your fingers crossed for us for a win!

Fingers crossed (!) and kindest regards from one proud Nursery Owner,

Hayley

Managing Director

Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School

A trip to the theatre!

Our bird enquiry began late last year when the children started spotting birds within the garden and watching them in flight.

The children became engaged in 'being' birds and asking the question of how it might feel to be a bird? They began acting as birds and announced they were going to put on bird puppet show.

We soon watched however, the children delaying the actual performance, instead wishing to stay immersed in the anticipation and run up to the show.

They decided that one aspect of the performance was the making of the actual model theatre. Rosie announced, "We need to make it small - to understand it".

John was asked to make a wooden frame and then to inspire the children's design, we decided to visit a theatre. At the Capitol Theatre, the children experienced and researched the spaces and atmosphere, contextualising their own ideas.

The children took sketchbooks, 'thinking pens' (black fine liner pens), and cameras. They had a unique opportunity to freely explore all areas of the theatre including backstage. The spotlights were lowered for the children to take a closer look at the way in which they change colour.

At one point, Holly walked onto the stage and looked in awe at her surroundings. "This is so incredible!" she said before lying down to sketch the space around her.

5 Minutes with Sam Mason!

We think that you can only get a true sense of what Little Barn Owls is all about by getting to know our staff and seeing how dedicated they are to the children and their jobs. Below is an interview with Sam Mason, Snowy's Nursery Educator, a winner of the 2014 Rising Star Award and Employee of the Month March 2015!

HELLO SAM. THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO ME!

No problem!

SO, ARE YOU LOCAL TO LITTLE BARN OWLS?

Pretty local. I am born and bred in Worthing. Not too far away.

AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK IN CHILDCARE?

Well, my mum has always worked in childcare and when I was younger I was called ‘Mother Hen’. I loved looking after my two younger sisters. So I suppose it was in the blood!

By the time I got to college, I really wanted to train in midwifery. I was passionate about it. However, it is such a competitive course and I was very disappointed not to get a place.

THAT MUST HAVE BEEN TOUGH?

Yes, I was heartbroken and wandered what on earth to do as all my future plans had been around a career as a midwife. Happily though, my mum’s boss offered me an apprenticeship at her nursery and I went on to study my level 2 and 3 under Chichester College and completed it a year ago!

SO THEN HOW DID YOU COME TO WORKING AT LITTLE BARN OWLS?

I decided I wanted to explore new opportunities and saw what LBO was advertising. It all happened very quickly. I applied on the Sunday night, had a call from Craig on the Monday, interviewed on Tuesday and started a trial on the Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, I was offered the job.

WOW, A WHIRLWIND!

Yes, I think it was just clear very quickly that the nursery and I suited each other!

AND YOU LIKE YOUR JOB?

LOVE my job! I had never worked with toddlers before, only pre-school children, and at first I was a little unsure how to communicate with them. But I soon learnt in order to react to their needs you have to take time to get to know them and understand their individual traits and characteristics.

For example, if a child cries, knowing that child well means that more often than not I can meet his or her needs without a fuss. I know what is likely to have been the cause of the tears for that particular child. Each child is different.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER WORKING WITH THE OLDER NURSERY CHILDREN NOW?

Not really. I adore the toddlers. We are with them at such a pivotal time of their lives. They are developing personalities, developing their walking skills, learning independence – and best of all, they still like regular cuddles! I am honoured to be part of this journey with them. Soppy, I know. But that’s honestly how I feel.

HOW DID YOU MANAGE WITH THE INQUIRY BASED LEARNING ASPECT OF THE NURSERY?

Well, I knew a little about the Reggio Emilia approach from reading about it but applying it to my work was a whole different story. Charlotte took the time to clearly explain the theory of it to me and Becca spent many sessions teaching me how to put it into practice.

I look back on how I taught the Early Years Statutory Framework at my first nursery and realise how different my approach is now. Back then, it was all about filling the children’s brains with facts and ticking off milestones on a check list. Whereas here, because each child develops skills through their own curiosity, they reach each EYFS milestone organically, without ever having to be ‘taught’. It’s quite incredible.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ASPECT OF THE NURSERY?

I am loving Farm School and I am seeing first-hand how it helps build the children’s confidence. This then translates into their behaviour inside the nursery.

We have a little girl, Cleo G. She was terrified of Persephany the pig, but after just a few short Farm School sessions where we showed the children how to respect the animals through quiet voices and gentle hands, Cleo started happily stroking her! I was amazed at the transformation.

AND HOW DO THEY MANAGE AROUND THE CHICKENS?

Well the chickens are very unpredictable and this is scary to a child under two, but once again through slowly building their confidence, they learn to handle the chicken and cherish their time with them. Lara H. was particularly unsure of the chickens at first but she now gently reassures her friends around them, and encourages them to stroke the chickens. There is a chicken called Eakey who likes to peck grain out of Lara’s hand. Lara has now named the chicken ‘Cheeky Eakey’!

We have a funny situation where Hugo S. and Niamh D. have made themselves self-titled Guardians of the Chicken Eggs! They are very protective over them. Each morning the children collect the eggs and Hugo and Niamh like to see that the child designated for picking up the eggs and placing them in the basket use the correct ‘technique’. It’s priceless to watch. They’re not even two and a half!

I do really believe this regular interaction with the animals builds their self-esteem. It also provides a unique environment for the children. I have found in Farm School, the younger children enjoy working together far more than in any other of the nursery settings.

THERE IS ONE THING I HAVE BEEN DYING TO ASK THE SNOWY STAFF!

Go for it!

SLEEP TIME. AS A PARENT, IT IS VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AROUND 12.30, ALL THE SNOWY CHILDREN AND A LARGE PROPORTION OF TAWNY CHILDREN LIE DOWN ON A MATTRESS AND FALL ASLEEP WITHOUT ANY FUSS. DOES THIS REALLY HAPPEN???

Haha! We get asked this all the time, but YES they do just that.

UNBELIEVABLE! TALK US THROUGH IT.

Well, as the children are starting lunch we darken the Snowy room, lay out all the mattresses, place each child’s bed bag and blanket on a mattress along with their comforters. We play instrumental or natural sounds music softly in the background and at 12.15, they start to filter through. Many of the children will find their own bed, lie down and after we've tucked them in - go to sleep!

Sometimes, to help them drift off, we pat their backs or rub their tummies. The other technique used by some of the staff is gently stroking down their foreheads over their eyes.

SOUND LIKE BLISS! DO MANY OF THE CHILDREN HAVE COMFORTERS?

Yes, many of them do. They’re all called different names. I think at the moment we have comforters called Bobo, Didi, Lamby, Muzzie and the most unusual, Yoydi. So cute!

SO WHAT NOW FOR YOU SAM?

Well, I want to continue working in Snowies and develop my understanding of the Reggio approach. The children are currently part of a project, learning all about the ‘secrets of paper’. I have been busy finding ways of incorporating this into Farm School. So far we have created collages, using the paper used in the animals bedding as well as egg shells and feathers. I am sure there is much more that we will come up with though!

THANK YOU SAM FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK TO ME.

The Dinosaur blog post!

"Why are there NO MORE dinosaurs?"

2, 3 and 4 year olds in the pre-school researching dinosaurs led to a complicated question from one boy: 'Why are there NO MORE Dinosaurs?"

The same group spent time with Abi (Educator) creating a mind map of their ideas for the reason for this phenomenon. One of the most intriguing being:

"A asteroid from space come down onto earth...left lots of gas and dirt and the dinosaurs couldn't breathe. Dinosaurs are not very good at breathing!"

Later they continued their research using clay and recycled materials to express and develop their ideas about dinosaurs further including a creation of 'a building for the dinosaur', a 'Tricerotops' and 'Dinosaur footprints' made by printing found objects and loose parts into clay to create varying impressions that concur with the children's imaginations of dinosaur footprints.

A Dinosaur Skeleton - Mark 1!

As part of ongoing research in the preschool into dinosaurs, a group of excavators discovered and 'dug up' some pre-planted dinosaur bones (sticks) from around the garden.  Maddy H collected her found 'bones' together and proposed that "we could make a whole dinosaur skeleton with these!".

The photograph of the construction is Maddy's first sculpted interpretation of a dinosaur skeleton developed purely from imagination. Interestingly she chose clay as a way to fix the 'bones' together and rather competently her creation stands up - much like a model skeleton would in a museum.

Can Maddy's proposal to develop a "whole" dinosaur skeleton be undertaken with this group? Our plan is to re-launch her idea to the group and facilitate further research through drawing, designing and sculpting to create a more comprehensive structure in order for Maddy's idea to be given time, space and attention to be brought to life. We'll keep you posted...

Interested in Reggio Emilia and the Project Based Approach in early years education?

Attend our Professional Development Event on June 27th 2015 to tour our Reggio Emilia inspired Nursery & Farm School, attend a presentation of an 8 month project and receive a free copy of our newly published book 'Landscapes' which documents the project. 

Hear from the lead educators involved in facilitating the astonishing thinking, strategizing and co-constructed journey of learning by a group of 3 and 4 year old children as they researched depth of field and perspective within digital photography.

Email us here to enquire about booking your place or continue reading to find out more.

(Click on invitation to enlarge)

Founders of the Sightlines South East Network for Creative and Reflective Practice - Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School invite you to a professional development event for Nursery Managers/Owners, Headteachers, Teachers, Practitioners and Early Years Professionals.

Little Barn Owls opened in 2010 and since then we have been on a journey of professional development which has attracted interest from Early Years professionals all over the country. In response to the many requests we receive for visits to our nursery we are launching two new services: professional development events and bespoke small group visit days for those wishing to experience a UK Reggio inspired nursery in practise.

‘From Interest to Enquiry’ is designed to be a taster day into what our bespoke visitor days could hold for you, your staff or colleagues when you have the chance to see our educators at work with children.

Little Barn Owls is a 70 place Nursery & Farm School set on a working farm in rural West Sussex. We consider LBO to be a place of relationships, education and professional development. Most importantly we are a group of adults researching with children the important question of how to live well?

Our approach is a bit different. We have been influenced by the philosophies of the Reggio Emilia approach for several years, but also have a strong commitment to outdoor learning. Our nursery has a large free-flow garden with a farm school that homes twenty animals, a large growing area, an outdoor atelier and a dedicated lodge studio where our professional artists (Atelieristas) work every day with children. We also run a forest school programme and employ dedicated Farm School and Outdoor Learning Coordinators to enable children’s emerging interests, fascination and theories to develop – often into long term enquiries which become projects of collaboration between the children and educators. LBO is a place where chickens and pigs meet art, children and the natural inquisitiveness of the human condition.

As part of the events on the 27th June, we’d like to show you a recent project which involved the deep-thinking enquiries of 3 and 4 year old children, over 8 months, with a desire to research depth of field and perspective within digital photography. This project is documented as our second published book and will be available on the day.

Here’s what some recent visitors had to say about their visit day:

“I’m absolutely speechless.. I just can’t believe what I’ve seen today. I’m so inspired” (Nursery Owner and Education MA student from Greenwich University group visit)

“I feel like I’ve just seen what the future of Early Years should look like in the UK” (Lottie Child, Artist and Forest School Leader)

Little Barn Owls received an Ofsted Outstanding grading in all areas in 2013 and has achieved three consecutive outstanding gradings in Learning and Development over the past 5 years. Owner and Director, Hayley Peacock is the founder of the Sightlines South East Network for Creative and Reflective Practise and has written about and presented the work of the nursery for various other organisations and industry publications such as Greenwich University and Nursery World Magazine. Working in conjunction with Sightlines Initiative, the South- East network recently developed a cross setting action-research project with 5 settings and schools from across the South East of England called ‘The Secrets of Materials’.

As well as attending four consecutive international study tours to Reggio Emilia, Little Barn Owls took part in the ‘Developing Environments of Enquiry’ programme run by Sightlines during 2014. Information about joining the South East Network and Sightlines Initiative will also be available on the day.

Booking Information

Please provide the following details by cutting and pasting the following into an email to info@littlebarnowls.co.uk to book your place on this professional development event:

Name (of all participants):

Professional Title/s:

Name of Setting/School or Organisation:

Contact email:

Contact telephone number:

Any dietary requirements we need to know about for any members of your group:

Payment details

‘From Interest to Enquiry’ Development Event is £30 per person, to include lunch and a copy of our recently published project book. Please send bacs transfers to:

Little Barn Owls LTD

Account No’: 83290905 Sort Code: 20-42-58

Or please send a cheque made payable to Little Barn Owls LTD, Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School, Moat House Farm, Rusper Road, Horsham, RH12 3HE.

Welcome to our Little Barn Owls Nursery and Farm School blog!  

We are excited to have this new and dynamic platform to compliment our Facebook and Twitter pages where we can celebrate the wonderful work of the children and practitioners at Little Barn Owls.

Our staff interviews have proved really popular on Facebook and Twitter so we have decided that our first blog should be the interview of  Charlotte Middleton, Pedagogical Co-ordinator and 2014 Employee of the Year!

CONGRATULATIONS CHARLOTTE! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT RECEIVING THE AWARD?

I am over the moon! And very grateful.

YOU MUST HAVE HAD A GREAT YEAR HERE AT LITTLE BARN OWLS?

It’s been incredible. I've been pursuing my dream career of working with children as well as researching them. They are fascinating!

SO WHERE DID IT ALL START FOR YOU?

I have enjoyed being around children from an early age. My sister has 10 children! I started working towards my childcare qualifications as soon as I could. I knew I didn't want to spend all my time in the classroom so took up a full time placement in Warrington where I lived at the time.

We then moved down to the South and I took a job at a nursery that followed the Reggio approach. I was immediately taken by the philosophy. Unfortunately my commute to the nursery was incredibly long, so I moved to a nursery closer by that was very much focused on outdoor learning. While at the nursery I asked if I could research the way in which children behave differently depending on their surroundings.

I took a small group of children first to a rocky beach, then a forest and finally an open field. There was a child who was particularly timid and quiet. He remained so when at the rocky beach and in the forest environment but when he got to the open field he ran, jumped and screamed with delight. It was incredible. A complete contrast to the previous two settings. I knew this meant something and I wanted to find out more. It sparked my wish to research children as well as care for them.
I remained intrigued by the Reggio approach and its focus on research and after 3 years identified Little Barn Owls as a nursery truly interested in developing theories for working with children. I interviewed and got the job!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AT LBO?

Only 18 months but I have loved every minute of it!

I BELIEVE YOU WENT ON THE STUDY TOUR TO REGGIO EMILIA LAST YEAR?

Yes, I was lucky enough to be selected along with Becca and Sonia. I know this is going to sound a cliché but for me, it was a life changing experience. I was in awe of the beautiful settings the children learnt in, the level of independence they were given at a young age and the huge value put upon their work.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOMENT THAT REALLY STICKS OUT FROM YOUR TIME IN REGGIO?

Yes, absolutely. We were observing some 3 to 4 year olds playing. I noticed one little girl watching another little girl building a structure with blocks. Once the structure was complete, the little girl watching went up to her educator and asked to use the camera. She then went over to the other little girl and asked her if she could take a picture. She took one and then returned the camera.
It just struck me that the little girl with the camera thought that what the other little girl had created was something special and valuable and therefore wanted to celebrate it and share it with others. This tiny moment to me, just summed up the values and respect that the Reggio approach instils.

SO HOW DID YOU GO FROM BEING LEADER OF TAWNIES TO PEDAGOGICAL CO-ORDINATOR?

Well when we returned form the study tour, Hayley realised that in order to really develop all that we had learnt, we really needed the time and space to do so. Hayley created the role of Pedagogical Co-ordinator. We have time out with the educators, we pull the work streams together and we plan future projects.

I BELIEVE ONE PROJECT, THE LANDSCAPES PROJECT, IS FINALLY AT ITS CONCLUSION AFTER 8 MONTHS?

Yes, it has been the most amazing time and I cannot wait for the book to be published recording the children’s journey.

HOW DID THIS PROJECT COME ABOUT?

Well there are some Monet books we look at with the children showing his beautiful landscapes. The books posed the question, ‘What is a landscape?’ We had some incredibly creative answers. Dylan said that a landscape is, “something you sneeze” and Finn said it’s, “when a fish walks”!
To continue researching, we projected images of different landscapes on the Atelier walls. The children created little houses to place on top of the image. They placed the houses at the near and far of the image regardless of size.

It made us wonder if they could understand the concept of depth and whether they had perception of size. We took the children outside and let them look through a camera on a tripod. The group of three year olds investigated standing closer and then further away from the camera. They soon realised that the further away they stood the smaller they looked in the lens.

A few hours later, I asked the question, “How can you make yourself bigger than Josie?” They immediately responded, “Josie goes far away!” They’d got it! Through just a few hours of research and posing simple questions, the children had worked out the answer themselves.

We followed the same method on the 2 year olds and we were amazed to see within one session they also understood the concept. I said to them, “I wonder why those trees look so small?” They all replied, “Because they are far away!”

WHAT HAPPENED BACK IN THE ATELIER WITH THE LANDSCAPE PROJECTIONS?

We looked at the way they had previously positioned the houses and they all laughed saying, “That’s not how you do it, you do it like this!” It really opened my eyes to the effectiveness of project based learning.

SO HOW HAS THE PROJECT CONCLUDED?

We asked the children how we could communicate what we’d learnt to the other children and they decided on a poster format which we have just completed. We hope to display it in the new lodge!

AND WHAT NOW?

I plan to start a degree in Early Years Education and keep researching the theory that with time, space and great educators young children can understand concepts we as adults believe are beyond them.

THANK YOU CHARLOTTE FOR TALKING TO US. WE HOPE 2015 IS AS MEMORABLE FOR YOU!