The first of three Stay & Play sessions took place at Castle Lane Nursery in Market Harborough in March across all the rooms including Babies, Toddlers, Tweenies, Pre School and Forest School.
An annual initiative, three times a year the nursery invites parents and carers to spend 2 hours with their child in the nursery setting to help educate them about how children learn and what they gain developmentally from each activity.
Castle Lane also provides parents with information about their curriculum as well as suggested activities to play at home to help with holistic development and support the home learning links.
Lucy, mum to Ivy in Tweenies, commented “I love seeing my child at nursery, it was wonderful for them to show me around the room and show me their art work and special places at nursery. The staff were really helpful at giving me information on their curriculum and how children learn. Staff took time to explain how the activities support different areas of learning.”
The nursery also encourages parents to use Blossom (an Early years App) to enter home observations about their child, to give nursery staff an insight into home life, which staff can then link back to an activity. For example, if a child visits a zoo over the weekend, parents are encouraged to upload photos taken on the day. Castle Lane staff will then share the photos with the child in a small group setting and run an activity linking back to the learning experiences from the visit. Which, in this example, might include a zoo themed story or activity.
Events planned for 2025
If you missed out on the March Stay & Play sessions, don’t worry! There are still a number of sessions planned by room, including:
Baby Room
• Wednesday 25 June from 2.00-3.30pm
• Friday 26 September from 9.30-11.30am
Toddler Room
• Wednesday 25 June from 2.00-3.30pm
• Friday 26 September from 9.30-11.30am
Tweenies Room
• Monday 23 June from 2.00-3.30pm
• Wednesday 24 September from 9.30-11.30am
Pre-School Room
• Monday 23 June from 2.00-3.30pm
• Wednesday 24 September from 9.30-11.30am
Forest School (meet in the playground)
• Monday 23 June from 9.45-11.45am
• Wednesday 24 September 9.45-11.45am
As well as these, Castle Lane is also planning three special Stay & Play sessions:
Mother’s Day Breakfast
• Tuesday 1 April 2025 from 7.30-9.00am
Father’s Day Tea
• Monday 16 June from 3.30-4.30pm
Grandparent’s Day Lunch
• Wednesday 8October – 11.30-12.30pm
Can I still book for a Stay & Play session in 2025?
Yes, we’re running two more Stay & Play sessions in 2025 so get in touch if you would like to come along and learn more about what your child gets up to at nursery.
There is no charge to come along to the stay and play sessions. Just get in touch with the office to book yourself in.