The Value of Outings

As well as regular access to the nursery gardens, at KatieB Kids we really value the learning opportunities presented by taking our children out into the community. For babies, this could mean a trip in the 4-seater buggy to Hesketh Park or Stone Recreation Ground, and for our older children this could be a walk to a local playground, or a visit to the horses who live on Cotton Lane.

So, what additional benefits can outings offer that playing in the garden can’t?

• Outings help children feel more rooted in their local community and make connections with the outside world e.g., befriending the dog of a local jogger which they see on their daily trips.

• Outings provide hands-on and interactive experiences, building on what the children are learning in the nursery (before, during and after the trip).

• Outings stimulate curiosity and inspire new interests e.g., seeing diggers or renaming the tower 'Rapunzel's tower'.

• Outings foster children's social skills and self-confidence.

• Outings help promote healthy living by encouraging walking and dressing appropriately to go out in all weathers.

• Outings help children to understand and respect nature.

• Outings help children to learn road safety first hand.

• Outings help develop children's cultural capital.

Above all, outings are stimulating and fun- children come back with a real sense of having been on an adventure, and are excited to share everything they learnt with their parents and peers.