The Curiosity, Hygge and Reggio Emilia Approach

The Curiosity Approach brings awe and wonder into early childhood and creates 'thinkers and doers' for the future. We want our children to feel unrestricted, and encourage them to explore, create and be curious. This approach has enabled us to create special places to inspire children to be their unique selves. We use 'authentic real' resources and search high and low for recycled materials. These include loose parts, baskets, wooden items, and native carvings to create a natural and tranquil feel in the setting. 

We nurture and inspire our children so that they keep the desire to learn new things, investigate, explore, and ask questions. Loose parts have always been a part of a child's life, whether it be stones, sticks, sand, metal pans, pots, or logs. Combining these within our setting, means we create a wealth of learning and imaginative opportunities. Children can put these together, transport them, add them to play ideas and become absorbed in effective play and learning. Loose parts develop opportunities for creative critical thinking, problem-solving, counting, and sorting, and they teach children how to think, not what to think!

Reggio Emilia, is an approach where the expressive arts play a central role in learning and unique relationships exist between practitioner and child. The Reggio Emilia approach focuses heavily on social interactions, collaborations, and effectively communicating with one another. 

We have introduced the Hygge approach (pronounced Hue-gah). Hygge is a Danish concept that cannot be translated into words, but one that encompasses feelings of cosy and contentment, wellbeing, and the simple things in life. At Rotherfield Pre-School we want to create calm, so we have introduced cosy sensory areas, that create a feeling of home with real plants, fairy lighting, and soft carpets/rugs. We believe that having a warm, inviting environment for our children will create a purposeful, joyful culture promoting learning and play.