ABOUT THE CURIOUS CHILD
The Curious Child has been created by Amy, a primary teacher with over 12 years experience.
"My soul belongs in the classroom and being immersed in the wonderful world of Early Years education. I had many different roles during my career that have lead me to have a strong understanding of young children and their development; I was part of the senior leadership team of a school, the Early Years Foundation Stage Lead, a leader of the OPAL project (Outdoor Play and Learning) to name a few.
I also love being a Mum and have two strong daughters who keep me very much on my toes. My teaching career is currently on hold whilst I attempt to meet the needs of my developing family. I have always wanted to start a business that I truly believe in. It is well-researched and documented that children learn though PLAY. I endeavour to create a rich environment, with open-ended opportunities for play, so children have the maximum potential to learn.
I have created a group where Parents and Carers can come together and socialise, whilst their children are engaged in meaningful, open-ended play experiences. The resources at The Curious Child are plentiful and mostly made from natural materials. Children can engage in play from a desire within – not limited by the unidirectional nature of many of the toys marketed towards our children."
WHAT IS PLAY AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
"Play is a transaction between an individual and the environment that is intrinsically motivated, internally controlled and free of the many constraints of objective reality." (Bundy, 1991).
It has long been researched and documented that children learn fundamentally through play. Play has also been found to increase a child’s self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-esteem; improve and maintain mental and physical health; develop social skills; promote imagination, independence and creativity; build resilience through risk taking and challenge, problem solving; and so much more!
At The Curious Child, our high-quality play opportunities will nurture and develop your child, but most importantly, they will have fun!
WHAT WE DO
PLAYGROUP
We run two play sessions on a Thursday morning (9.30am-10.45am and 11.15am-12.30pm) at the exquisite Batheaston New Village Hall
OUR PLAY OPPORTUNITIES
Loose part play forms part of our playgroup setup; it is a collection of materials, often random in their nature! It is naturally open-ended, allowing your child to take their play in whichever direction they desire.
“When children interact with loose parts, they enter a world of “what if” that promotes the type of thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical reasoning. Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions, and they bring a sense of adventure and excitement to children’s play”.
(Dale and Beloglovsky)
At The Curious Child, we have lots of exciting, interesting, and opportunistic play experiences to ensure that every child is engaged in high quality play throughout the session.
Children can discover and explore real life objects and curiosities.
They can engage in open-ended imaginative play.
They can engage in sensory experiences.
They can construct and destruct on both a large and small scale.
They can create.
OUR LOCATION
We currently run two play sessions on a Thursday morning (9.30am-10.45am and 11.15am-12.30pm) at the exquisite Batheaston New Village Hall, BA1 7EP. It is a beautiful, calming space without any visual overload to insure the attention of your children is on playing and learning.
The hall has excellent facilities, such as air conditioning and great toilets! There is a small car park and lots of on-street parking. It is a short walk from the bus stop on Batheaston High Street.
FAQ
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A PLAY SESSION AT THE CURIOUS CHILD?
The Curious Child will create a unique play space for you to explore with your child. You are welcome to grab your complimentary refreshments at any time. There won't be any story/singing/snack time for children as we believe in children taking the lead in their play and we don't want to disrupt this quality play time in any way!
SOME THINGS LOOK BREAKABLE, CAN MY CHILD TOUCH THEM?
Absolutely, YES! Lots of our items are breakable, and that's the whole point: children will learn through the real experiences we give them. Every time we visit Great-Grandma's house my children are drawn to her ornaments and desperate to hold them. In 'Grandad's Home Corner' they can investigate those ornaments to their heart's content! If anything does break, or even chips, just let me know so that I can remove it in line with my risk assessment and keep everyone safe.
MY CHILD HAS SEN, WILL THIS BE SUITABLE?
I have very personal experience of exploring toddler groups for the first time with an SEN child and understand how stressful it can be, even when it really shouldn't be. I hope to create a calm, low-stress environment. Due to the open-ended nature of all the equipment, this group is suitable for children of all ages and abilities. I will happily send out a social-story ahead of a visit. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions as to how I can support you further ahead of your visit!
WHAT AGE IS THE PLAYGROUP SUITABLE FOR?
We feel this playgroup is most suitable for children aged 8 months and on the move (!) until around 5 years. If you have a younger sibling, we have sensory experiences for babies to explore. We will also be open during the school holidays and know older siblings will also relish the opportunity to play with our open-ended resources.
TELL ME ABOUT THE COMPLIMENTARY REFRESHMENTS!
Your entry fee entitles you to one free hot drink* or soft drink, and a slice of cake.
Hot drinks: cafetière coffee, tea, herbal tea.
Soft drinks: A selection of cans available to chose.
*Hot drinks will be served in lidded cups to allow you to safely play around the room.
Please use the booking form to inform me of any dietary requirements ahead of the session.
CAN WE BRING CHILDREN'S SNACKS?
Of course! Children are welcome to snack throughout the session. We are a nut - free group and so please check your child's snacks don't contain nuts before entering the play space.
CAN MY CHILD MOVE THINGS AROUND THE ROOM?
The beauty of children's imagination is that we cannot predict the direction of their play. Children can move any of the resources around the room! We kindly ask that you place resources back from the area they came from for the next person to enjoy exploring.
WHAT'S THE CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY?
There are many reasons why you may wish to cancel you play session.
If children have sickness or diarrhoea, we ask that you do not attend until 48 hours has past since the last bout. Please do not attend if your child has, or has very recently had a temperature, or any other symptoms of Covid-19.
If you need to cancel your ticket (or are unable to attend a play session) and we can re-sell your ticket (this means the session is sold out and we are able to open another space to cover the cost of your ticket), we will give you a full refund.
If we are not able to re-sell your ticket, you will be offered a 50% discount coupon to be used against your next purchase. This will be for the same number and type of tickets as originally purchased.
Full Terms and Conditions can be found here.
CAN MY CHILD CLIMB ON THE BIG BUILD?
We have cool go-kart tyres, crates, planks, drapes for your child to explore and create with. Unfortunately, my only rule to keep everyone safe is 'no climbing'.
CONTACT US
