Taking life at a snail's pace!

So here we are 3 weeks into a new school year and most of the 26 children are well settled and thoroughly enjoying their time at nursery. They are in 2 small groups of 14 and 12 and tomorrow they go together to form one class for the first time. 
As there are just the two of us at most times, staff wise, this year, we have quickly realised that we are going to need to slow things down and not get too stressed if we don't manage to achieve all that we have planned for each day.

Sometimes we forget how interesting the everyday is to young children and this age group is definitely the best for making me stop to appreciate what we often rush past on a daily basis. So today, I found myself spending some time watching spiders spin their webs in the trees up in Bear Woods with the first group and then a small snail crawling up the shed with the second group.

At times like this I am reminded that the age of 3 and 4 is not just a stage to be rushed through to the next, these children have the right to experience everything at their pace and as their interest is piqued, to explore topics freely. So, that is our hope for the next few weeks and months as we all get to know each other better and learn how to cope in a larger group and find our place together - we will stop to look at the spiders, smell the flowers and watch the snails!