Seedlings and Sprouts: Indoor Baby and Toddler Groups
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How does your child grow? Like a seedling!Here at RBGE we love to encourage children to grow in the most natural way possible. We are offering two weekly indoor sessions: one for parents and babies aged from 5 to 10 months, and one for parents and toddlers from 11 to 24 months.
Our calm and relaxed groups will meet every Friday morning during term time and will run together. We’ll meet inside the John Hope Gateway at 10.00 am and spend time playing with natural resources using treasure baskets with the Seedlings group and heuristic play resources made from natural materials with the Sprouts group. Booking is required. Find more information below.
These will be informal and friendly groups and after spending 90 minutes with our early years' specialist, parents are free to explore the Garden or enjoy a coffee and share a cake in one of our lovely cafes.
We look forward to welcoming you and helping your child blossom whilst connecting with nature. -
Comments from parents:
"A very relaxed group of parents who meet and allow their children to play without too much adult direction."
"A relaxed parent and baby group with free play set up which allows babies to explore natural materials and everyday items." Seedlings group Autumn 2022
"The BEST Baby led class your child could ever go to!"
"Lovely space for toddlers to explore freely and get familiar with different objects and textures"
"Child-led, natural, tactile, kinaesthetic. Freedom to explore. Welcoming. Nurturing."
"Free roaming activity stations full of sensory and imaginative activities for baby to play and learn."
"A super relaxed morning for parents & children alike" Sprouts group Spring 2023
Seedlings: baby group (5-10 months)
The Seedlings group is aimed at adults with babies aged around 5 – 10 months old (able to sit up). Not suitable for babies who are very mobile or walking.
Each adult can book a space for 1 child. Exception will be made for parents with twins, if one parent wants to bring both, in which case the babies can share a basket.
This is a child-led group. Each baby will have their own treasure basket full of natural and household objects that they can freely explore each week.
Babies select items they are drawn to and explore the items using their five senses, sight, smell, touch, taste, sound. The adult's role is to observe their child and notice if they are drawn to any particular items each week for example the colour of an item. The aim is to be responsive, but not to lead the play, so not enticing the child with objects allowing them to choose for themselves the items they are drawn to.
Treasure baskets are filled with open ended, natural items that are interesting to look at, feel and shake. There is no particular purpose to any of them yet they can be manipulated in a range of ways. This promotes the natural desire to investigate which is a great skill for developing babies.
All the materials used feed the senses the Seedlings and Sprouts groups have a calming effect on babies, children and adults.
Seedlings and Sprouts will run at the same time and share a space.
Elinor Goldschmied (1910 – 2009) developed the treasure baskets. In this approach the adult offers a seated baby (who cannot yet move independently) a range of natural, household and recycled objects, contained in a rigid, low sided round basket for exploration and interest.
The objects in a treasure basket can be described as "food for the brain" as every new sensory experience makes the brain grow and become more active. The greater the variety of objects, the greater the mental stimulation and satisfaction for the baby.
The value of the objects will only be realised if the caregiver is sitting comfortably nearby, attentive and responsive to the baby’s needs, interest and safety.
For more information on treasure baskets, Elinor Goldschmied and heuristic play please look up www.Froebeltrust.org.uk or get in touch via schools@rbge.org.uk
Term 2: Friday 17th January - 28th March 2025
(No class on Friday 14th February)
Term 3: Friday 25th April - 27th June 2025
The sessions will run from 10:00 until 11:30, but if your baby is napping there is no pressure to be there on time. The same if you need to leave earlier, please do not feel any pressure to stay on.
Seedlings and Sprouts will run at the same time and share a space.
The cost of this programme is £100 for the 10-week block.
Members' discount 10%
Each adult can book a space for 1 child. Exception will be made for parents with twins, if one parent wants to bring both.
Bookings will be available in the RBGE Online Shop when the new programme launches.
If you have any enquiries, please contact us on schools@rbge.org.uk
Sprouts: toddler group (11-24 months)
The Sprouts group is aimed at adults with toddlers aged around 11 - 24 months old.
Sprouts will use heuristic play resources (heuristic comes from the Greek word “eurisko” meaning "I find”, "I discover”) made from natural materials.
This means cardboard boxes with blankets for building dens, various fabrics of different textures for example hessian, fleece, cotton, silk, wool. Wooden building blocks, small world people, sand, natural resources: pebbles, shells, sticks, leaves. Pots and pans, wooden spoons.
This is a child-led group, so the resources are out for the children to investigate and play with using their imagination, there is no right or wrong way of using the items. The adult's role is to observe their child and be responsive, but not to lead the play, so not enticing the child with objects allowing the child to choose for themselves items they are drawn to.
This type of play creates the opportunity for self-discovery and increases awareness of self, it provides the foundations for positive self-esteem, self-confidence, risk taking and perseverance.
The objects we use are natural, household objects and demonstrate sustainability, they are timeless.
All the materials used feed the senses the Seedlings and Sprouts groups have a calming effect on babies, children and adults.
Seedlings and Sprouts will run at the same time and share a space.
For more information on heuristic play please look up www.Froebeltrust.org.uk or get in touch via schools@rbge.org.uk
Term 2: Friday 17th January - 28th March 2025
(No class on Friday 14th February)
Term 3: Friday 25th April - 27th June 2025
The sessions will run from 10:00 until 11:30, but if your baby is napping there is no pressure to be there on time. The same if you need to leave earlier, please do not feel any pressure to stay on.
Seedlings and Sprouts will run at the same time and share a space.
The cost of this programme is £100 for the 10-week block.
Members' discount 10%
Each adult can book a space for 1 child. Exception will be made for parents with twins, if one parent wants to bring both.
Bookings will be via the RBGE Online Shop when the new programme is available.
If you have any enquiries, please contact us on schools@rbge.org.uk