Curiosity Approach Pedagogy

St Vincent’s Nursery is an accredited Curiosity Approach setting, the ethos of which is embedded in our setting’s pedagogy.

The approach combines several childhood theories that can be seen across our practice and environment, from Maria Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf Education – Rudolf Steiner, Emmi Pikkler, and the Te Whariki – Curriculum of New Zealand. We have taken aspects of each theory and curriculum and added our own stamp.

As the children move through the environment they will find large open spaces, filled with natural light, open-ended resources, natural materials, and authentic equipment.

We offer a home from home feel for all our children as they access the following:

• Light Therapy

• Sand Atelier

• Hygge

• Loose Parts

• Well-being Days

• Tummy Times

• Well-being Warriors

• Physical Literacy

We encourage the children to participate in risky play; we have a range of porcelain and glass across our environments that support children in learning how to handle and take care of their own resources through play and putting objects back where they belong. All our resources can be transferred across areas of the environment for children to enhance their learning and play ideas, with skillful practitioners on hand to plan in the moment, following on from what the children are communicating.

We are a plastic free accredited setting; we encourage the children to be curious and independent learners as the practitioners create invitations to learning within continuous provision for the children to explore.

We follow the seasons as we explore our outside environment in all weathers, bringing the outside indoors. The children access the wider community to build bonds with the world around them and engage in first hand experiences with the ‘locals’.