As part of our Cultural Capital and our diverse and inclusive approach to education we celebrate a range of Festivals and significant events. If you celebrate these events yourself at home, we invite you to come and share your experiences with the children.
Cultural Capital at Norcot
"Both my kids love going to nursery, there always seems to be loads of fun things to do and they're learning all the time."
Parent Survey July 2022
What is Cultural Capital in Early Years?
Cultural capital as ‘the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success’. At Norcot, we celebrate and build on children’s prior experiences and provide them with new opportunities. We believe that the children attending Norcot Early Years Centre should experience awe and wonder in our curriculum. As part of this, throughout the year, we will give our children as many of these opportunities as possible to:
- Listen to/ have a go at playing a musical instrument
- Try a new sport
- Experience a water fight/ snowball fight
- Visit a post box with a card or letter they have written
- Attend a bonfire/ open fire
- Experience a picnic
- Try food from a range of countries
- Visit a park and roll down the hill
- Practice yoga
- Celebrate a festival outside of their own experience
- Grow a plant/ vegetable
- Hunt for bugs
- Make a mud creation
- Build a den
- Bake or cook
- Meet a real-life animal
- Take part in fundraising
- Experience a science experiment
- Explore textures with feet
- Watch a show/ performance
- Play parachute game
- Talk to key people in our community such as police, nurses
- Take part in a sports day
- Visit a library
- Participate in Forest School
- Sing and dance for a performance
- Give something back to the community
- Shop in a local shop
- Experience an Easter egg hunt
- Have hands on experience of a life cycle. E.g., caterpillar to butterfly.
This will inspire our children to seek wider experiences that will enrich their cultural capital and lives.
Children at the Centre from both Nursery and Waterside enjoy weekly visits to our Norcot Library and Forest School to give them opportunities for learning how things work outside of the classroom environment. We also have weekly visits each term from external providers.
Norcot Library
"Changing lives through a love of books and shared reading.’‘
It’s never too early to encourage a love of reading and it is important that we enjoy sharing stories together.
We place great emphasis on reading and books and have created our own library at Norcot. This wonderful
resource is based upstairs in our Meadowside building. All the children in the Centre have the opportunitity
to visit it once a week and enjoy reading stories in small groups and looking at books individually. They are
also learning library skills for their future education. We also ensure that there are many books in all of the
classrooms which are available for the children to access at any time as part of our continuous provision.
It is never too early to read stories with your child and spending just ten minutes every day enjoying books
together can make a BIG difference to your child’s development. Sharing stories boosts creativity and
imagination, improves wellbeing and is a positive experience for families. It is also great fun!
To promote reading at home, we encourage children to take books from their classroom or the library home.
If a child would like to take a book home, staff write the title down on a signing out sheet and the children are
then allowed to borrow it. When you and your child have finished the book we ask you to return it and the
staff will mark that it has been returned. We completely understand that sometimes a book may go missing
or accidentally get ripped or torn. If this happens please let us know.
“It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading” Early Years Foundation Stage has its very own library that all children visit weekly to choose books and enjoy rhyme time to help with language development and to promote the importance of reading.
Visits from External Providers
Each term the children have visits from external providers that engage the children with activities aimed to enrich the curriculum and enhance their learning experience. Some of the visitors we have had in the past include:
Berkshire Maestros
Children are never too young to develop a love of music and singing with young children is a natural part of human life that happens in every culture across the world. Through singing the children are encouraged to listen and make sounds that lead to the development of their speech and communication. Berkshire Mini Maestros sessions are led by professional musicians who are Early Years specialists and with their nurturing approach, the children grow in confidence and flourish.
Ali's Yoga Stars
Yoga has many physical and mental health benefits for children such as: improving emotional regulation, managing anxieties, boosting self-esteem, increasing body awareness and mindfulness, enhancing concentration and memory and developing strength and flexibility. The yoga sessions were run by a lady called Ali who is a qualified yoga instructor who teaches young children and children with SEND, she also has experience of the EYFS.
Miller's Farm
The Mobile Farm includes sheep and lambs, goats and kids, piglets, miniature donkeys and ponies, rare breed poultry, ducks and geese, hen and chicks, giant rabbits, guinea pigs and a farm dog. The emphasis is on touching and feeding the animals to build confidence and awareness. The welfare of the animals is paramount throughout and only those happy with a lot of attention are used. The Mobile Farm concept embraces the desire to bring children and adults into close contact with farm animals, thus inspiring interest and respect, whilst providing an exciting experience in the security of their own environment.
U-Sports
U-Sports exists to provide as many children as possible the opportunity to have a positive experience with a variety of sports at a young age. We are passionate about ensuring children develop in a fun, safe and happy environment whilst educating them not only in sports but as young people.
Football
Besides being a great game to watch and play, football also helps to develop numerous skills in young children. They don’t have to play competitively to feel the benefits, just taking part with others will offer its rewards. Taking part in football can encourage an active lifestyle, help develop communication skills, enhance team skills and teamwork, stimulate social skills and develop fundamental movement skills.
Groovy Movers, Music and Movements
Through listening, amking sounds and singing children develop their speech and language, communication and increase vocabulary. They are encourage to try different movements and to develop a sense of rhythm.
Earth Song
Exploring world culture through interactive workshop, children get immersed in the oral tradition, music and dance of different cultures delivered in a fun, inclusive, hands on and interactive way. It incorporates instruments, costumes and props around the world.
Visit to local place of worship
Children get a first-hand experience of a place of worship which extend the children's thinking. They will have an opportunity to ask questions, meet the minister and reflect upon Christian values.