Frances Wood, director of Education for the Kensington Nursery said that the schools following Reggio Emilia learning system gives utmost importance to the learning environment.
The nursery has been constructed in such a way that each class room is integrated with the surrounding community. The facility features clearly designated spaces for large and small group activities.
The Kensington Nursery features an Early Learning Resource Centre, an Art Room, Language Room, Music Pagoda, Outdoor Areas, a Sensory Garden, a Skill Play Zone, Activity Centre, Water Zone, Organic Garden and a Petting Area for observing and feeding small animals.
The resource center is dedicated to promoting learning and listening skills; filled with a wide variety of infant and children’s books and educational technology.
The art room is dedicated to painting, collage, sculpture and model making. This room uses an innovative table and seating arrangement to encourage individualism and is filled with examples of the children’s creativity.
The language room is dedicated to introducing the Arabic language to all of the students through fun-based activities such as singing, counting games and role playing.
The music pagoda is situated in a beautiful garden. The room is filled with an assortment of percussion, string instruments and wind instruments and a piano.
The sensory garden allows the children experience an array of textures through the rocks, pebbles, sands and textured wall plaques; fragrant plants such as lemon geranium and mint; and the soft resonance of wind chimes.
The skill playing zone is an area specifically designed for jumping, running and ball play; with a pirate ship at its center allowing the children to combine imaginative play with physical dexterity.
The activity center is designed with ropes, slides and climbing frames. The water zone is a fun area with gentle jet sprays and water play games. The organic garden is a place where the children can plant and tend to their own plants and flowers, in a natural environment
Reggio Emilia has been hailed by many educators as being among the best pre-school learning systems in the world. It was started by the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II to eliminate fascism.
