FOR this week’s In the Classroom feature, reporter Grace Walton put on her dancing shoes to join the children at Barty’s Pre School for their fortnightly treat with ‘Lottie’s Little Movers’ which involves plenty of dancing and lots of laughter.
THE pre-school, in Grimley, near Worcester, is set in a rural area within the grounds of Grimley and Holt Primary School.
The children at Barty’s are between the ages of two and four. As you can expect from any pre-school, the children are ecstatic to meet a new face. Within five minutes I was being asked to play with their toy dinosaurs, play hide-and-seek, join in in the sand pit and read stories.
Lottie Wilde, from Lottie’s Little Movers, came in to visit the children as she does twice a month.
Lottie’s Little Movers are sessions designed to feel like a party for children, where they purely focus on having fun and get moving to a selection of music.
There was dancing, dressing-up, jumping, singing, hula-hooping, and even musical instruments were involved - even the staff joined in with the fun.
Rachel Welsh, the pre-school manager, said: “With Lottie, there is no expectation. The children join in as much as they like, and they have their freedom to be kids. We have an overall theme each term, but we listen to the children and get to know their interests and what they would like to learn.
“Looking at it as a parent, I know exactly what parents expect and would like in a pre-school. We have a close relationship with each child’s family and welcome them in any time – we have an open door.”
Maria Fawdry, from Barty’s said: “It’s not like work here. We can be silly and join in with the children. The children get so much more out of it when you work with them and put the effort into joining in. The kids look at you and laugh – it’s just like being young again. We love our job and seeing the children progress and achieve. We have good links with the parents and they sometimes come in and read to the children.”
The pre-school offers activities including a forest school, gardening and outdoor play. Barty’s works closely with the teachers from Grimley and Holt Primary School. Every lunch-time the children visit the primary school, which enables them to interact with the older pupils and prepare them for school.
I really enjoyed my visit to Barty’s Pre-School - the adults were having just as much fun as the kids. There was so much positivity and enthusiasm coming from all the children. If only every day I could start my day with a boogie.
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