Kids Love Nature Kindergarten at Wickham

Rosemary, water jugs and child-height shelves give this Wickham kindergarten's March 2023 nursery day its character: children explored, solved practical problems and took responsibility for small tasks. The emphasis was on doing things for themselves. That is a useful starting point for families who value independence alongside play.

Kids Love Nature Kindergarten at Wickham operates at Park Place Pastoral Centre, Winchester Road, Wickham, PO17 5HA, with capacity for 44 children aged 9 to 60 months. Ofsted rated the setting Good on 24 March 2023. The strongest examples from that visit concern children's choices, conversation and practical learning; the improvement point concerned waiting during meals.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care: children develop communication, physical skills and independence through play and everyday routines, such as conversation, balancing and serving snacks. In March 2023, the setting followed the Montessori ethos. Its practical expression included children selecting resources and handling everyday tasks themselves, rather than relying on adults to do everything for them.

At that time, babies chose activities and recognised their belongings. Older children served snacks with tongs, poured water and collected cups and bowls from shelves within reach. Preparing the snack table gave independence a concrete purpose: children could contribute to the routine as well as take part in it.

Problem-solving also had room to develop. In March 2023, children worked out how to move water from a shallow tray into a jug, eventually lifting and tipping the tray together. Adults gave them time to test their ideas. For parents, this illustrates the difference between an activity with a ready-made answer and one that lets children think through a difficulty.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2023, outdoor play included climbing, running and making balancing arrangements with tyres and wooden planks. Younger children also practised small hand movements through chalk marks and threading hoops onto spaghetti. These examples linked large movements outdoors with more precise actions in other activities.

Rosemary provided another route into exploration that month. Older children investigated its smell and texture and connected it with food they remembered eating. Conversation extended the experience: adults introduced vocabulary through children's play, while children exchanged ideas and listened to one another. Nature here was a material to investigate, rather than simply a backdrop.

In March 2023, the key-person relationship included comfort for babies and adults responding to older children's achievements. Children shared resources, took turns and cooperated over practical challenges. Those details help parents picture the relationships behind the activities, especially when considering how a younger child might experience care away from home.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Assessment was used then to spot learning gaps and plan support. This is a dated judgement, rather than an assurance about an individual child's future experience.

Communication had a personal element in March 2023: parents had an individual conversation at the day's end. That creates an opportunity to discuss the child rather than receive only a general account of activities.

During that visit, adults supervised children eating and encouraged younger children to try foods and feed themselves. Older children sometimes waited too long between parts of the meal, became restless and received too little interaction during those pauses; reducing that waiting was the required improvement.

The address is Park Place Pastoral Centre, Winchester Road, Wickham, PO17 5HA. Opening hours are 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. For families planning regular care, those closures belong in the annual childcare calendar as well as the weekly routine.

The Wickham enquiry route is through its kindergarten enquiry button, by email at wickham@kidslovenature.co.uk or by telephone on 01329 757943. A tour-booking route is also offered. These provide a direct branch contact for arranging a visit.

• Mealtime organisation. In March 2023, older children experienced lengthy waits during meals. At a visit, ask how meals are now organised and how adults support children between courses.
• Independence in practice. The March 2023 examples included serving snacks, pouring drinks and choosing resources. Ask to see how these responsibilities are adapted for your child's age and confidence.
• Attendance and costs. The opening window runs from 08:00 to 18:00, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Ask for the booking pattern that fits your week and a current written quotation covering funded hours, additional hours, food and consumables.

This setting merits consideration for families seeking practical independence and learning through exploration. The March 2023 examples are concrete: children managed snack tasks, investigated rosemary and worked together on a water-transfer problem. Its weekday opening window may also suit families arranging care around work.

The balance is clear. A Good inspection judgement provides a dated quality reference, while the mealtime improvement gives families a specific issue to discuss. The most useful visit will connect that earlier picture of child-led activity with the care and attendance arrangements your child needs now.