A day in the life at Raised in Bristol: Part 1
Our Raised in Bristol nurseries are open from Monday–Friday from 8 am–6 pm all year round for the benefit of working families. Children can spend a lot of time at nursery, learning and exploring all sorts of exciting things. In this three-part series, we want to give you an insight into what your child might get up to on a typical day at a Raised in Bristol nursery. In each part, we’ll give you insight into each room and age group at our nurseries. In part one, we follow one year old Fin in the baby room.
A Day in the Life at Raised in Bristol: Fin's Nursery Adventures
Meet Fin! Fin is one and he likes bubbles, singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and elephants. He’s been at Raised in Bristol for a couple of months now. He lives just a 10-minute walk from the nursery. Every day his mummy Gemma gets him dressed and ready in the morning, packs his bag (with his elephant toy and extra socks!), and they stroll over to nursery with Fin in his buggy. Fin loves these walks; he can wave at the birds and the trees, and sometimes they even see the postman, which is very exciting. His buggy can be left at nursery in the dedicated buggy store, ready for hometime and making it easy for Gemma to head straight to work after drop-off.
When he gets to nursery, Fin is a bit shy, but he can’t wait to see his friends and his favourite adults. Mum Gemma says goodbye quickly so he doesn’t get upset. After a cuddle from his key person, it’s time for Fin to join in with whatever fun activities have been set up. Today, there are bubbles in the air, and he’s already giggling. Who doesn’t love bubbles?
Morning Songs, Stories & Snack
After most children have arrived, they all gather on the carpet and sit down for group time. One of the grown-ups sings “The Hello song” and the children put their pictures up on the wall so everyone can see who’s at nursery that day. Once everyone is signed in they have a story. Today’s story is about elephants, which makes Fin happy because he loves elephants. He points at the pictures and his friend, Isla, laughs along with him. Fin’s key person Anna chose this story for him today, to help develop his learning using his interests. On other days the story might be chosen for one of the other children - although, story time is always popular whatever the book!
Then, it’s time for snack! They’re having banana and crackers with cream cheese this morning. Yum! At Raised in Bristol we offer the children rolling snack which means the children don't all sit down at once so they can go off and play while their friends are eating.
Exploring Outside
After snack, the adults open the garden so the children can have free flow access to the outside. It’s definitely time for some fresh air! The nursery garden has all sorts of fun equipment, puddles to jump in and loose parts to play with. There’s a sand pit, a wooden climbing frame and a mud kitchen where Fin and his friends pretend to cook up all sorts of dishes – today, Fin made a ‘cake’ with mud and leaves.
Lunch and Naptime
When tummies start rumbling, it’s time for lunch. On today’s menu is a Spring Vegetable risotto with leeks and peas and courgette cake for pudding. All meals and snacks at Raised in Bristol Nurseries are made with a close eye on early years nutritional best practices, with very little salt or refined sugar and no additives by Cucina Bambini’s team of chefs. After lunch, it’s nap time.
Afternoon Messy Play & More Songs
When everyone wakes up, there are lots of activities set up for the children to enjoy. There are farm animals and hay, and the play-dough table with herbs and all sorts of tools and cutters laid out is always a huge hit. The home corner is also ready for some role-play with fancy dress. Children are free to play and follow their interests, and the nursery team adapts throughout the day based on what children are drawn to, developing learning led by each individual child.
Around 2 pm, it's afternoon snack time, and today the children have red pepper houmous and flatbread! Once Fin has finished, he goes over to a tuff tray filled with brightly coloured paint. He splashes and smears the paint around with his hands mixing the colours to see what new colours he can make. The nursery team encourage him to explore and help extend his learning by asking him questions and engaging with him. After snack, the garden is also open again so the children can freely flow in and out as they please.
Tea Time & Wind Down
It’s time for circle time again. Fin and his friends sit down to sing some more songs. “The Wheels on the Bus” is still Fin’s favourite, but he also likes singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” As the day starts winding down, the children have tea; today, they’re having pasta salad and oranges for after.
After tea, children play some more before families start arriving to collect. When Fin’s mummy, Gemma, arrives she listens to what he’s been up to today from the nursery team. The team let her know how he slept, ate and if there was anything else important to share. He puts his coat on and waves goodbye before walking home. Fin and Gemma leave happy, content that Fin has had another great day at Raised in Bristol.
We have four nurseries in Bristol with Raised in Bristol at Easton Community Centre and Raised in Bristol at Felix Road Adventure Playground in Easton (BS5). Raised in Bristol at Docklands Community Centre in St Pauls (BS2) and Raised in Bristol at the Greenway Centre in Southmead (BS10). We have some limited nursery places available. To find out more, fill out an enquiry form for your desired location by clicking on the corect logo here. Our Admissions team will then get in touch to invite you in to see what life at Raised in Bristol is like for yourself!
