The Curiosity Approach is centred around creating inspiring, thoughtful environments that ignite children’s natural curiosity and love of learning. As part of our journey towards becoming an accredited Curiosity Approach nursery, we have been working closely with Steph to thoughtfully evolve our spaces in meaningful ways.
With her support, we have reimagined our large outdoor art area into a rich, creative environment that encourages exploration, independence and imagination. The space has been carefully designed to o er a wide range of opportunities for children to express themselves through art, using a variety of tools, textures and materials. It supports both large, whole-body movements and the development of fine motor skills.
Our outdoor art studio now includes:
- A vertical painting wall
- A cosy mark-making area with a range of smaller tools
- A 3D art wall for creative exploration
- A chalk drawing space
- A low-level painting table
- A sticking and collage table, which has quickly become a firm favourite
Curiosity & creativity at ODN
A mannequin has also been introduced, allowing children to explore creative design by dressing it in di erent fabrics and clothing. This encourages imaginative thinking while exploring colour, texture and pattern.
One particularly unique feature of the space is an area where children can lie on their backs and draw above their heads, o ering a di erent and engaging approach to mark making while supporting physical development.
We have already seen wonderful examples of child-led learning within this space. For example, our preschool children independently chose to use the low-level table as an area to cut and stick tape, demonstrating creativity, problem-solving and fine motor development.
This transformation reflects our commitment to creating environments that inspire curiosity, creativity and a deep love of learning. We are excited to see how the children continue to explore and express themselves within this space.
In the coming months, we look forward to welcoming families to an ‘Art Gallery’ afternoon, where you will have the opportunity to visit the space and see the children’s creations in person.
Please enjoy the photos below, with many more moments to be shared soon. We cannot wait to see the creativity that continues to grow in this inspiring environment.
