As a team we are working together to build on our knowledge of heuristic play. One way to introduce heuristic play is by using various treasure baskets. With some money raising ideas we hope to be able to buy new equipment to create new learning experiences for your child.

Heuristic play – A way to describe the activity of a baby/ young child when he/she plays with objects.

Treasure baskets help young children to:
• Explore natural objects, textures and colours using their senses.
• Develop attention and concentration
• Practice fine motor skills and hand/eye co-ordination
• Make simple choices


Young Babies (Head up, lookers and communicators)
Babies (sitters, standers and explorers)
Babies (as you know only too well!) spend a lot of their day feeding, changing and sleeping. Babies' keyworkers are their most important plaything so these care routines are great opportunities for giving babies the attention they love and thrive on - cuddles, songs, rhymes, peek-a-boo, tickles and fun, but also knowing when to calm things down. Familiar experiences are very important but so are new ones.


We have:
• comfy cushions for snuggling and stories
• textured rugs and colourful mats for lying, kicking, crawling and playing on
• sturdy, low furniture to pull up to standing on
• familiar household objects
• treasure baskets and discovery bags for exploring
• puppets, music, bricks, paint and water... we love our baby room!


Young children ( movers shakers and players)
Children (walkers, talkers and pretenders)
As babies move into their second year there are lots of further exciting opportunities for play while maintaining that important familiarity. Your baby's keyworkers will ensure that a variety of activities and experiences is offered to complement their care routine - glue, sand, water, drawing, playdough, jigsaws, jumping, climbing, sliding, pushing and pulling to name but a few.


Involving Parents
The parents understanding of a treasure basket is vital. As parents we would like you to understand the importance of the work we do. We invite you on your settling in visits to observe your child as they explore and learn from one of our heuristic baskets.