Children attending Happy Bunnies Nursery School in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire caught a train from their small rural village to nearby Cambridge to widen their cultural capital by visiting a variety of market stalls in the city.
‘Our visit to the bustling market was an excellent opportunity for our children to interact with local vendors and experience the vibrant atmosphere of a community gathering,’ says owner and manager Rob Fox, who previously ran a market stall there himself and has kept in touch with many of the stallholders. ‘We are based on the border of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire in a very white populated area and I wanted the children to be exposed to people from other countries and cultures. Also, we rely on supermarket deliveries, and children do not often experience going to the shops with their parents and buying things.’
what they did
The nursery is fortunate to have a train station in the village, so checking the timetable, buying tickets and travelling on a train was all part of the adventure for the children. The journey, which took just 15 minutes, enabled the children to see their local countryside and watch as they entered a more built-up area.
They walked from the station to the busy market square, where they looked around stalls. ‘The children eagerly interacted with the vendors, asking questions and learning about different types of produce and crafts. There was so much learning happening in the moment,’ says Rob. ‘There was a clothes stall where the children looked at lots of different hats, and there was a guy with different food that he allowed us to sample. We bought some little cars and spoke to the craftsman, who was Polish, about how he made them.’ The children also met vendors from Morocco and walked past street food stalls selling Nigerian and Spanish dishes.
Children were particularly drawn to a fruit and veg stall where they looked at the colourful produce, much of which they noted was locally grown. ‘We encouraged the children to use their senses to explore textures, smells and colours of the various items on display, and it also sparked conversations about healthy eating habits,’ says Rob.
‘We wanted the children to make decisions for themselves and take ownership of buying fruit and vegetables for a snack. The stallholder engaged really well with the children and allowed them to get hands-on and weigh out the produce.’
There were lots of conversations around what the children often had in their fruit bowls at home, and one boy was intrigued with the kiwi and passion fruit because he had never seen them before. ‘It is good for children to try new things and experience different textures and flavours,’ comments Rob.
Staff introduced sustainability concepts by speaking about how it is good to buy locally grown food when possible because it is better for the environment, because there are less ‘food miles’. They also talked about the concept of supporting local businesses, such as market stalls, to help the local economy.
their ethos
‘Our pedagogy revolves around prioritising play, exploration and hands-on experiences to foster creativity, critical thinking and social-emotional development,’ explains Rob.
‘We have integrated educational philosophies, including Montessori, Piaget and Bowlby, and created our own ethos. Our aim is to develop essential life skills while promoting a sense of community and cultural diversity, something the market visit encompassed. We do this through constant reflection – empowering reflection with teachers but also our pre-schoolers and toddlers to give them autonomy in their choices.’
extension activities
On return to nursery, children helped to prepare some of the fruit that they had bought, including washing it and carefully using knives to cut it into smaller pieces.- They sang songs involving fruit and read some linked picturebooks.
- Staff linked the tomatoes and strawberries for sale at the market with those that they have grown in pots at nursery so that they could appreciate where the fresh produce comes from and build on the children’s knowledge.
- They hope to repeat the market visit and plan on taking cash, rather than paying for items by a phone app, so that children gain a greater understanding of the concept of products costing money and physically paying for things. ‘If we gave them a purse with different coins, it would give them a greater awareness of what money is and also make the concept of purchasing items more tangible,’ reflects Rob.
what they gained
Parents have commented how much their children enjoyed the market trip and that they are now interested in trying new foods, particularly different fruits.
‘Through these interactions, our children discovered the significance of supporting local businesses and the value of sustainable practices,’ says Rob.
‘Many children don’t get the same experiences as we did growing up. Food just arrives at their door with a delivery driver, purely for convenience, because there are not the local shops to go to. Also, during the pandemic we were very isolated from one another, so many of our children grew up not interacting with people outside of their family in their early years. They need to have the opportunity to meet new people, gain the confidence to speak to those they are not familiar with – including from different generations and cultures – and build those social skills. We can also link the market visit to British values and democracy – giving the children a voice and the freedom to make choices around what they want to buy and eat.’
PHOTOS Happy Bunnies Nursery School and Adobestock
- Further reading: ‘Money talks’ by Annette Rawstrone (Nursery World, November 2023): https://bit.ly/3zoKJmO
book corner
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
CJ wants a car like his friends, but his nana helps him to see the beauty in his weekly bus journey in the city.
Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank
Join Baby and his mama at the bustling marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud counting tale.
Market Day by Lois Ehlert
A farm family experiences all the fun and excitement of going to and from the farmers’ market in this colourful book.
The Shopping Basket by John Burningham
Steven is sent out for a food shop on the mean street of the city with only a shopping basket for protection…
Chimpanzees for Tea! by Jo Empson
‘A bunch of carrots, a box of rice, some China tea, a big, firm pear, and a tin of peas’ is all Vincent needs to buy, but he is easily distracted.
Llama Llama Shopping Drama by Anna Dewdney
Mama has just a little shopping to do, but Llama Llama isn’t happy! He wants to play, and soon everything is flying out the trolley.
Oliver’s Fruit Salad by Vivian French and Alison Bartlett
Oliver is back from his healthy week eating vegetables at his grandpa’s house. Suddenly, the fruit at home doesn’t seem quite good enough for him. What is Oliver’s mum to do?
