Stroking an animal is proven to reduce stress levels and helps us to relax, something that the children and staff at The Old Forge Day Nursery in Findern, Derbyshire are appreciating as they welcome two new rabbits into their setting.
‘One of our massive passions is wellbeing. We have a wellbeing programme for staff and an app with access to counsellors, because we know that if we have happy staff, we then have happy children,’ says nursery manager Amy Weaver.
‘As part of our Covid recovery, we are having a special focus on PSED, because children lost a lot socially during the lockdowns. We have also noticed increased levels of children displaying signs and symptoms of possible autism spectrum disorder. Having animals has always been a big part of the nursery for us because of the learning they bring. We decided to get a couple of new nursery pets because there is something very therapeutic and calming about being around animals. We already have chickens, a therapy dog called Roberta, and now if children are struggling emotionally, if they are new to the setting and feeling anxious, or if they are feeling sad, they can sit and stroke a bunny.’
what they do
The two rabbits, Bambi and Mabel, have swiftly become popular. ‘Children come to nursery to see their friends but also to spend time with the rabbits and chickens,’ says Amy. ‘They’ll often go running over to the gate when they are outside to say hello to them.’
Staff have created an enclosed ‘petting zoo’ area so that the animals have their own safe place. ‘Children like sitting in the enclosure with the rabbits hopping around or with one of them on their lap,’ says Amy. Some of the children talk to the animals, which are surprisingly good listeners! – and this helps to enhance their verbal skills.
Each week, a different nursery group takes responsibility for the animals, gaining experience of feeding, replacing the water and cleaning them out. This helps the children to build confidence with the animals and understand care routines. It also supports them to begin considering the needs of others.
‘They talk about what the animals need to eat to keep them healthy and staff relate this back to the children’s diets and how it is important to eat plenty of healthy food,’ explains Amy. They make links between the animals and the natural world, including different environments and habitats.
‘Staff reinforce the need to be kind and gentle to the animals – treating them with care, not shouting or making sudden movements and scaring them – which builds on the social skills and empathy that children need for being with people too,’ says Amy. ‘We had a little boy who we needed to give extra support to be gentle, but that was an important part of his learning.’
their ethos
‘We’re very focused on learning through the outdoor and natural environment,’ says Amy. ‘We have a Forest School – which is where the rabbits and chickens live – and are an accredited Green Flag Eco-school, which is very much about natural learning.’
She adds, ‘I believe that the children access the whole curriculum from hands-on learning outdoors.’
Amy continues, ‘This focus also means that we have built excellent links with our local community, including an intergenerational project, and are able to support children’s wellbeing by them spending lots of time outdoors around animals and nature.’
extension activities
The nursery previously had a chicken that died which, although very sad, helped the children understand the lifecycle. Experiencing the permanency of death – that the chicken was not going to come back – also helped them to appreciate what it means and give them something to relate to when they experience a death in their family. ‘We held a burial for the chicken,’ says Amy. ‘I think it’s important for the children to understand the process and know that it is alright to talk about death.’- Children collect the chicken’s eggs and will often cook with them during Forest School sessions. This helps them to understand farming and food production and leads to conversations around where their food comes from.
- Families get involved with the care of the animals and volunteer to go into the nursery during the holidays to look after them. Amy says, ‘It’s exciting for them to visit the nursery when it’s closed, and many of them bring treats from home to give to the animals.’ It means that siblings can also enjoy the animals and the wider family is able to appreciate more of the nursery routines and develop trust and a sense of community and belonging.
what they gain
With many of the children coming from homes with two working parents, they often do not have the opportunity to care for pets at home, so Amy thinks that having access to animals at nursery deepens their cultural capital.
‘We’ve always been involved with animals because we’re lucky to be located in a rural village,’ she says. ‘There is a farm with horses nearby and the children have been to feed them. They have also visited the lambs at one of our family’s sheep farms and learned about them. These are all hands-on experiences the children benefit from.’
She adds, ‘I feel through having animals we’re creating healthy adults for the future. It’s really important that we’re teaching children respect for animals and also respect for the environment. Above all, it is teaching children to care and nurture.’
