Nursery group launches beach school

The nursery group, which owns 11 settings across North Yorkshire and Teeside, will offer beach school sessions to children at the large, sandy beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea on the North Sea coast.

Rosedene launched its beach school during Ocean Week (7 - 13 June), a global event to highlight the huge threats faced by marine species and habitats around the world.  

The children took part in exploring and discovering rock pools, fossil-hunting, building shelters, and art activities.

They also learnt how to care and protect the coastal environment, and why we need biodiversity in the oceans to support all life on earth.

The nursery hopes that beach school will help children develop a confidence with the outdoor environment that can foster a sense of responsibility to care for it and protect the oceans, as well as manage risks and build resilience. 

Alice McCullagh, director at Rosedene, said, ‘At Rosedene we teach our children to be kind, responsible and understanding members of the community. Launching the beach school this Ocean Week, we want to encourage the children to appreciate their environment in the hopes that they develop an environmentally friendly mentality that will stay with them for many years.'

The concept of 'beach school' is closely linked to the Forest School movement in its approach to outdoor learning, and has gained in popularity with nurseries in the UK in recent years. The principles and ethos can be adapted to the local environment - Ashbridge on Ribble Day Nursery group launched 'a river school' last year.

Saltburn beach on the North Yorksire coast, the home of Rosedene Nurseries' beach school

Ms McCullagh added, ‘Our amazing Beach School leaders have curated a wide variety of activities for our children to engage with. There is something for all children to enjoy and learn from, they can use the sand, pebbles and shells to create pieces of art, use a magnifying glass to inspect the fossils and birdwatch.’