Toad Hall Woking, Surrey

Katrina Tye, Head of Toad Hall Woking, has been using Poddely for almost a year now, along with some of the other nurseries in the Toad Hall chain. She shared her experience of Poddely with us and her tips for best practice.

Why did you choose Poddely for your Nursery?

We looked at the areas of development and physical development was something that was done but was not inspiring for the children, making full use of their imagination and creativity. Poddely offered a solution for this and more. The children have become independent in using it and have very little adult input until the next steps are suggested to extend their learning. They are learning how to share, care and take turns.

How are you using Poddely?

We are using the Poddely daily within the nursery; it rotates between the different ages of 2-3 and 3-5. The children are encouraged to initiate what they build with it and the staff will also create items linking to other topics, such as an aeroplane, to enhance their learning.
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The children have gained in confidence and are using their imagination. They enjoy role play with Poddely as they build trains, rockets and cars and go on journeys.

What are the biggest benefits you have seen for the children?

The children have gained in confidence and are using their imagination. They enjoy role play with Poddely as they build trains, rockets and cars and go on journeys. The children are also developing their physical skills and hand eye co-ordination when they are building. They are also developing their logic and problem solving skills by making water runs and figuring out what can fit where.

Can you share any practice insights you have gained?

Start small. We started by showing the children how to link the different Poddely elements before we made large models. That way the children understood how it went together and could take it from there!
share!
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