Barley Wood Nursery is set in 11 acres of gardens, parkland and woodland in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo River.
We use these unrivalled facilities to ensure that children in the nursery have ample opportunity for learning about the outdoors through play.
The House dates back to the 18th century when it was owned by Hannah More a great philanthropist of her time, who was influential in setting up 12 schools in the area.
It has since passed through many families including the Wills of Bristol. The Nursery element of the House has been converted by the YMCA Dulverton Group and offers a variety of safe dedicated spaces and rooms for children.
Through using the grandeur of the house, we have created individual rooms for each age group, but still allowing movement through the building and outside spaces.
We have a ‘Garden Lawn’ an area where children have the space to run and move freely. Around the garden children have the opportunity to dig and plant and we are currently developing an allotment area where the children can grow and harvest fruit and vegetables.
Our ‘Woodland Garden’ is a place where the imagination comes alive. Children can bug hunt, climb, balance and play in this natural environment. During the summer we look to utilise the outdoors further, with the opportunity for nap time in the shade and picnics.
Our ‘Nursery Garden’ is a key area for our younger children, with age appropriate areas and activities, where the youngest children can explore a wide range of textures and further develop their newly found gross motor skills.
We have plans in 2019 to further enhance the garden areas immediately adjacent to the Nursery, to extend the free flow opportunities the children have to move their play from inside the classroom to the outdoors.
The nursery enjoys direct access to the surrounding parkland in the House grounds.
We firmly believe that there is no such thing as bad weather only unsuitable clothing, and all age groups enjoy regular walks to explore the grounds.
Each group often has their own favourite spots, in the woods, feeding the fish at the pond or some rolling down the hill in front of the house!
We also like to find lots of treasures on our walks that can be used in craft projects.
Children have ample opportunity to explore and play in the woodland at Barley Wood. As the seasons unfold, they are able to see first-hand the changes in their surroundings.
They will be able to taste the fruits that we can find, such as figs and forage to discover the different flora and fauna. We utilise the woods as an outdoor classroom where children are free to play, explore and investigate.
There is a designated area to dig and children are able to take part in woodland crafts, bug hunting and den building whilst learning all about their environment.