Play, Explore & Discover

Stepping Stones is our play-based ECCE room, running from 8:45am to 11:45am. Guided by Aistear, the room is built around children's natural curiosity, their interests and their desire to explore the world through play.

The environment offers many possibilities, including home and imaginative play, art and creativity, construction, sensory experiences, small-world play, transport, tabletop activities and cosy spaces for books and quieter moments. Children are encouraged to make choices, move freely between areas and spend time with the experiences that genuinely capture their attention.

Following Children's Interests

One of the most important parts of Stepping Stones is that we don't always know where the learning will take us — and we are happy for it to be that way.

Our educators observe what children are talking about, building, creating, asking questions about and experimenting with. These interests can then develop into new experiences, projects, experiments or changes within the environment.

The team is always open to new ideas and willing to try something different. A simple question from a child, an object they discover, a story they tell or something happening in their lives can become the starting point for days or even weeks of exploration.

The room draws inspiration from Reggio Emilia, Steiner and Montessori, using natural and realistic materials wherever possible. There is also a strong element of slow pedagogy — giving children time to become deeply involved, repeat experiences, experiment, make mistakes and discover things for themselves.

Outdoor play extends these opportunities even further, providing space for movement, investigation, construction, creativity and sensory exploration.

Above all, Stepping Stones is a place where children have the freedom to play, time to think and confidence to follow their own ideas — while their educators are ready to follow those ideas with them.

“Plenty of time, space and freedom for meaningful play.”

— Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

Reggio Emilia Inspired Room

Create, Explore, Express

Our Reggio Emilia Inspired ECCE Room runs from 9:00am to 12:00pm. It is a warm, creative and evolving environment where children's ideas, interests and curiosity help to shape their learning.

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we believe that the environment itself plays an important role in children's development. Our room is thoughtfully arranged to encourage children to explore, investigate, create, communicate and work together, with access to open-ended, natural and realistic materials wherever possible

Following Children's Ideas

Children's interests are at the heart of the room. Something as simple as a question, a conversation, an object found outdoors or an experience from home can become the beginning of a much bigger investigation.

Our educators observe and listen carefully to the children and look for ways to extend these interests through art, sensory experiences, construction, stories, experiments, imaginative play, loose parts and longer-term projects. We are always open to new ideas and to seeing where the children's thinking might take us.

Creativity is particularly important within the Reggio Emilia philosophy. We recognise that children have many different ways of communicating and expressing what they know. One child may use words, while another may communicate an idea through painting, drawing, building, movement, music or imaginative play.

An Environment That Belongs to the Children

The room is not intended to remain exactly the same throughout the year. As children's interests change, materials, displays and areas within the environment can change with them.

Children's artwork, photographs, conversations, discoveries and ongoing projects become visible parts of the room. In this way, the environment reflects the children who use it and helps them recognise that their ideas, experiences and contributions are valued.

Most importantly, we want children to feel confident to wonder, experiment, make choices and express themselves in their own way. Our educators are there to listen, observe, support and provide new possibilities — allowing learning to develop naturally from the children's curiosity.

“The child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking.”

— Loris Malaguzzi

Montessori Room

Independence-Discovery-A Love of Learning

Our Montessori ECCE Room runs from 9:15am to 12:15pm and provides children with a carefully prepared environment where they can develop independence, concentration, confidence and a love of learning.

The room includes the traditional Montessori areas of Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Culture, with materials carefully organised and accessible to the children. Children are encouraged to make choices, work independently, repeat activities and progress at their own pace.

Following the Child

At Daisychain, Montessori is not about following a rigid programme. Our educators observe each child carefully, noticing their interests, abilities and individual readiness, and look for opportunities to take their learning further.

Montessori materials provide an important foundation, while Aistear, creativity, play and children's own ideas are naturally woven into the environment. An interest might lead to art, nature, science, construction, imaginative play, experiments or exploration of different people and cultures.

Learning to Do Things for Myself

Practical Life is an important part of our Montessori environment. Everyday experiences such as pouring, transferring, preparing food, cleaning and caring for the environment help children develop coordination, concentration and independence.

We want children to experience the satisfaction of thinking, “I can do this myself.”

Our educators are there to demonstrate, observe, encourage and support, but also to know when to step back and allow children to try, practise, solve problems and discover for themselves.

Above all, we want children to leave our Montessori Room feeling confident in their own abilities and knowing that learning is something they can explore, enjoy and take ownership of.

“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”

— Maria Montessori