Winchester

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Kim Coombs

kim@littlelearnersuk.com

Welcome to Little Learners Winchester! We run Messy Play & Mark Making classes and events across Winchester. We also offer Little Learners birthday parties! Please get in touch if you have any questions…

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About me

Hello my name is Kim I live in Winchester, Hampshire with my husband Steve and my two children Wilfie 11 Molly 7 and my two Cocker Spaniel fur babies Benji and Lola. I run Little Learner messy play classes, parties and themed events in and around the Winchester area covering the postcodes, SO21, SO22, SO23 and SO24.

I have over 22 years’ experience in early years and have worked in many different child care roles such as a private nanny, nursery practitioner, senior nursery practitioner, deputy and nursery manager before moving onto my next chapter to become part of the Little Learners franchisee team.

Being fully involved in 0 – 5 development over the years, I am always looking at ways to support, motivate and inspire our children’s learning. I understand the value and feel very passionate about hidden learning through play and the benefits play based learning brings.

Multi award – winning Little Learners educational mark making program is about providing sensory and messy exploration in a fun interactive way to encourage and strengthen important foundation skills and the core muscles in children 5 months to 5 years. We aim to help children make their marks which will lead into letter/number formation and writing skills when they reach school.

I look forward to welcoming you to a class soon.
Thank you, Kim

What are Little Learners Winchester Messy Play Classes all about?

At Little Learners Winchester, we love to play. By providing children the freedom of exploration through fun, messy, stimulating activities, we are opening up so many learning opportunities, not only in mark making but all areas in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which covers development from birth to the end of reception.

Our activities are supported by our loveable mark makers, Lionel, Archie, Swirlo and Ziggy, who encouraging us, with their own special marks they like to make.

I plan a new theme each week, so imagination is key and all ages from 5 month to 5 years are catered for. Included in the planning will always be activities to encourage both fine and gross motor skills, hand – eye coordination, strengthening core muscles including activities that support tummy time. The venue will be set up with a mixture of both dry and messy play tuff trays, fine motor skill toys such as puzzles, shape sorters, threading etc playdough, colouring/drawing paint and more!

When you arrive to class we start with a welcome and a introduction to the mark maker of the week and the theme. We then have a little dance with ribbons, making movements to match the mark the character makes. I will go through what is in each tray and then you are free to explore. Throughout the class I will come and chat, celebrate achievements, share and support next steps to help challenge your child. I’m available to answer any questions, or to just have a good chat!. Ten minutes before the end of class I will play our tidy up song, I will provide tubs of warm water to wash and we say our goodbyes, not forgetting our well done stickers.

The classes are great for encouraging social interaction and supporting children personal, social and emotional needs.
The classes are designed to support each child’s unique learning style taking into consideration their own individual characteristics.

At Little Learners Winchester having fun is a priority and the mess ( that you don’t have to clean up) is just a bonus 🙂

Please feel free to email me kim@littlelearnersuk.com to find out more.

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Parent Testimonials

Find out what people say, don’t take our word for it!

“What a great experience we had at messy play with little learners. My 2 yr old daughter really enjoyed it and loved all the activities each week. Kim puts incredible thought into the themes for her sessions and her time and energy is greatly appreciated! Thank you and I would thoroughly recommend it!”

“We love attending Kim’s messy play classes! Each tray and activity is planned and imagined so well, you can tell a lot of thought and effort has gone into each class. Each session explores all the senses and encourages learning in different ways, for babies and toddlers. Kim spends the session making sure everyone is having fun and her experience working with children really shines through. We can’t wait for the autumn term!”

“Such an amazing class. So much effort and thought goes in to every single class with a different theme every week. The resources are so good. Kim is so welcoming and lovely with the children. My little one absolutely loves going and looks forward to it every week. Would definitely recommend this class”

FAQ’s

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we do messy play?

Messy play isn’t just about having fun (although that’s a big part of it!). It’s also a crucial aspect of children’s development.

Here’s why:

What do Classes involve?

Classes run for 45 minutes on Fridays during the school term at 9:30am and 11:00am and follow a set structure to encourage routine and some predictability for the children, this includes:

Welcome and introduction to the weekly theme
Unstructured play across the stations including;
- Wet messy play (e.g water, slime, chia seed, tapioca pearls etc)
- Dry messy play (e.g cereals, grains, pasta etc)
- Playdough
- Painting/Art Exploration
- Fine Motor Skills
- Colouring In
- Gross Motor Play (using the playground equipment outside)
Pack Up and Goodbye