
BEST PRACTICE SPONSOR 2020
19CHEEKY MONKEYS AT DURRELL |
we have been able to create a
unique nursery experience, with our
children having unlimited access to
the zoo. Our own cheeky monkeys
are also offered a number of special
animal encounters and educational
programmes that Durrell provide.
After a year of running Cheeky
Monkeys, I fell pregnant and found
that dreams really do come true.
My little man is one of the Cheeky
Monkeys now.
This place is a zoo
Our inside environment mirrors the
outside – our flooring looks like the
grass and our curtain poles are made up
of tree branches. We believe that our
use of calming colours in the nursery
plays a big part in the children’s mood.
We encourage the use of lots of
natural resources, often picked up off
the ground while out walking, and we
have a large selection of loose parts.
We have many pictures of the children
around the room, making them feel
welcome in their environment. All our
noticeboards are natural hessian with
branches at the borders. This natural
background really helps the child to
see their own work on display.
We have a large garden space with
recycled wooden signposts for
dedicated areas. We have recently
homed a family of robins, and
three of their chicks hatched in our
“bughotel”.
There’s a bug investigation area, where
the children have helped build a special
place for Jersey toads, newts, frogs,
a whole range of bugs and our red
squirrels, which keep us entertained
throughout the day. We also have an
outdoor forest school area, where daily
activities include toasting crumpets and
teacakes on the firepit for snack time.
The zen den area that we created next
to one of our sandpits has recently
been transformed into our outdoor
sleep area. There are many health
benefits to sleeping in a natural
environment, which include stronger
immune systems; improved brain
development, bone and muscular
development, and social and cognitive
development; and overall better
emotional wellbeing. We were careful
to source the perfect flooring and
added a sail for shade.
Personal touch
We opened our doors in 2015 with
15 children and six members of staff.
Our purpose-built nursery now has a
dedicated team of 24 staff, and over
110 families come to us every week of
the 51 that we are open each year. We
care for 68 children at any one time,
aged between three months and five
years. I know most families by their
first names – if we were much bigger,
we would lose the personal touch.
We are the first nursery on the island
to bring in an MMR policy; all children
must have their MMR vaccination to
attend nursery. The response has been
Babies taking in the
fresh air
After a year of
running
Cheeky
Monkeys, I fell
pregnant and
found that
dreams really
do come true.
My little man is
one of the
Cheeky
Monkeys now
“
“