Playball is an international sports and movement programme that teaches the children a wide range of sports skills and further develops their self confidence and self-esteem. Once a week we welcome Playball coach, Lorna, to teach the Big Hatties. Each week the children participate in structured, fun games and lessons in small groups that cover all aspects of the EYFS. The children also further develop their gross motor skills and fine motor skills, body and spatial awareness and bilateral integration skills too.

Mrs Casey began her gardening club in the Autumn of 2019. She wanted the children to have focused gardening experiences to compliment our forest school and conservation lessons. To date, the children have undertaken activities that include planting bulbs for the Spring, making bird feeders for the birds in Winter, we had a race to see who could grow the tallest sunflower, planted raspberry bushes alongside our existing thornless blackberry bush and we've also grown pumpkins from seed too. Future lesson plans include further development of the nature area, constructing a hedgehog run to help with the current crisis in the decline of the numbers of hedgehogs, lots of planting and growing, harvesting of the blackberries, raspberries and apples and lots more...

In 2018 we started to introduce various wellbeing and mindfulness techniques. Through basic yoga and deep breathing exercises we are able to encourage the children to better understand their emotions. As a nursery, we have found this particularly important during the Covid-19 lockdowns and thereafter. We have found yoga to be such an invaluable activity for the children that in September 2022 we introduced weekly classes with a specialist Children's yoga teacher. Children's Yoga Children’s Yoga with Julie helps children learn how to move their body with control, balance and coordinated breathing. Not only will this will help develop children’s gross motor skills, it also teaches them tools to support their mental health, including anxiety. Each week the children are taken on a different yoga story, such as a journey to the rainforest, a springtime walk or a quest to find a dragon. Julie is qualified to teach Yoga to Children and also holds an NNEB Level 3 qualification. She has worked as a Child Care professional for over 20 years’ experience, and is also a mother of 3. Mental Health & Wellbeing We are very fortunate to have been given a great resource and training from Liphook Infant School which includes many techniques that the children learn throughout their entire education through to year 6 at the school. This is called Trick Box. Trick box is a programme designed to build positive life habits which help the children to feel empowered and gives them methods to help calm and relax in different situations. We have found all the different methods we use have a positive impact on all the children's emotional wellbeing.