Our Classes

We have three different classes: Sunshine Play, Sunshine Baking & Sunshine Art.

Sunshine Play

Age Group	Duration	Class Structure
1-2 year olds (with carers)	1 hour 15 mins	Free play: 15 minutes Art time: 15 minutes Free play: 15 minutes Music time: 15 minutes Snack and goodbyes!: 15 minutes

This class is a gentle introduction to nursery combining free play with more structured time for arts & crafts and music. Since children learn through example and imitation, all teachers adopt a ‘hands on’ approach. At Sunshine, we understand that children have varying attention spans, and each child is different, so we provide a variety of enjoyable and stimulating activities during this session, from which the children are free to choose during free play.

During the Art & Craft aspect of the class, children are encouraged to experiment with a variety of materials such as paper, paint, clay, playdough, fabric and many more. Each class focuses on a different material. Some children will happily spend 10-15 minutes at the table, some much less, depending on their attention span.

This messy, creative session is followed by free play and then music time. This involves singing, experimenting with percussion instruments, rhythm, dance, movement and is generally a lot of fun! Whereas the art and craft element focuses more on individual skills, music time encourages group involvement.

Sunshine Baking

Age Group	Duration	Class Structure
2-3 year olds (with carers)	1 hour 15 mins	Baking project: 30 minutes Free play: 30 minutes Tasting and goodbyes!: 15 minutes
3-5 year olds (without carers)	1 hour 45 mins	Baking project: 1 hour Free play: 30 minutes Tasting and goodbyes!: 15 minutes

Baking at the age of two? Yes! Imagine your little one rubbing butter into flour, mixing, kneading dough and stamping out shapes with biscuit cutters. All that with a big smile, an immense sense of pride and … the good news is you don’t have to clean up afterwards!

Not only does the process of stirring, spreading, sprinkling, sifting etc. help with hand-eye co-ordination, but the little chefs also learn about the ingredients they use. It goes without saying that there is nothing better or more delicious than homemade goodies with no preservatives or artificial colourings (our food policy is in the side column above).

In the past, children have made traditional shortbread, cookies, muffins, pizza and savoury snacks. We design the cooking class around the time of year and incorporate festivals and traditions. Everything we make is from scratch with natural, healthy ingredients and at the end of each class the children walk away with a recipe and a bag full of their bakery–masterpieces.

Our Yummy Goodies!

Sunshine Art

Age Group	Duration	Class Structure
2-3 year olds (with carers)	1 hour 15 mins	Story: 15 minutes Art project: 30 minutes Free play: 15 minutes Story reflections and goodbyes!: 15 minutes
3-5 year olds (without carers)	1 hour 45 mins	Story: 15 minutes Art project: 1 hour Free play: 15 minutes Story reflections and goodbyes!: 15 minutes

These classes introduce the children to colour, texture, modelling, collage and much more! Over the course of the term, children learn about creating new colours from the original primary colours and they become more confident in using a variety of materials and getting their hands dirty!

At the beginning of each class we read the children a story and give them a creative task to help them respond to the story they have heard. We work on different scales and in different media to give your child the time and skills to develop their own imaginative ideas, enthusiasm and creativity.

Projects in the past have included sock caterpillars based on ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, clay bowls as seen in ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, and a hand print rainbow inspired by the story ‘Rainbow Rob’.  Professional artist, Susannah Brough, assists the children and encourages them to get stuck in to try out new ideas and techniques.

The Childrens’ Gallery