Our Gardens - Tir Na nOg Childcare & Montessori

Our Beautiful Gardens

At both Tír na nÓg Huntstown and Tír na nÓg Hartstown we have created inviting and interesting gardens where children have many opportunities to explore and discover. The ground surface is suitable for all weathers and is both safe and easy to keep hygienically clean.

The outdoors is one of the best learning environments for young children, providing opportunities for play, movement, communication and sensory experience on a much greater scale than indoors. Outdoor play also enables children to enjoy the natural environment and exposes children to physical activity and fresh air.

The perfect space for outdoor play

We know that play is an integral part of a child’s early years and supports their learning journey, and we ensure that your child has ample opportunities for outdoor play.

In both settings we have a generous outdoor space which can be used conjointly with the indoor buildings when required. The gardens are easily supervised and assessable only through the buildings.

The layouts include subtle subdivisions of spaces, incorporating areas of interest, and including rest and eating areas. Children have different interests, different likes and dislikes and our gardens are equipped to facilitate choice and diversity.

Our gardens offer sensory stimulation on a much greater scale than indoor areas allow. Sensory stimulation encourages engagement of the physical senses, sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing as well as movement of the body.

The gardens can also offer an element of risk, we know that it is controlled risk, but to a child it is challenging. Taking a risk and completing a challenging task develops confidence, self-belief and tenacity.

Research shows that children who play outdoors regularly are less likely to be sick, stressed, anxious, pensive and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns.

We use both structured and independent outdoor play to enhance your child’s social-emotional skills. We do this through games and instructed play where your child will be encouraged to wait to take a turn, follow simple rules and share. These are all components of healthy social development. Through team games, children are encouraged and cheered on by peers and elders which develops confidence and pride.

We also create opportunities for children to play independently with friends, where they can be imaginative, loud, energetic and feel they are away from adults. This presents further opportunities for advanced social interactions. Independent outdoor play will also assist children to problem solve, make decisions, explore their abilities and learn to take calculated risks.

We are very lucky that both of our creches are located within a safe walking route to Hartstown Park. Children are regularly taken to the park on nature and discovery walks. Sometimes they will bring a picnic or balls and bats for team games. Parents are asked to pre-sign an outing permission form, and extra staff accompany the children on outings.

Parents should provide appropriate outerwear for children as we use the garden in all weathers. During fine weather our gardens are in use from 9am to 6pm. We also provide shaded areas during the hot summer months.

The aim of outdoor play is to promote health and well-being, including emotional well-being, to support the child’s learning journey, to provide greater sensorial stimulation than the indoors allows, to develop the child’s social-emotional skills, promote independence, self-awareness and confidence.