River school nursery opens on the banks of the Ribble

Ashbridge on Ribble Day Nursery, a group of four nurseries and an independent school, launched its new river school facility in June.

Set on the banks of the River Ribble, children spend their days experiencing river life, searching for fish and learning about the flora and fauna that surrounds the river banks. When they are not splashing about on the sandy banks, they are back on the deck of the boat, pretending to be pirates steering the ship out of danger.

Natalie Pratt, head of nursery, said, ‘It’s such a wonderful place to be. The children are in their element. Not only are they learning about key aspects of their immediate environment – they know the dangers surrounding the water and that they can only go down in low tide – but they also see it as a space that they want to protect and nurture. They understand that the large stones protect the river bed so it doesn’t erode away.

‘Back at the boat, we have replicated elements of the river so that children can extend their learning. We have boulders and sand and the children use them to climb on and build sandcastles. The deck of the boat also has large water trays where children use their nets to catch plastic fish. There’s also a slide that runs from the top deck into the bottom deck, which is so much fun for the children. ’