Apples and Honey Nightingale

Welcome to Apples and Honey Nightingale!

An intergenerational pre-school and day care with a Jewish ethos

We are a small Intergenerational pre-school and day care for all children from 3 months to five years. Based around a large, green and secure garden setting, we are the UK’s first intergenerational nursery. In our own bungalow within the grounds of Nightingale House, a care home for older people, the children develop a deeper understanding of the human life cycle and respect for others from their daily interactions with their older friends at Nightingale. Our nursery is a particularly warm and caring environment that provides unique opportunities for children to flourish as individuals while becoming confident, resilient, and enthusiastic learners.

Why choose Apples and Honey Nightingale?

Bringing Generations Together

Our dynamic daily intergenerational activities provide let children cook, play, sing, care for animals and grow vegetables in the garden – all alongside their older friends. This unique experience allows the children to learn with, and from, the carehome residents and to experience life to the full, in a secure, loving, and stimulating environment.

A culture of mutual respect

Within the nursery, we nurture respectful and caring relationships. We encourage empathy, tolerance, and cooperation, as well as fostering self-regulation. Children are encouraged to share their home languages and cultural experiences, while our diverse team of experienced educators ensure that each and every child’s home background is represented within the environment and curriculum.

Being part of a wider community

As part of the Nightingale community, our children benefit from a wealth of cultural opportunities alongside the residents. These include workshops with visiting musicians, drama therapists, pottery, art, exercise class, outings, field trips and the occasional concert! We work closely with the children’s parents and include their home life and culture into our routines. Parents are as much a part of the community as their children.

A stimulating learning environment for your unique child

Carefully designed environment with dedicated staff ensure that all our children’s individual needs are met. Our environments are set out by our skilled educators to encourage children’s individuality, independence, creativity, and curiosity The large and secure garden is accessed by both classrooms, encouraging a constant ‘free-flow’ between inside and out. Equipped with a large climbing tree house, covered sandpit, mud kitchen, bug hotel and wormery, the children have an incredible space to explore and learn. As part of our weekly routine, children visit Wandsworth Common, and can be signed up for tennis sessions. Children are inspired to develop and thrive in our ever-changing world.

Prioritising emotional and mental well-being

The mental and emotional well-being of our children and our staff is our priority. Our aim is to help the children develop strategies to deal with both the ups and downs of life. Our intergenerational programme helps to foster these important life skills. We use language sensitively to help children label their feelings and support them with conflict resolution and to talk about how they’re feeling. We nurture confidence, self-reflection, and self-worth.

Not for Profit

Apples and Honey Nightingale is a Community Interest Company (CIC). All fees received are invested back into the nursery; ensuring our staff are highly trained and paid well, the catering is of high quality and that the environment is well equipped and cared for. Throughout the year, our Board of Directors works with the staff and parents to arrange fundraising events. This allows us to raise funds for larger improvements or additions, including more exciting engagements with Nightingale House.

Our Mission Statement

L’Dor VaDor - From Generation to Generation

Apples and Honey Nightingale is an inclusive, intergenerational Jewish Day Nursery and Pre-school that welcomes families of all faiths and none. Situated in a Jewish care home, our curriculum revolves around the Jewish Year, which both enriches the EYFS curriculum and stimulates memories for our older partners in the home.

AHN respects all faiths and cultures and is grounded in the Jewish values of Kehillah- Community, B’tzelem Elohim- Mutual Respect, Torah- a Love of Learning, Tikkun Olam- Repairing the world.

A home from home

Elements of Learning

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Our experienced team delivers the EYFS’ statutory seven areas of learning through interesting and inviting experiences and activities, carefully tailored to the children’s individual interests and developmental needs. The seven areas are Personal Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.
Intergenerational

Relationships are at the core of Apples and Honey Nightingale and we meet up daily with our older friends to share stories, learn new skills and develop others. We go on outings, make and create, sing and dance, exercise and explore the wonders of the world together. Our Nightingale friends share their life experiences with us and the children provide them with vibrancy, joy, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Social and Emotional Well-Being

Strong emphasis is placed upon the support children receive to express themselves and develop early emotional intelligence. Well-being underpins all learning; when children’s emotional needs are met, they flourish in their learning environment. We encourage self-reflection and tools for self- regulation so our children will be resilient and confident as they progress through life
Characteristics of Effective Learning

A particularly important aspect of school readiness and development are the ways in which children are encouraged to explore, become independent learners, persist in challenges, develop concentration, suggest ideas, and make links between experiences. Our environment and experienced staff enable children to flourish.
Outdoor learning and weekly visits to the Common

We take advantage of our proximity to Wandsworth Common and use it as an extended outdoor classroom. The children learn about and take responsibility for the environment and experience the changing seasons. We garden and look after bees with the residents of Nightingale in our gardens while learning about sustainability and mutual responsibility.
Faith-based

While our pre-school is centred on the values and traditions of Judaism and children enjoy taking part in these traditions with their Jewish older friends at Nightingale House, we welcome children of all – or no – faiths and cultures. We love to learn about the many traditions and experiences of our children and their families, and we integrate these into our curriculum and planning.