Our approach
The seven areas of learning
Our curriculum is anchored in the EYFS framework, which identifies seven interconnected areas of learning. Our team spends considerable time selecting and preparing resources and thoughtfully planning both indoor and outdoor learning environments to make each area as engaging and exciting as possible for the children. Every activity is designed with a clear educational purpose, even when it feels like pure fun to the children.
Individual care at the core
We know that no two children are alike. Every child who walks through our door brings their own personality, pace, interests, and needs. At Bushbabies, we focus on each child’s individual strengths and challenges, tailoring our approach to ensure each child is supported exactly where they need it and encouraged in the areas where they are ready to grow.
Through careful observation and a genuine partnership with families, we ensure every child feels seen, valued, and confident. We use a leading online learning journal to document each child’s progress and share observations with parents in real time, keeping you always connected to your child’s learning journey.
In practice
How children learn: characteristics of effective learning
We believe that play is how young children learn best. At Bushbabies, every moment of play is purposeful, informed by our understanding of the EYFS Characteristics of Effective Learning. These characteristics describe not what children learn but how they learn.
Whether a child is mixing paint colours, acting out a favourite story, investigating shadows with a torch, or cooking in the mud kitchen, they are developing skills that will serve them throughout their education and beyond.
Our outdoor environment
Where a giant bamboo tree becomes a library, a mud kitchen becomes a space to cook up delectable delights, and every corner of the garden becomes a classroom
At Bushbabies, the outdoors is a core element of the school day. Our secure, enclosed garden is a carefully designed extension of the indoor learning environment, offering children rich, sensory, open-ended experiences centred on natural materials that simply cannot be replicated within four walls. With Dar es Salaam’s wonderful climate on our side and generous shade throughout, children spend a substantial part of their day learning, exploring, and playing outside.
We believe that outdoor play is essential to every aspect of a child’s development. It builds physical strength, coordination, and spatial awareness. It sparks curiosity about the natural world. It invites imaginative play, collaboration, and risk-taking, fostering a sense of freedom and stimulation. It also supports emotional well-being, giving children the space, fresh air, and sensory stimulation they need to feel calm, focused, and happy. Every feature of our outdoor space has been thoughtfully designed with these goals in mind.
