Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

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Daddyandpa
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Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

Postby Daddyandpa » Wed Jun 24, 2020 8:19 am

Hi everyone - hope all's well.

Does anyone have recent experience of Butterfly Preschool or Mouse Hole that they'd be able to share?  We are caught between two options for our toddler this autumn.

Anyone who has experience with children starting quite young (around two) would be extremely valuable.

Thank you in advance.
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szerma
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Re: Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

Postby szerma » Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:15 pm

Hello, my son went to Mouse Hole (and is now at Mouse House). Can't comment on Butterfly but I know people who have kids there and are very happy.

My son really enjoyed Mouse Hole and settled quickly (starting at 2). I found the teachers great and I really liked that the kids went to the common all the time.

There are two things you should keep in mind about Mouse Hole:
a) It is located in a church - it has no outside space and it's quite dark inside
b) You can't have 5 days a week, you get only 2 or 3 (mornings or afternoons). It's also non consecutive days (Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue/Thur). When my son started, there was a long waiting list and you really had to be there early to get a morning slot. I would strongly advise that you go for the nursery which is able to offer you a morning slot - 2 year olds still like to nap so an afternoon nursery is a nightmare, plus kids are always better in the morning.

Please note that my son was there a year ago so things might be changing this coming September.

You did not ask but Noah's Ark is another alternative. My (older) daughter went there and loved it, and I know they are now admitting 2 year olds. It is cheaper than Mouse Hole (if you consider the per session cost), but I did not find anything that my son had at Mouse Hole / House that my daughter did not have at Noah's Ark (note that my son is going to Mouse House purely because it's a lot closer to us than Noah's Ark).

M
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Daddyandpa
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Re: Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

Postby Daddyandpa » Wed Jul 01, 2020 7:29 am

Thank you so much. I actually logged in today to ask about Noah’s Ark! This is a serious contender for us now that Mouse House is off the table (for various reasons).

I struggled to find much information about Noah’s Ark online - it would be great to get any additional feedback, as I think this is where we will definitely register.
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szerma
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Re: Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

Postby szerma » Wed Jul 01, 2020 5:13 pm

It's now been 3 years since my daughter has gone to Noah's Ark, so the info might be a bit out of date (back then, they only let them in at 2.5). However, two of my good friends have their kids there now - one is about to finish after two years there, and the other one started in January as a 2 year old. Both of them love it.
It's a relatively small nursery, tables are about 8 in size. For each of the tables, they have one teacher that they stay with for the whole year, and I think there might be a dedicated assistant for the younger one. They do a variety of activities, teaching, and there is a big focus on the right behaviour. They have a tiny outside space that they were using, I do not know if they now started going to the common.

Please note that this is a "Christian" nursery and associated with Dolphin School (you might find more info if you go to the Dolphin School website). However, we are atheist and did not find it too much (we were a bit worried) - the kids are taught about the bible etc, but not any indoctrinating way (and there were certainly families of many faiths attending). 

There is a real sense of community around the nursery and I found the parents and the teaching staff, as well as the management, really lovely.

I honestly think you can't go wrong with Noah's Ark!
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Nikita13
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Re: Butterfly Preschool and Mouse House

Postby Nikita13 » Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:38 pm

Hello, my daughter went to Mouse Hole and after she turned 3 we transferred her to Butterfly Preschool in Clapham. We were very happy with MH - the teachers are lovely and have been there for a long time, my daughter struggled with settling in and they were very sweet to make it easy for her. Their academic focus is great - they follow the EYF and do offer a lot of stimulation. We had a great time but decided not to transfer her to Mouse House but to Butterfly Preschool - for some obvious reasons that it's more convenient for us in terms of getting there but also because I felt that the space at Mouse House was not ideal for her (large groups together on one floor - so quite noisy and busy). But this is just a personal thing. 

I can only recommend Butterfly - the nursery is relatively small in terms of space but they do have a little outdoor space/ back garden with water/ mud play and outdoor toys. They go out a lot with the kids to the Common - and believe me they do let them play how a child should: puddle jumping, mud play and also the weekly Forest Day is a highlight :-). Teachers are very sweet and do really care - my daughter is always happy to be there and I can only recommend to have a visit at their open day.

They follow a bit the Montessori approach - but please be assured that all the kids will get all the age dependent stimulation they need in terms of letter tracing, numbers etc  - so they are prepared for Reception.  So all in all a very good decision for us and can only recommend. I compared to all the other nurseries in the area, feel free to PM me if you have more questions! 
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https://merrygoround.club/
https://www.nightingalemontessori.co.uk/
http://www.abbevillenannies.co.uk/home/
https://www.mathnasium.co.uk/clapham
https://www.345nurseryschool.com/

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