Chatty Monkeys and Busy Bees

Why don't you come along to one of our preschool groups with your little one!

We always look forward to meeting new families and you would be very warmly welcomed

Our pre-school groups are a great way to meet the SCS team, families and other children who are deaf /hard of hearing or have a vision or multisensory impairment.

Busy Bees is our group for children with a vision impairment

Chatty Monkeys is our group for children who are deaf or have a hearing loss

Chatty Monkeys swings and smiles is a group which runs in West Berkshire and is open to both children with hearing loss and a vision impairment

If your child has a multi-sensory impairment, they are welcome to join either group or both!

Please look below for information about dates and venues

You can also get further details from your ToD or QTVI

Chatty Monkeys and Busy Bees dates for 2024/25.

Busy Bees

Our group provides a unique space for young children with vision impairments to explore and develop alongside peers who share similar experiences, fostering a truly family-like atmosphere.

Throughout each term, we aim for our Busy Bees to venture into a world of sensory discovery. For example, in the summer term, we explored the calming scents and varied textures of homemade playdough – squishing, rolling, and shaping to develop fine motor skills – to the wonderfully messy mark-making with flour and paint, engaging touch and smell. Every activity is designed to enhance their understanding of the world.

Over the year, we have seen great progress in hand-eye coordination as they craft shiny VE Day medals and beautiful Father's Day cards. The children love exploring our sensory room and soft play area, building spatial awareness and confidence. They join in lively singing sessions that boost auditory skills and participation.

Beyond the engaging activities, the focus of Busy Bees lies in our incredible little community. It's so wonderful to see parents connecting, sharing invaluable experiences, and offering each other support and guidance. The visits from the rest of our VI team further enrich these sessions, bringing their expertise and warmth.

We celebrate creativity, foster independence, and build a supportive network where every child can thrive. And above all it is our families who make our group so special.

Chatty Monkeys West (Spencers Wood)

During our sessions we love to provide the children with a language rich opportunity and demonstrate to our parents ideas and suggestions of what they could try at home, using everyday activities, that can help good language development.

We are a lovely, well-attended group with 26 children (from a few weeks old to those about to start school) attending the final session of the academic year in July 2025 – a picnic where we celebrated those children moving onto school in September at our own graduation ceremony.

We often have a theme and the Summer term at Chatty Monkeys West (Spencers Wood) was filled with all things holidays!

The children enjoyed sand in the sand tray, along with tents and hot dogs to boot! In the sessions we really appreciate how much our families enjoy coming together and sharing their experiences of their children’s journeys whilst exploring the activities that are set up.

We focused on the story of ‘Sand between my toes’ by Caroline Cross and the heat has helped to recreate what it would really be like on our holidays. The children listened to the story, enjoying an ice pop and relaxing!

Chatty Monkeys East

Chatty Monkeys East continues to be a small group with a few regular families and we always look forward to welcoming new families to our group. We sometimes have visits from our Educational Audiologist, as well as members of the Audiology Team from King Edward VII Hospital. This is such a great opportunity for families to have ear impressions taken, as well as to get their questions answered.

We have lots of fun singing and signing and being inspired by arts and craft. It is a lovely happy space to meet BSCS staff and other families. A place where your children can enjoy the activities on offer.

Chatty Monkeys Swings and Smiles

Everyone is always welcome at Chatty Monkeys Swings and Smiles and we make sure that our sessions on a Tuesday afternoon are run on the alternate Tuesday to the Spencers Wood Chatty Monkeys West sessions so you can come to both if you wish. You will see some familiar faces here from the Chatty Monkeys West sessions.

If it is raining, inside there is a ball pit, sensory room, swing, lots of lights and interactive music activities, as well as all the usual toys and activities that we can bring in from the preschool room next door. Cars are our favourite at the moment!

It is always a lovely opportunity for our families to get together in a supportive environment.