Since the opening of Hlíðarendi, great emphasis has been placed on looking after nature and the environment, and on creating opportunities for the children to enjoy the wonderful local environment surrounding the school. Emphasis is placed on physical activity, life skills and environmental education.
Since 2008, the school has been an Eco-School and flew its new Green Flag for the seventh time in May 2024. Physical activity is woven into everything we do during our assembly time, group work, and free play, both indoors and out. By meeting children's need for movement, we promote their mental and physical well-being. However, Hlíðarendi places an emphasis on friendship and physical literacy to enhance the child's all-round development, communication, self-expression, and respect for their environment.
Hlíðarendi's guiding principles are movement, life skills and environmental education.
At Hlíðarendi, the foundation of the educational work is based on the philosophy of the educational pioneer John Dewey, who placed the main emphasis on engaging the child's need for activity and arousing their interest. The main areas of focus at Hlíðarendi are physical activity, life skills and environmental education, and all these elements are woven together with the core elements of education.
Exercise: The aim of physical activity is to enhance a child's motor development, self-confidence and awareness of their body. To meet the children's need for movement and promote mental and physical well-being. Also to increase understanding of the importance of movement in daily life. Movement is woven into all our activities, in shared moments, group work and free play both indoors and outdoors. Organised movement sessions take place weekly in the nursery hall. The nursery's location provides easy access to unspoilt nature, offering a unique opportunity for varied and challenging physical activities such as climbing, jumping, running, practising balance, and walking in moors and lava fields.
Life skills: Life skills are woven into all our work with the aim of: · Fostering and promoting a balance between the various developmental aspects of the child, where moral sensibilities and social development play a key role. · Building the individual's identity. · To develop the ability to express one's thoughts and opinions and thereby take control of one's own life. · To develop the ability to take responsibility for one's actions and for the environment. · To develop the ability to understand and respond in a substantive (democratic) manner by participating in a variety of interactions and decision-making. · To develop the ability to put oneself in the shoes of others, to respect oneself and others, to abide by the rules of society and to show consideration.
Environmental education: The aim of environmental education at the nursery is for the children to learn to respect nature and to adopt good practices when interacting with it. To achieve this, it is necessary to arouse the children's interest in the environment and nature. Staff make use of the nursery's immediate surroundings as much as possible to take children on learning and discovery trips. The nursery benefits from a unique location on the outskirts of the settlement, in close proximity to the natural environment. Therefore, a wide variety of activities outdoors in nature are part of the children's experience at Hlíðarendi. Activities such as splashing in streams, going into the woods, picking berries, exploring moors and lava fields, visiting horses, and so on. Recycling and sorting are important parts of environmental education, and the nursery school places an emphasis on introducing the children to these concepts. All rubbish generated within the nursery is sorted. Organic waste goes into a composting bin to make compost, which is used as a nutrient for the nursery's plants. Used paper generated at the nursery is recycled, and paper-making is a regular part of the nursery's activities. Paper and plastic not used at the nursery are sent for recycling.
Birch grove
The youngest children
Pine grove
Children aged 2-6
Pine grove
Children aged 2-6
Experience Garden
Children aged 2-6
Managers
Bryndís Guðlaugsdóttir – Nursery Headteacher
Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir – Deputy Head of Nursery
Ásrún Sigrid Steindórsdóttir – Special Education Manager and Wellbeing Coordinator
Bryndís Ævarsdóttir – Head of Department, Grenilundi
Thórólfur Bragadóttir – Head of Department, Reynilundi
Sigrún Inga Reynisdóttir – Department Manager, Furulundi
Kristín Grétarsdóttir – Department Manager, Birkiwood
Parent Council 2022-2023
Olína K.A. Kristjánsdóttir
Anita Omarsdottir