Wise Owls Nursery and Out of School Club

Wise owls is a great nursery. The staff are passionate about promoting a culture of healthy living, kindness and outdoor activity. Forest school has seen our son's confidence and knowledge of the local environment grow and he loves being outside.

Wise Owls is an outstanding nursery and I am so thankful to have both of my children attend there. It is a warm, homely, caring environment which offers a wide range of activities for the children to be involved in both inside and outdoors. Forest school is a huge hit with my son and he absolutely loves being outside and learning about nature. The staff are all amazing and extremely helpful and do a wonderful job with the children. The children are provided with highly nutritious tasty food and it always goes down a treat with my children, they love it. I would highly recommend Wise Owls in Moffat, fantastic nursery!

We honestly couldn't be happier with this nursery. The staff are absolutely amazing - so caring, patient and genuinely supportive. You can really tell they love what they do, and that makes such a difference.

They're always outside exploring nature, which I absolutely love. My little boy comes home excited to tell me about what he's discovered that day - whether it's muddy adventures, nature walks or outdoor play. It's such a lovely, active environment for children to grow and learn.

My daughter also attends the after school club, and the support she receives for her ADHD and additional needs has been incredible. The staff truly understand her, work with her strengths, and make sure she feels included and valued. That reassurance as a parent means everything.

We feel so lucky to have found such a nurturing, supportive setting for both of our children. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a caring and inclusive environment!

We know the nursery operates on very tight budgets and my son is always satisfied with the food on offer and eats very well but if we were to offer piece if feedback it would be menu variety.

Above and beyond !! When you're not sure you want to send your precious child to nursery then you find wise owls. Such a friendly and caring bunch. Homemade meals smell amazing, My son needs addition support so much so if wise owls were not so understanding and skilled I would struggle to get a nursery to meet his needs. He's always included in day to day activities which are always the children's choice, outdoors exploring the woods and getting stuck in with nature. The nursery have created such a great understanding with all the kids in helping them understand why my son finds it difficult to speak. Also a great support for myself knowing he is definitely in great hands and always give a true reflection of there time with my son. They also use a great app that's always up to date filled with heart warming photos of kids covered in muck living their best life ! Always find them in the same approachable way, so very grateful for each and every member of staff who do a spectacular job

Indoors and outdoor play areas with lots of activities to choose from, no matter the weather.

Such an incredible nursery. More than a nursery a family. They welcomed my little boy with open arms from Italy. And I will forever be grateful to them for the caring transition and inclusivity.

Their outdoor programme is incredible and my child speaks incredible english after a few short months. All teachers have a positive discipline approach and the children are always happy and calm.

Their outdoor curriculum absolutely blew me away. My son is never sick and absolutely loves his outdoor environment.

Can't praise them enough.

Our son has been at Wise Owls Nursery for nearly two years and has loved it right from his very first settling-in sessions. What better review can there be than him running into nursery each morning without looking back?! He loves getting to spend so much time outdoors and in the community, and we love knowing that he's in the best hands - learning through play and exploration. The decision to leave your child in someone else's care is a daunting one but I am delighted with the experiences he is getting at such a young age. The regular updates and photos of him enjoying himself are a highlight of my week! It's clear how much all the WON staff care about the children, taking the time to get to know each of them as individuals and tailoring activities to their interests/developmental needs as well as, of course, taking the best care of them on a pastoral level. The fresh, homemade food is another highlight!

Wise Owls offers a truly wonderful experience for our kids. I would not hesitate in recommending it to other parents in our area. There is a heavy emphasis on outdoor learning which we consider to be especially valuable - not just in a garden or public park but in their own bespoke Forest School in nearby woodland. They get homemade food cooked on site, with great variety, and a vast array of activities to keep them interested, learning, entertained and, importantly for a working family of a weeknight, to tire them out!

I cannot praise this nursery enough!! What the staff do is above and beyond! They truly give the children a truly magical experience of nature and forest life! I can honestly say I am so so happy and grateful that my two grandchildren have had the experience of this wonderful nursery!

Our children have attended Wise Owls for 4 years and 2 years respectively and it has become a hugely important part of their lives. They run in without looking back, and come bouncing home chatting about their day. They love all the staff and count them among their friends. I don't know of any other nursery locally that offers the range of experiences that Wise Owls do; home-from-home environment, outdoor learning, specialist speech and language therapy, amazing home-cooked meals, additional family events and training opportunities (I attended a brilliant first aid last year). One of the big highlights is their passion for forest school. My son can tell me the names of different trees, animal life cycles and seasonal changes. I regularly get photo updates of him sitting up trees and smile picking beech nuts out of his pockets when he gets home as I know it's a sign he's had another brilliant day. Wise Owls is not just a nursery, it's a way of life! I can't recommend enough.

Wise Owls (unlike other nurseries I viewed) offered a settling-in phase when my 1.5y.o son first started attending here at the start of December 24. It really helped me and him adjust to the idea of nursery and the staff have gone the extra mile to ensure he settled in well. They are great at communicating and always send updates throughout the day which is great peace of mind, knowing he is being well cared for. He now attends 4 full days a week and I am so thankful I found this little gem. He absolutely loves it and runs in every morning, happy to see any member of staff at the door. They are really outdoorsy and always do lots of exploring with the kids which is great. All staff are very friendly and welcoming. It feels like home!

I have two children at Wise Owls. I would easily argue that it is the best nursery in all of Dumfries and Galloway. The focus on outdoor learning is something I really believe in and it is clear how much my children benefit from it. The care and attention that goes in to daily activities allows my children to come home and have a great discussion about what they've done. I have seen them thrive in this environment, to the point it makes dropping them off a doddle which can always be a nightmare for parents. They also put such an emphasis on a variety of meal choices which I am so grateful for as a parent as it again, makes my life so much easier knowing that their palette is being extended and tested out with the home environment. Any parents in the area, I always recommend them to at least visit WO before deciding where their child goes as the environment is safe and comforting for children to thrive in.

As a mother with multiple children at Wise Owls, in all the different rooms at the nursery, it is wonderful to be able to drop them off and be secure in knowing they will have the best day. The staff are fantastic at reassuring child (and parent) when some mornings are tricky and always update me quickly once my child is happy and settled. The activities differ and vary across rooms and interests of my kids. The food offered is the best I have experienced, with the standard, variety and structure. My children first learned the sign for 'more' at nursery, as they would ask for more food before they could talk! Having worked in education, I am impressed with the level of interaction and reporting and I know that my oldest child is in the best place they can be until they begin P1. This will be with the additional comfort of Wise Owls offering wrap-around care once at school, allowing me to continue working and to support and aid the transition from nursery to P1.

Our son has been attending Wise Owls Nursery for almost a year now and he absolutely loves the nursery, staff and his peers. From the settling-in sessions, the nursery took a lot of time to get to know him as an individual and what he might want/need to feel comfortable. It really is an extension of our home environment. With regular ‘focus child’ weeks the nursery asks about his specific interests and learning requirements. We get excellent updates and lovely pictures and videos of him. He is such a confident and bright little boy as a result of his interactions with the nursery. He loves the outdoors so Wise Owls is perfect for him as they make every effort to be outdoors whatever the weather! The bond he has with his care workers is heartwarming and they always take time to check he’s okay if he has been unwell or say ‘hello’ if we bump into them outside of the nursery. As a first-time parent, they made the nursery transition much easier!

Wise Owls feels like more than a nursery, with regular out of hours activities organised for parents and children, such as baby groups, grandparent open days and wellbeing walks. We are delighted to be part of such a caring and inclusive nursery and can't thank the staff enough!

Our daughter has been attending Wise Owls Nursery since February of this year. As a first time parent I was naturally apprehensive, but the owner put my mind immediately at ease. I appreciated the time she took with us during our initial visit. I felt a warm welcome and an immediate connection and interest in our eleven month old baby; her interests, character, etc. Since then I have been grateful for the regular updates we receive, plus the detailed feedback we get as a result of her being a 'focus child'. Our daughter has become noticeably more confident, happy, and outgoing since starting at Wise Owls and I can't understate the valuable input of her key worker and other staff who care for her. Her interests are pursued and supported at nursery, along with exposure to new experiences and freedom to explore and create in a safe and supported environment. I cannot rate Wise Owls highly enough.

Wise Owls Nursery has given us hope! I wish we had found this treasure of an environment sooner for our son. He has been diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia. He really found it hard in his previous nursery and was getting upset really not wanting to attend. Not being able to communicate his needs he found it hard to interact with his peers. Having a vast knowledge in speech therapy the manager gave us confidence. She has supported us with his speech therapy giving advice and taking time to work with our child. She explains to his peers his difficulties and encourages them to support using a collaborative approach to play and learning. We have seen his confidence grow and he is now really engaging with others and his will to communicate has grown. We are more confident now in his transition to school. It is well worth the 70-mile commute. The forest school outdoor education is well suited to my son. They keep us updated with regular communication, photos and a food diary through the app.

Our daughter (aged 19months now) has attended this nursery since September 2020 and has developed immensely since then in all her milestones. As a premature baby and growing up during the covid pandemic, we were extremely concerned about her development particularly her social skills, speech and language, fine motor and gross motor skills but with the wonderfully attentive and caring staff at Wise Owls, we feel they have really helped her to progress in all areas. She is continuing to grow and develop at the same rate as her peers. As she was on the lower end of her height and weight centiles from birth, we have always been diligent about providing a nutritious and varied diet. Being a breastfed baby, I was always focused on ensuring she had enough fluids throughout the day. Staff at this nursery have always listened to these concerns and taken into consideration our requests and demands. At times, therefore, their focus on healthy homemade cooking was important to us, when we were choosing a childcare placement.

We are so pleased with Wise Owls nursery. Our girls love going in and are always happy when they come out at the end of the day. The staff always go above and beyond to update us on the children’s progress. They send out regular updates about what the children have been doing and also aim to have a high level of observations completed too. They are always thinking of new activities for the children and sharing their learning with hints and tips for how we can further their development. Our oldest is always full of stories when we show her the pictures and our youngest beams when she sees herself and her peers playing together.