Lynne Kerr, franchise owner of IT specialists ComputerXplorers South East Scotland has been helping children at a new nursery school in Edinburgh tap into their future potential.

Every Thursday morning, Lynne teaches children Bruntsfield House Nursery in groups of three for 30 minutes at a time by using interactive software packages with popular characters from film and TV such as Nemo and Bob the Builder, to develop their numeracy skills and letter recognition.

Lynne's sessions also teach the children basic programming, by giving instructions to BeeBot - the robot, which helps their spatial awareness and basic mathematics. The children get reward stickers after every session and a certificate at the end of each module.

"The classes have a huge impact on the children's preparation for primary school, especially as ICT is central to the Government's plans for education," explained Lynne. "It gives them the opportunity to use ICT, which they may not be able to do at home, and we can provide a much wider range of software activities than most nurseries can offer."

Jean McIntyre, manager of Bruntsfield House Nursery which opened in October, said: "I didn't even know how to use a computer until I was in my 30s but computer skills are essential for today's children.

"By introducing them to technology at an early age they will have a head start on other children when they start big school."

Published: 24 March 2010

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