planting seeds!

This year we've had great success growing herbs in pots, especially basil, we finally learning not to over water it! It's so satisfying for the children to get the pots ready, sprinkle on the teeny tiny seeds and then write the label, water and wait.... when the first seedling show it's really exciting for them to see the results, not to mention taste the lovely leaves when they're big enough to harvest. I CAN claim responsibility for converting a number of children who claimed not to like tomatoes, salads, peppers or herbs, but once tasted- minds changed for ever, especially if they've had a hand in planting and nurturing the plants from seed. Fabulous!

Dressing up

A good dressing up box is an essential part of a childminder armoury! Most children cannot resist the temptation of taking on a new persona and inventing new characters and games. I love listening to the chatter between the children as they decide, negotiate and learn to share when they are planning their games. I try not to intervene unless I really have to with the older children as its a good skill to learn how to problem solve and sort out minor disputes. I have lots of scarves and bits of material so the children can really use their imaginations when playing dressing up.

With friends in the park

We are so lucky as Furzedown residents to have the Rec and Tooting common but more importantly there is such a strong sense of community here. Whenever we visit and enjoy these wonderful green spaces we have the chance to meet the many fabulous mummy or daddy friends and other childminders and nannies who live here. Children in my care have opportunities to socialise on a daily basis with a wide range of people. Meeting and making and keeping friends is such a vital life lesson to share with children from the moment they are old enough to open their eyes! I think it makes for confident happy children..not to mention the opportunity for us grown ups  to get support from each other, share ideas, problem solve and have a good laugh too as we meet the needs of our little ones!

Helping in the garden

Gardening is one of the best activities to do with young children in my view. They love helping to rake leaves, pick fruit and vegetables, plant seeds, do watering but most of all getting wet and muddy!

Lets get Festive!

I'm very proudly displaying my home made crocheted Christmas wreath! Crochet is my other passion apart from children and gardening so I'm very happy with the cheerful lit up woolly welcome that everyone gets when they arrive! Note the purple door! Now I wonder what my favourite colour is.....

Home Grown Pumpkins

There is something uber satisfying about planting a couple of seeds and 6 or 7 months later having a few giants to deal with!

 It's SUCH fun carving a pumpkin and even if you buy one it's a brilliant messy activity with kids. Everyone can have a go at scooping out the flesh and seeds....

 Then we can all help to design a good scary face....
Ta Dah!!!!!

And there's still lots of pumpkin to use for yummy pumpkin soup, or pie, or risotto or curry....the possibilities are endless. Yum yum.

Yogurt pot Turtles

I saw on a website about how to make these cute turtles from tippy yogurt pots (fruit corners to everyone else!) So we had a go and I think they turned out really well. We extended the learning and read some books about turtles and find out where they live and what they like to eat. It's a good example of how any activity with children can always be an opportunity for wider learning and understanding. For example while we did this we talked about the colours of the paper, the sizes of the pieces and counting how many we needed. They also had the opportunity to practice fine motor skills through tearing the paper and picking up the little pieces. And the finished product was played with too!!