Snail Love

We have had a lot of rain this summer and so the garden has been full of snails which the children have become fascinated with. I follow the children\"s interests in my planning and snails have provided lots of learning opportunities. We have gone on snail hunts, learning what they eat, following the silvery trails, looking at the patterns on their shells, collecting them, counting them and so on and on. And trying not to get cross that they\"ve eaten all our carrot seedlings we planted!! (we planted more higher up) Of course we read the Snail on the Whale too. We made these lovely paper plate snails. So many learning opportunities and all the prime areas of learning and development. Children\"s self esteem is enhanced through outdoor learning and I can literally see their confidence growing on a daily basis as they make choices and working together is great for social skill development. 

Perks of the job

The hugs I get and give on a day basis are more than a perk of the job! Of course it’s wonderful but it’s so much more. Helping children to feel secure attachment means that they will be ready to learn and grow. I love it when a child in my care starts to learn about their feelings and is confident about their needs and can tell me when they are tired or hungry or need a hug. It’s such a privilege to be able to show that professional love for my little gangs; teaching and nurturing them to care for each other, build resilience and supporting them on that journey of emotional discovery. 

Cress letters

Cress letters! This is always such a fun thing to do. There are fine motor skills to practice as we sprinkle the tiny seeds on, social skills too as we take turns, learning to care for something as we must remember to water each day, learning to recognise the shape of their own letter to help with early literacy skills. And of course the joy of watching something we’ve planted growing. We had egg and cress sandwiches and the children enjoyed tasting the slightly spicy peppery cress and deciding whether they liked it or not! 

Duck fun

Today has been all about ducks. The children were given little ducks in birthday party bags at the weekend so we read Daisy Duck books, sang the three little ducks and then decided to make a pond in the garden in this big tub. The children helped fill the bucket, then decided to look for lily pads and nasturtiums were perfect! This is such a lovely example of not knowing where the day will take us; on the spot planning allows the children’s interests to totally influence what we do. My role is to provide materials, ample provocation and stimulation and challenges to help further learning and promote interest. 

Colourful artwork

I gave the children some coloured paper and asked them to paint their favourite things. These are the results which they proudly showed me and took home to their parents. Can you spot a train, a garden, a monster and a rocket? The important thing when children express themselves through art and colour is always to reward their efforts and wait for them to describe what they have produced, never putting my expectations onto what they have done. The children became utterly absorbed in this activity and there was also lots of lovely chatter about the colours they were choosing and what they would tell their mummies and daddies.

Chalking fun!

I always keep some giant chalks around for the children to do some mark making. They go with us to the allotment too and even the bigger children love making patterns and once they decorated the whole garden by colouring in all the edging bricks in different colours over the course of 2 days!

Colour magic!

Colours colours and more colours! I was so impressed by this child's ability at the tender age of 4 to paint such recognisable things in his pictures now. I really think they are masterpieces and worthy of framing! Can you see a garden and a train?