Small Explorers

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Small Explorers Flexible childminding service initially aimed at shift workers but I do offer set weekly hours a swell as variable hours and much more.

I offer a multitude of services to meet the varying need of the modern family. Wrap around care, Seasonal, Emergency, short term, all year round care also available are set hours each week and variable hours. Currently only working term time. I am Pacey accredited and have a Ofsted rating of 'good'
I have worked in childcare since 1994 and my aim is to provide a fun loving home from home environment that is also educational

08/10/2026

Making our own play dough. Then Hedgehogs as we learn about these wonderful creatures

🍂 Sensory autumn magic in the making! 🦔✨Today in our EYFS setting, our little learners rolled up their sleeves to bake a...
08/10/2026

🍂 Sensory autumn magic in the making! 🦔✨
Today in our EYFS setting, our little learners rolled up their sleeves to bake and create their very own autumn play dough! From measuring and mixing to feeling the warm, comforting scent of mixed spice, this hands-on activity was packed with developmental benefits:
* Fine Motor Strength: Kneading, rolling, and pinching helped build the hand muscles needed for future writing.
* Sensory Exploration: Engaging the senses of touch and smell with rich textures and warm autumnal spices.
* Early Math & Science: Exploring measurements, cause and effect, and states of matter while cooking.
* Creativity & Imagination: Bringing adorable forest friends to life using natural treasures!
Once the dough was ready, the magic truly began. The children crafted their very own hedgehogs, adding wiggly eyes, conkers for ears, and real sticks for prickly spikes!
Nothing beats learning through play, sensory exploration, and nature. 🤎


🎣 A afternoon of Fishing Fun in the tray! 🐟We set up a mini fishing pond using a tub of water and colourful, handmade pi...
01/10/2026

🎣 A afternoon of Fishing Fun in the tray! 🐟
We set up a mini fishing pond using a tub of water and colourful, handmade pipe cleaner fish, complete with little fishing rods for our little learners to cast out and reel in!
While it looked like simple water play, this activity packed a massive punch for early years development across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):
* Fine Motor Skills & Hand-Eye Coordination: Threading and twisting pipe cleaners helped strengthen tiny finger muscles, while guiding the magnetic or hooked rods to catch the fish required brilliant concentration and precision.
* Early Mathematics (Counting & Comparison): Once all the fish were caught, we counted them up together! This naturally led to wonderful conversations about numbers, quantity, and comparing who had more or less.
* Understanding the World & Vocabulary: We explored different colours and sizes (big, medium, and small), building descriptive language and categorisation skills.
* Patience & Persistence: Waiting for the rod to connect with a fish took focus, giving children a wonderful sense of achievement when they reeled their catch in!
Learning through play is at the heart of everything we do. Who knew pipe cleaner fish could spark so much mathematical thinking and coordination? 🌊✨
Follow along for more play-based EYFS adventure ideas!





🍳 Sensory Play & Early Learning: Exploring Our Play Cooking Tray! 🥣✨Messy play is much more than just fun—it’s a powerho...
29/09/2026

🍳 Sensory Play & Early Learning: Exploring Our Play Cooking Tray! 🥣✨
Messy play is much more than just fun—it’s a powerhouse for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) development! Today, our little ones dove into a sensory-rich Play Cooking Tray filled with flour, milk, coloured chickpeas, and play dough.
Here is why hands-on sensory cooking trays are so magical for early childhood development:
* Sensory Exploration & Regulation (Communication & Language / Personal, Social and Emotional Development): Sifting silky flour, pouring cool milk, feeling the squish of play dough, and hearing the rattle of coloured chickpeas engages multiple senses at once, helping children build neural pathways and regulate their emotions through tactile play.
* Fine Motor Strength & Coordination (Physical Development): Scooping, kneading, pinching, and pouring strengthen those crucial hand muscles and hand-eye coordination—the exact foundation skills needed later for writing and self-care.
* Early Math & Scientific Thinking (Mathematics / Understanding the World): Measuring, comparing textures (smooth dough vs. dry flour vs. hard chickpeas), and exploring volume ("full" and "empty") introduce early mathematical concepts and cause-and-effect reasoning.
* Imaginative Role Play & Social Skills (Expressive Arts and Design / Literacy): Pretending to bake, cook up feasts, and talk about recipes sparks rich storytelling, vocabulary growth, and wonderful cooperative play between peers.
A simple tray of everyday ingredients opens up a whole world of discovery! 🌟


🌿 Step Back in Time: Abbey Ruins & Wartime Echoes! 🏰🪖There is nothing quite like wandering through ancient ruins and let...
29/09/2026

🌿 Step Back in Time: Abbey Ruins & Wartime Echoes! 🏰🪖
There is nothing quite like wandering through ancient ruins and letting your imagination piece together the stories of the past. Today's adventure took us to the breathtaking remnants of a historic abbey, and the discoveries didn't stop in the Middle Ages!
✨ Highlights from our journey:
* Medieval Monastic Life: Walking through the crumbling stone archways, we explored the different zones of the abbey—from the quiet sanctity of the cloisters and the communal warmth of the refectory (dining hall) to the chapter house where monks gathered for daily business. It’s fascinating to picture the daily rhythms of prayer, study, and labor that once filled these walls.
* Unexpected Wartime History: Right by the nearby river, we stumbled upon historical WW2 "dragon's teeth"—heavy concrete anti-tank blocks strategically placed to prevent enemy boats from landing during the war. We even found a hidden defense gun shelter, bringing the twentieth-century front line right into our peaceful countryside walk.
* Wildlife & Simple Pleasures: To top it all off, we spent time by the water feeding the ducks and geese. We had fun counting them, listening to their chatter, and sharing some tasty cookies while chatting about the sounds of nature.
History isn't just in books; it's hiding around every corner if you take the time to look!


Keeping it Real in Early Years! ✈️☁️We love sharing our messy trays, but we want to be completely honest—they aren't alw...
24/09/2026

Keeping it Real in Early Years! ✈️☁️
We love sharing our messy trays, but we want to be completely honest—they aren't always a Pinterest-level success! Even with the best intentions and a deep understanding of our children, things don't always go to plan.
* The Plan: Today we set up an "In the Sky" tray with airplanes, hot air balloons, and shaving foam "clouds" to explore transport, gravity, counting, and colours.
* Reality: One child immediately buried the entire tray in foam, and the rest decided to steer clear! The activity lasted about 20 minutes.
While one little aviator still got some fantastic learning in, the others weren't interested—and that is totally okay! We simply pivoted and followed their lead elsewhere.
Sometimes you just have to accept it wasn't meant to be and move on to the next adventure.

💡 Real talk: What’s the funniest "flop" activity you've ever set up for little ones? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Down on the Farm! 🚜🌾🐮Sensory trays are a staple in our setting, and our latest farmyard setup has been a massive hit wit...
23/09/2026

Down on the Farm! 🚜🌾🐮
Sensory trays are a staple in our setting, and our latest farmyard setup has been a massive hit with the children! Using green-dyed rice for our 'grass' provides amazing tactile stimulation, while small world figures bring imaginative play to life.
Here is how this single activity supported key areas of EYFS development:
* Expressive Arts & Design: The children dived straight into imaginative play, moving cows around the farm and even setting up a bustling market stall to sell their milk! 🥛
* Mathematics: We incorporated early math naturally by counting our farm animals, sorting them, and exploring different shapes as we played.
* Understanding the World: We had fantastic discussions about where our food comes from and how farm animals help provide everyday items like food and clothing. 🧶
* Physical Development & Engineering: Once the role-play evolved, diggers were brought in to knock down the farm structures, followed by carefully filling up dump trucks with green rice—great for fine motor control and hand-eye coordination! 🚜
It is amazing to watch how a simple tuff tray can transform into a whole world of learning, cooperation, and problem-solving.



Exploring, Counting, and Discovering! 🌿🐠🐢We had a fantastic time on our latest adventure to the garden centre and aquati...
23/09/2026

Exploring, Counting, and Discovering! 🌿🐠🐢
We had a fantastic time on our latest adventure to the garden centre and aquatic/reptile areas!
Trips like this are a brilliant way to support Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) development through real-world, hands-on experiences.

Here is how our little explorers learned while having fun:
* Communication & Language: We sparked wonderful conversations by talking about how fish breathe underwater, where different reptiles live, and what they like to eat.
* Mathematics: The children loved practicing their counting—from counting fish and tortoise legs to spotting patterns on scales and shells!
* Understanding the World: Observing the animals up close (and even seeing them being fed—though crickets weren't a hit with everyone! 🦗😅) encouraged children to explore the natural world and learn about different living creatures.
* Physical Development: We finished off the trip with plenty of giggles and energy-burning fun playing hide and seek in the play park!
Outdoor and community visits open up so many doors for curiosity, vocabulary building, and social skills. Where should we go next? 👇


☕✨ A Spot of Tea, Sensory Magic, and Muddy (or Custard!) Mischief in EYFS! ✨🍪There is nothing quite like the magic of a ...
22/09/2026

☕✨ A Spot of Tea, Sensory Magic, and Muddy (or Custard!) Mischief in EYFS! ✨🍪

There is nothing quite like the magic of a real, authentic tea party for our Early Years children! Swapping plastic cups for real China cups and saucers changes the whole dynamic—it instantly builds focus, fine motor control, and a wonderful sense of responsibility as little hands carefully hold the delicate handle.

But we didn’t stop at just pouring tea! 🥣✨

What We Got Up To:
* Sensory Exploration: We brewed some gorgeously aromatic chocolate cookie tea and coconut tea, letting the children explore rich new scents and describe what they could smell.
* Kitchen Chemistry: To mix things up, we added some unexpected ingredients to the play area—including custard powder and gravy!
* Real-Time Discovery: The children watched in wide-eyed wonder as colors shifted and textures transformed right before their eyes as they stirred, poured, and mixed.
Why It’s Great for Early Development:
* Sensory Development: Engaging smell, touch, and sight all at once builds neural pathways and language skills as children describe textures (silky, thick, grainy) and aromas.
* Maths & Science Concepts: Measuring, mixing, and observing physical changes (like powders dissolving and thickening) introduces early scientific inquiry.
* PSED (Personal, Social & Emotional Development): Taking turns, practicing social etiquette, and engaging in rich imaginative role-play together.
Lots of time, endless imaginative play, and pure, messy sensory fun!
Don't be scared to buy some cheap china and have a go at home. 💛

🦸‍♂️ Rescue the Characters! EYFS Learning Through Play 🦸‍♀️Look at this exciting setup from our EYFS tray! The children ...
21/09/2026

🦸‍♂️ Rescue the Characters! EYFS Learning Through Play 🦸‍♀️
Look at this exciting setup from our EYFS tray! The children embarked on an important mission today to "Rescue the Characters" who were frozen inside the foil.
Activities like this are packed with incredible developmental benefits for early years learning:
* Fine Motor Skills & Hand Strength: By peeling and cutting the foil with scissors, children build essential muscle strength in their hands and fingers, which lays the foundation for future writing.
* Hand-Eye Coordination: Maneuvering the scissors to carefully free the characters requires precision and concentration.
* Problem-Solving & Resilience: Figuring out the best way to unwrap and cut through the foil fosters critical thinking and perseverance.
* Imagination & Creativity: Once rescued, the children transitioned into open-ended roleplay, bringing their characters to life through imaginative storytelling.
Learning while having fun is what EYFS is all about!


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Westbury Way
Aldershot
GU124HE

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+441252324244

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