Debbie's Daycare

01/07/2026

Mini Explorers 🌿🧚‍♀️✨
Today our Mini Explorers enjoyed a magical fairy-themed adventure in the woods!
We started by creating our own sparkly fairy potions, mixing coloured water with glitter and sparkles, which sparked lots of imaginative play and conversation.
The children loved making fairy doors, decorating cardboard doors with paint sticks, star stickers, glittery jewels, sparkling tape and feathers. We then searched for the perfect spots beneath the trees where the fairies might like to live.
We also created beautiful fairy wands using sticks, ribbons, glittery pipe cleaners, petals and stickers, encouraging creativity while developing fine motor skills.
Throughout the session, the children enjoyed plenty of outdoor exploration, learning through play, socialising with friends, and engaging in water and sand play, including lots of filling, emptying and experimenting with different containers.
We gathered together under our Story Tree for today's story, Guess How Much I Love You in the Summer, before continuing our woodland adventures.
It was a wonderful morning full of imagination, creativity, friendship and outdoor learning. The children had so much fun exploring nature while developing their confidence, communication, creativity and problem-solving skills.
What a magical morning! 🧚‍♀️🌳💚

17/06/2026

Father's Day Activities
This week we have been celebrating Father's Day through a variety of fun, creative, and meaningful activities.
The children enjoyed creating special Father's Day handprint cards with the message "High Five to the Best Dad". This activity encouraged creativity while helping children express their love and appreciation for their dads and special father figures.
During circle time and group discussions, we talked about our daddies, grandads, stepdads, and other important male role models in our lives. The children enjoyed sharing stories about the special things they like to do with them and discussing what makes them special.
For story time, we explored Father's Day-themed books including:
• My Dad by Anthony Browne
• I Love My Daddy by Giles Andreae
• Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz
• Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer
• My Daddy is Amazing by Sabrina Moyle
The children also watched age-appropriate Father's Day clips and songs, encouraging conversation about family relationships, kindness, and appreciation.
As part of our creative activities, the children decorated wooden photo frames featuring handprints and the message "Hands Down the Best Dad Ever". These precious keepsakes helped develop fine motor skills while creating a memorable Father's Day gift.
The children also painted and decorated little wooden hearts with messages such as "I Love You", choosing colours and designs independently to make their gifts unique and personal.
Our Father's Day song time included action songs, nursery rhymes, and special songs celebrating dads and families. The children particularly enjoyed singing, dancing, and using musical instruments to accompany the songs.
Additional activities included:
• Father's Day colouring and mark-making sheets
• Building and construction challenges inspired by jobs dads might do
• Role-play family activities in the home corner
• Making "Daddy Coupons" offering hugs, smiles, and helping hands
• Outdoor games promoting teamwork and cooperation
• Sharing favourite memories and drawing pictures of special family moments
These activities supported children's communication and language skills, creativity, emotional development, fine motor skills, and understanding of the world around them while celebrating the important people in their lives.

10/06/2026

Today we had a wonderful day full of fun, exploration and learning.
We attended Mini Explorers, where we spent time amongst the trees enjoying the beautiful woodland environment. The theme for the day was herbs, and the children had a fantastic time exploring a variety of herbs through sensory play and hands-on activities. They enjoyed smelling the different herbs, talking about the scents and using their senses to learn more about the natural world around them.
The children were very creative, making herb bracelets, creating herb paintings and mixing their own herb perfumes. They also thoroughly enjoyed the water play opportunities, which encouraged exploration, investigation and lots of imaginative play. Alongside these activities, there were many other wonderful opportunities to explore the woods, discover nature and develop their confidence in the outdoor environment.
We also enjoyed a nature walk through the woods, taking time to observe our surroundings and talk about the different plants, trees and wildlife we could see. During story time under the story tree, the children listened beautifully to Hugless Douglas' Nature Walk, which linked perfectly to our woodland adventures and encouraged discussions about nature and exploring the outdoors.
Back at setting, the children enjoyed free play with a variety of toys and activities, following their own interests and developing their imagination. Throughout the day we shared songs and enjoyed group interactions, supporting communication, listening skills and social development.
Healthy snacks were enjoyed, with plenty of opportunities to practise independence and self-help skills. The children also demonstrated kindness, sharing and good friendships during their play.

02/06/2026

Today was a very wet and miserable day, so the children and I decided to enjoy a rare day at home filled with fun activities. We had a wonderful time taking part in song and story time, playing with playdough, exploring construction activities, and enjoying plenty of free play.
As we listened to the rain and heard the thunder outside, the children and I spent time discussing the weather. We talked about the different sounds we could hear, what causes thunder, and how the weather can change throughout the day. The children were very interested and enjoyed sharing their own thoughts and observations.
We also spent some time watching, interacting with, and learning about our tortoise. The children were fascinated by him and thoroughly enjoyed helping to feed him. This provided a great opportunity to discuss caring for animals and observe his behaviour up close.
We also made a start on our Father's Day crafts and activities, which the children were very excited about. It was lovely to see them playing so happily together, sharing, communicating, and using their imaginations throughout the day.
When the weather finally dried up, we took the opportunity to get outside for a walk. The children enjoyed the fresh air and were excited to explore outdoors after spending most of the day inside.
The children were content and engaged throughout the day, and we all enjoyed a relaxed and enjoyable mix of indoor and outdoor activities.

01/06/2026

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Today the children and I attended Stepping Stones at the Maltings, where the theme for the morning was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children had a lovely time taking part in lots of themed activities, including making caterpillar crowns, colouring caterpillar pictures, and listening to the story of the day, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Alongside the themed activities, the children also enjoyed exploring the playdough table, joining in with song time, imaginative play, farm animals, dinosaurs, the home corner, as well as general free play and socialising with the other children. It was wonderful to see them engaging so confidently and enjoying time with their friends.
Afterwards, we headed to the town park where the children enjoyed some fresh air and exercise, helping to develop their gross motor skills. We finished our outing with a lovely picnic together before heading home.
A fun-filled day of learning through play, with lots of opportunities for creativity, socialising and outdoor exploration.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar links beautifully with our Growing and Nature topic because it helps children explore the natural world in a fun and familiar way.
The story introduces children to the life cycle of a butterfly, helping them understand how living things grow and change—from a tiny egg, to a caterpillar, into a cocoon and then a beautiful butterfly. This supports children’s understanding of nature and encourages curiosity about mini beasts and the world around them.
The story also links to learning about healthy foods and fruits, as the caterpillar explores different foods throughout the week. This gives children opportunities to talk about colours, counting, different fruits and healthy eating.
By exploring The Very Hungry Caterpillar alongside our Growing and Nature topic, the children can enjoy activities such as bug hunts, planting flowers to attract butterflies and bees, nature walks, butterfly and caterpillar crafts, and talking about how plants, animals and insects all grow and change. It’s a lovely way to encourage learning through play while helping children develop an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. 🌿🦋

27/05/2026

Today we attended the “Oh Wow, I Spot a Cow” trail, where the children enjoyed lots of exciting activities along the route. It was a wonderful opportunity to get plenty of fresh air and exercise, with lots of running around outdoors and using their gross motor skills. Along the trail, the children enjoyed spotting nature, exploring th different plants and taking in their surroundings.
We then sat together under a beautiful blossom tree in the shade to enjoy our picnic lunch. Afterwards, we had song time followed by story time, where we read The Gruffalo. The children had lots of fun socialising with their friends throughout the day and enjoyed a lovely balance of outdoor exploration, learning and group activities.

21/05/2026

Today at Mini Explorers, the children thoroughly enjoyed a range of caterpillar-themed activities beneath the trees in the woods. They showed great creativity while making caterpillars using brown cut paper, decorating them with green paint sticks and sticker eyes, while practising their gluing and sticking skills to complete their creations. The children engaged enthusiastically in imaginative play, storytelling, and waterway exploration, all inspired by caterpillars and nature. Stories shared included *The Very Hungry Caterpillar*, *Caterpillars and Butterflies*, and *Look Inside Nature*, which sparked lots of discussion and curiosity. Using magnifying glasses, the children explored the natural environment closely, searching for insects, leaves, and signs of wildlife around them. The session encouraged creativity, communication, fine motor development, and a love for exploring nature through hands-on experiences and outdoor discovery.

Afterwards, the children headed to the town park to enjoy a picnic in the sunshine, free play, and opportunities to develop their gross motor skills through climbing, running, balancing, and active outdoor play.

20/05/2026

☀️

Sunshine helps kids feel happier because it boosts their brain's feel-good chemicals, like serotonin.

It also helps their bodies make vitamin D, which is important for staying healthy.

Being outside in the sun can give kids more energy, improve their focus, and even help them sleep better at night.

Plus, being outside in the sunshine just feels good!