DB Childminding

11/09/2026

📚✨ A little trip to Waterstones today! ✨📚

Today we headed along to Waterstones to pick up our very exciting book order — Julia Donaldson’s brand-new book, Gruffalo Granny! 🐻🌳💛

The children were so excited to see the book in the shop and couldn’t wait to have a look through it. We even spotted Gruffalo Granny on display in the window! 😍

We also chose a very special classic to add to our childminding book collection — The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter! 🐰🥕📖 We love building up a collection of well-loved stories that the children can enjoy again and again.

Of course, we couldn’t resist having a little look through our new books together outside the shop. The children enjoyed exploring the pictures, chatting about the characters and sharing their excitement about our new stories. ❤️

There’s nothing quite like a new book to spark little imaginations, and we’re looking forward to reading both of these together! 🌿📚

New stories, old favourites and lots of adventures waiting to be discovered! 🥰

📚✨

10/09/2026

🌿 Morning snack in the garden 🌿

There’s something special about taking our everyday routines outdoors! ☀️💚

This morning we enjoyed our morning snack outside, making the most of the fresh air and our garden. The children loved sitting together, chatting, enjoying their food and taking in everything happening around them. 🥪🍓

It’s these simple moments that create such lovely opportunities for social interaction, communication, independence and developing healthy habits — all while enjoying the benefits of being outdoors. 🌱

Of course, once snack was finished, there was plenty more exploring and playing to be done! 🛝🌸🪴

Little moments, big learning and happy memories made together. 💛

08/09/2026

📚💛 A little trip to our local library! 💛📚

We love visiting our local library and making the most of all the wonderful opportunities it offers. The children enjoy exploring the books, choosing some of their favourites and spending time together in this lovely community space.

Regular library visits encourage a love of stories and reading, support children’s language and communication skills, and give them the opportunity to make choices, share books and enjoy stories together. 📖✨

It’s always lovely to see the children becoming more confident and familiar with our local library — and of course, we never leave without discovering something new to enjoy! 🥰📚

07/09/2026

25/08/2026

August Focus Book - ‘Colours’

Parrot Visit 🦜🌈

Today we had a very exciting visit from two beautiful parrots, Charlie & Measha. Today provided the children with a wonderful opportunity to learn about and interact with animals in a new and meaningful way.

The children were fascinated by the parrots’ bright and colourful feathers and were encouraged to observe their different colours, markings, sizes and features. This linked beautifully with our current focus on ‘Colours’ by Touchy Feelies, allowing the children to revisit and explore the colours we have been learning about in a real-life experience.

The children showed a range of reactions to the parrots, from excitement and curiosity to initially watching from a little further away. With reassurance and support, they were able to become more confident around the birds. Some children had the opportunity to gently stroke the parrots and experience the texture of their feathers, while others enjoyed watching them move around and sit on the adults.

The children listened carefully to instructions about how to behave safely and gently around the parrots. They demonstrated curiosity by watching closely, pointing, reaching out to touch and talking about what they could see. The experience encouraged communication, turn-taking, patience and respect for living creatures.

The visit created lots of opportunities for shared enjoyment and interaction within the group. The children were able to learn through first-hand experience, building on their understanding of colours while developing confidence and an appreciation for animals.

SHANARRI Indicators

💚 Healthy – Children experienced a positive, stimulating environment and were supported to interact safely with the animals.

⭐ Achieving – Children developed confidence, curiosity and new knowledge through a hands-on, real-life learning experience.

🏃 Active – Children were actively engaged through observing, reaching, stroking, pointing and moving safely around the space.

💗 Nurtured – Children were supported and reassured by familiar adults, allowing them to explore the experience at their own pace.

🗣️ Respected – Each child was able to choose how they participated, with their individual feelings and boundaries respected.

🌱 Responsible – Children learned how to behave gently and appropriately around animals and began to understand the importance of caring for living things.

🤝 Included – All children were encouraged to take part in the experience in a way that was appropriate and comfortable for them.

18/08/2026

Group Observation – Under the Trees, Callander Park 🌳🍂

Today we enjoyed an outdoor adventure at ‘Under the Trees’ at Callander Park, where the children had lots of opportunities to explore, play and learn in a natural woodland environment.

The children enjoyed exploring the woodland surroundings and making use of the resources available to them. They engaged in imaginative and sensory play, using containers, baskets and natural materials to create their own play experiences. There was lots of curiosity as the children investigated the leaves, trees, mud and different textures around them.

The children also enjoyed exploring the water channels, working together to pour and transport water using jugs, buckets and containers. This encouraged problem-solving, coordination and an understanding of how water moves. The children showed persistence as they experimented with different ways of filling and emptying the containers.

The ball and rolling activities provided opportunities for the children to develop their gross motor skills, while the younger children explored objects through touching, holding, transferring and investigating them at their own pace.

It was lovely to see the children enjoying the freedom of the outdoor environment, making choices about their play and becoming absorbed in their own interests. There were also opportunities for social interaction, sharing resources and learning alongside one another.

🌟 SHANARRI Indicators

Healthy 💚
The children were physically active outdoors, developing their gross motor skills through movement, carrying, pouring and exploring the woodland environment.

Achieving ⭐
The children developed confidence, coordination and problem-solving skills as they experimented with the water channels, containers and different resources. They showed persistence when working out how things worked.

Included 🤝
The children enjoyed playing alongside one another, sharing the outdoor space and resources and developing positive social experiences within the group.

Looking Forward

We will continue to provide opportunities for the children to explore natural environments, encouraging curiosity, independence, problem-solving and child-led learning through outdoor experiences.

12/08/2026

🌿 Monday Spaces Available at DB Childminding 💚

A warm, cosy and welcoming setting where children can play, learn, explore and develop through a mix of indoor and outdoor experiences. 🪻🧸🌻🤎

If you’re looking for childcare on a Monday, or know someone who might be, please feel free to send me a message for more information. 📧