Gemma Mchugh’s childminding

30/07/2026

What a fantastic first week of the summer holidays we’ve had! ☀️

We’ve packed so many adventures into just one week, and the children have had the best time exploring, creating, and making wonderful memories together.

Our week has included:
🐑 A visit to Bill Quay Farm, where we fed the animals and met lots of friendly farm friends.
🏖️ A trip to the beach, where we enjoyed metal detecting, built amazing sandcastles, and had lots of fun by the sea.
🧸 A lovely Teddy Bears’ Picnic at the park with the LA, filled with laughter, games, and picnic treats.
🦆 Exploring the Wetland Centre, discovering wildlife and enjoying nature.
🌳 Plenty of time at the parks, climbing, running, and playing together.
🎨 Getting creative with painting and lots of exciting tuff tray activities, encouraging imagination, sensory play, and learning through play.

It’s been a week full of smiles, fresh air, creativity, and adventure, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holidays have in store!

Thank you to all our wonderful families for another amazing week. 💛

21/07/2026

The children had lots of fun exploring and playing at our graduation end of year party provided by our lovely local authority 🥰

02/06/2026

☀️🌸🍃Nature walks 🍃🌸☀️
Today we enjoyed a lovely nature walk where the children collected a variety of leaves and flowers to create beautiful sun catchers. Using cardboard frames and sticky-backed tape, the children carefully arranged their natural treasures to make colourful creations.

We also explored colours using our colour book and Magnatiles, collecting flowers inside the different coloured tiles to see how they looked when viewed through each colour. The children were fascinated by the changes and loved searching for flowers to match.

Along the way, we spotted pony’s in the field, fish in the pond, ducks, a couple of swans with their cygnets, and even discovered a caterpillar, which sparked lots of excitement and conversation about nature and wildlife.

The children thoroughly enjoyed collecting, exploring, creating, and observing the world around them. A wonderful day of outdoor learning, creativity, and discovery! 🌿🌸🦆🐛☀️

21/05/2026

Today we had a lovely visit to Beamish Museum! 😊

The children loved waving at the trams and watching them go by. We spent time reading the letters and numbers we spotted around the museum and enjoyed looking around the old school and classrooms, learning what school life used to be like. Choosing a treat from the bakery each and paying the lady.

We also visited the allotments, watched the steam trains, and finished our day with lots of fun playing in the park! 🚂🌱📚

The children were beautifully behaved and had a wonderful day exploring, learning, and having fun together. 😊

13/05/2026

Childminder appreciation week ❤️

29/04/2026

We love our weekly visits to the local Family Hub for childminder playgroup! 🌟 Each week the children have so much fun exploring the different toys, joining in with activities, and enjoying time with their friends.

These sessions are a wonderful way to support learning through play, build confidence, and develop social skills in a warm and welcoming environment. We’re so lucky to have such a fantastic local resource for families and childcare settings. 💛

02/04/2026

01/04/2026

🌿🐦 Muddy Wellies Playgroup Adventure! 🐦🌿

Today our little explorers had a wonderful visit to Muddy Wellies Playgroup, where we enjoyed a nature-filled morning of bird watching, making bird feeders, and feeding the birds 🥰

The children showed great curiosity as they spotted different birds, listened carefully to their sounds, and talked about what they could see. We then got creative making our own bird feeders, developing fine motor skills and independence, before hanging them up and watching as birds came to visit!

01/04/2026

Sunderland museum and winter gardens 🦖🦕🥚

19/03/2026

🌊☀️ Beach Day Adventures! ☀️🌊

What a wonderful day we had at the beach! The children fully embraced the outdoors, exploring, creating, and learning through play in such a beautiful natural environment.

They enjoyed making transient art using shells, stones, and sand—letting their creativity flow and watching their designs change with the tide. There was lots of digging and building in the sand, helping to develop their teamwork and problem-solving skills.

The children also had great fun carrying rocks, strengthening their coordination and confidence, and of course, splashing in the rock pools—discovering tiny sea creatures and enjoying the sensory experience of the water.

Days like these are so special, giving the children opportunities to connect with nature, be active, and explore freely. 🌿

We’re so proud of their curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm today!