Puddles Nursery - Cheltenham

Today is International Day of Play - a time to recognise the vital role that playing has physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally in the development of children.

At Natural Choice Nurseries we follow "Planning in the Moment" which is an early years educational approach that prioritises child led play. Our skilled practitioners observe what the children enjoy doing or are curious about, and join in with their play to extend the learning in that moment there and then.

There are many benefits of Planning in the Moment such as engaged children, encouraged problem solving/creativity and a happy and fun learning environment!
You can find out more about our teaching approach on our website: https://ncnurseries.co.uk/our-curriculum/ -approach

It is the last day of our “Child Safety Week” posts – we hope you have found this week interesting and helpful.

We take safety seriously at Natural Choice Nurseries as we know your children are the most precious things in the world.

There is plenty more advice on accident prevention at Child Accident Prevention Trust https://capt.org.uk/. They are the UK’s leading experts in child accident prevention.

They also have a parent’s pack which can be downloaded and is full of simple safety tips covering a range of topics which are the most common risks to children. https://capt.org.uk/resources/parents-pack/

Today's safety topic is road safety. We have been posting recently about the benefits of walking, scooting and cycling to nursery and all our work with Modeshift STARS. It is never too soon to start introducing road safety to children to build up their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

Below are some tips from the Child Accident Prevention Trust for how to keep it simple when teaching road safety to little ones to ensure they are safe pedestrians, when cycling and scooting and also in the car.

Today’s safety topic is water safety. The weather is getting warmer and on sunny days there is nothing better than getting the paddling pool out or taking a trip to the local beach or swimming pool to cool off and let little ones have a splash about. But, did you know that it only takes a few centimetres of water for a child or baby to drown in? A scary thought, but something to consider whilst children are in any form of water (baths included).

Below are some safety tips from the Child Accident Prevention Trust all about water and some information on the importance of swimwear visibility.

Today’s safety topic is safer sleeping. Ensuring a baby is sleeping in the safest conditions and environment possible is one of the most important steps you can take for your baby’s safety, giving your little one the best start for a restful and safe night’s sleep.

Below are some simple and safe steps to follow to sleep safety. More information can also be found here https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/safer-sleep-information/safer-sleep-overview/

It is “Child Safety Week” this week. Over the week we will be posting some top tips and information on different topics around child safety.

Today’s safety topic is choking. Choking safety is an important topic for parents and caregivers and safe to say one I am sure we have all worried about when with little ones. We all know that babies and young children explore things by putting them in their mouth – but small foods, toys, and household items can be dangerous if they block a child’s airways.
Understanding common choking hazards, supervising children whilst they eat, preparing food the correct way and basic first aid knowledge can all help to create a safer environment for children.

Below are some dos & don’ts and tips from the Child Accident Prevention Trust around choking. We have also shared some information about “Life Vac” - a device we have in all our nurseries and are very big advocates for using in a choking emergency (after paediatric first aid has been administered but more help is needed). More information available at https://www.lifevac.uk/.

Some of you may already know that we are Modeshift STARS accredited - an achievement we are very proud of!

For those of you who may not know much about Modeshift or are new to our nurseries, we thought it would be nice to share some information about what it is and how we are involved!

All of this week it is "Screen-Free Week" - a global initiative to encourage people to turn off their digital entertainment and reconnect with the world whilst improving physical and mental health. With the Government recently publishing guidance for Under 5's and screen time, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some information with you. The below link explains the newest suggested guidance and some information about how to set boundaries and manage screen time for little ones:
https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s

There are some wonderful activities to do with children that don't involve screens, below we have shared a few activities and games from screenfree.org that you could try! As we mentioned on a previous post, it is also National Walking Month - so some of the bingo card activities would be perfect to check off whilst out and about on a family walk! Why not try a new no screen activity you haven't tried before or a screen-free day this week and let us know all the fun things you get up to! (There are some more great resources on the Screen-Free website https://screenfree.org/resources/)

May is National Walking Month, a time to encourage people to embrace the simple yet many benefits of walking.

Why not take this opportunity to explore the great outdoors, improve your fitness and socialise in a healthy and enjoyable way - you could plan in some walks with family and friends or walk to nursery when you can (or if you must use the car, park a little further away to get in a few extra steps). Below are some of the many benefits that walking has on our little ones!

Just a reminder that the nursery will be closed on Monday.