Safari Childcare Preschool & Full Day Care

🌿🍃 When Nature Becomes the Classroom... 🍃🌿

Our Preschool children have been exploring the wonderful world of nature through nature rubbings! 🎨

Using paper and colourful chalks, the children investigated leaves, tree bark, flowers and other natural treasures, watching with excitement as hidden patterns and textures appeared on their pages like magic. ✨

But behind this simple activity is so much wonderful learning.
🍂 Understanding the World – noticing differences in plants, textures and natural materials.
✋ Physical Development– strengthening hands and developing the fine motor control needed for future writing.
🎨 Expressive Arts & Design – experimenting with colour, pattern and different creative techniques.
💬 Communication & Language – introducing new vocabulary and encouraging children to describe what they can see and feel.
🧠 Curiosity & Investigation – asking questions, making discoveries and learning through first-hand experiences.

At Safari Childcare, our curriculum encourages children to explore, investigate and be curious about the world around them. Sometimes the richest learning opportunities are waiting just outside the door! 🌳💚

🏡 Why not continue the learning at home? Pop some paper and crayons or chalks in your bag on your next family walk and see how many different textures you can discover together.

Tree bark, leaves, benches, bricks... what will you find?

📸 We'd love to see your nature discoveries!

🌞🌙 Understanding the World Around Us🌙🌞

Today the moon is playing peekaboo with the sun! ☀️🙈 It's the perfect chance to introduce our little explorers to something magical happening in the sky.

👶 How to explain it simply:

For our preschool friends, keep it short, playful and full of wonder:

🗣️ "Today the moon is going to move in front of the sun, just like when you hide behind your hands and then peek out! For a little while, the sun might look like it has a little bite taken out of it, like a cookie! 🍪"

Simple ideas to talk about together: 🌙 The moon is having a little dance in front of the sun ☀️ The sky might look a little bit different for a while 🍪 The sun may look like a cookie with a bite out of it 👋 It's a fun, safe thing to notice — as long as we never look straight at the sun!

⚠️ SAFETY FIRST — every time, no exceptions:
🚫 NEVER look directly at the sun — not even for a second, and not even when it looks "less bright" 🚫 No sunglasses, no phone cameras, no peeking through fingers — none of these protect little eyes ✅ The safest way for little ones to enjoy the eclipse is to make it into a game they watch on the ground, not in the sky!

💛 Sometimes, all a child needs is a hug. 💛

At Safari Childcare, we know that the most important part of what we do isn't the activities, the resources or even our wonderful curriculum... (although they are amazing!)

It's the relationships.

Every member of our Pride genuinely cares about the children in our care. We celebrate every milestone, cheer every achievement and encourage children to believe in themselves. But we also know that sometimes a child simply needs a reassuring cuddle, a listening ear or someone to remind them that they're safe, valued and never alone.

Whether we're celebrating a big achievement, helping a child overcome a challenge or simply offering a comforting hug, we are there every step of the way.

Because when children feel loved, secure and understood, they develop the confidence to explore, learn and thrive.

At Safari Childcare, your child isn't just another name on a register—they become part of our Safari family, and we care for them as if they were our own. 🦁💚

💚🌟 **Feel Good Monday!** 🌟💚

From little explorer... to helping keep Safari looking its very best! 🦁

Many of you won't recognise this young man, but over 10 years ago, Aiden was one of our very own little explorers at Safari Childcare (formerly Little Legs). Fast forward to today, and he's back—not for story time or messy play—but helping to keep our buildings in fantastic condition!

It's been such a lovely full-circle moment for our Director, Tina, who actually taught Aiden herself all those years ago. Seeing him grow from a curious preschooler into such a hardworking, kind and respectful young man is exactly what early years is all about.

When he's not helping us, Aiden is busy supporting his family's business during the school holidays. Safe to say he's swapped building towers with blocks for helping build something a little bigger... and these days his "construction site" is definitely more impressive than our role-play area! 😄🚐🔨

Sometimes the greatest reminder of why we do what we do is seeing our little explorers return all grown up. 💚

🌿✨ Squish, Roll, Squeeze... and Discover! ✨🌿

Our playdough station is always a favourite with the children—and it's easy to see why! 💚

From rolling and stretching to pinching, poking and moulding, every squeeze of the playdough is helping to develop the small muscles in children's hands and fingers, building the strength and dexterity they'll need for writing, drawing, using scissors and everyday tasks like fastening buttons and zips.

But we don't stop there...

We love enhancing our playdough with fresh herbs, spices and natural ingredients, creating exciting sensory experiences that encourage children to explore different textures, colours and aromas. 🌿🌼✨

As they investigate, children are developing:
🖐️ Fine motor skills and hand strength
🧠 Creativity and imagination
💬 Language and descriptive vocabulary
👃 Sensory awareness through smell and touch
🤝 Sharing, collaboration and problem-solving

Every invitation to play is carefully planned to spark curiosity, inspire conversation and make learning unforgettable.

At Safari Childcare, it's never just playdough... it's purposeful, hands-on learning through play. 🦁💚

⭐ How Important Is an Ofsted Rating When Choosing a Nursery? ⭐

It's one of the first questions many parents ask... and rightly so.

At Safari Childcare, we're incredibly proud that both our Hutton and Runwell nurseries are rated GOOD by Ofsted, with inspectors recognising many exceptional aspects of our provision. Our inspection reports highlight the warm, nurturing relationships between staff and children, the quality of teaching, children's behaviour, independence and the ambitious learning experiences we provide every day.

But is an Ofsted rating alone enough to choose the right nursery?

We believe the answer is no... within reason!

A report provides valuable reassurance, but it can't capture the excitement of a child discovering something new, the confidence they build through play, the friendships they make or the genuine care and passion our Pride brings to every single day.

In our latest blog, we explore:
🦁 What happens during an Ofsted inspection
📋 What inspectors are really looking for
⭐ How the new Ofsted report card system works
💛 Why visiting a nursery is just as important as reading its inspection report

If you're searching for the perfect nursery, this blog is a great place to start.

📖 Read the full blog here:
https://www.safarichildcare.co.uk/blog/how-important-is-a-nurserys-ofsted-rating/

We'd love to welcome you for a showround so you can experience the Safari difference for yourself.