Kids Cottage Childcare

🌸MARCH🌸

This month the children have been learning about
Space, dinosaurs, The Hungry caterpillar and making Mother’s Day cards.🚀🪐🦖🐛🦋💖

We have been spending lots of time outdoors exploring the new plants popping up, bugs emerging from hibernation and enjoying the warmer days.🐞🐝🌷

We visited our friends to see an animal experience where the children got to see different pets up close and learn about them.🐢🐍🐹🐰🦎

We have also been out in the community, visiting local parks and playgroups too.🛝

We went to explore our local sensory room, which the children enjoyed so much.
So many great learning opportunities and experiences.

Some of the children have been working on their fine motor skills, doing puzzles and learning to trace.
Getting them ready to transition into reception in September 🧩✍️

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter with our school friends next week and have lots of exciting activities planned ☺️

This week is British Pie Week! Encourage your child to use their imagination by designing and making their own pies - no ovens needed! Think playdough, clay and other squishy fun materials; let your child explore by shaping, filling and decorating their very own pie creations. From silly to spectacular, anything goes! This activity links to the Expressive Arts and Design area of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, giving children the chance to explore textures and express their ideas through hands on creativity. Who knew using your imagination could be so delicious? Click here for some more top tips on playdough: https://www.tlc-essex.info/resource/playdough-recipe-developing-finger-muscles/

We will be taking a trip to the library on Thursday to celebrate world book day. 😍

Storytime with the Gruffalo and Friends are coming to various Essex Libraries! ✨

Join us for an interactive storytelling adventures packed with fun for children and grown‑ups.

Sessions start from Thursday, March 6 and are free!

To find your nearest location, visit https://library-events.essex.gov.uk/search?q=gruffalo

Some great lunchbox ideas here 😃

✨February ✨

This month the children have explored sensory trays themed around Valentine’s 💕Day and the lunar New Year 🐴.

They have been learning colours and how mixing colours can create new colours. 🎨

We have been matching animals to their pictures and talking about where they live in the world. 🌎

We took a visit to the woods where we read a story about the Gruffalo, painted a sheet using mud and paint brushes and slid down muddy mountain on our sleds.

The children have made new friends and had some of our older school children come back to see us in the holidays which was lovely.

We have been out and about lots over the local park and playing in the garden.
We have a new playhouse and a new mud kitchen/ tool bench on the way 😃

We can’t wait to start our spring activities next week Where we will be learning about growing plants and lifecycles 🌷🐸

✨JANUARY ✨

This month we have been building our fine motor skills.

The children have enjoyed our polar animals theme and have explored them in play doh, water and ice.

We have practiced using scissors, peeling stickers, cutting, rolling and squeezing play doh.

They have used their imagination to build towers and houses with blocks and make houses for the polar animals.

We have talked about where polar animals live and looked at different countries on the globe.

Our new starter has settled in really well and the other children have all welcomed him and are making him feel at home 🥰

Please sign this petition. Childminders are already rapidly declining every year and those of us that are struggling with all the recent pay cuts and changes are now being pushed to the brink. Childminders provide a unique home early years education that is vital for many families and young children that don’t want to go in to large nursery settings or that need flexible schedules. Please sign 🤞

Sign the Petition Childcare on the Brink: Stop the 2026 Cut That Will Push Childminders Out

What an awesome December we have had. Full of festive fun, Christmas crafts, games, parties, visiting wonderful festive displays, meeting with friends, singing songs, role playing Santa stories and so much more . 🥰
We said goodbye to two of our lovely mindees as they have moved on to pre school, so we wish them all the best and will miss them lots. 🤗

Baking Christmas treats with your child isn't just festive fun - it's a wonderful learning opportunity too! Measuring ingredients builds early maths skills, following a recipe boosts early reading and sequencing, and decorating encourages creativity and fine motor skills. Most importantly, it's a chance to slow down, connect, and make sweet memories together! Follow this link from our website for some baking top tips: https://www.tlc-essex.info/resource/baking/