Stibbard All Saints Nursery

19/07/2026

While I am incredibly proud of everything we do at Mulberry House, our commitment to social-emotional learning might just be the closest to my heart.

I have intentionally chosen to have a mixed-age classroom. In the summertime, we often welcome former students, spanning the ages from 2-5.

This more special than it seems. Our older children care for the younger children in ways you can only imagine. And our younger children are the recipients of this modeled kindness day after day.

In this photo, the five year-old child pictured first walked into Mulberry House as a tiny toddler. Now, he’s comforting new two-year-olds and lifting them up each day.

This job has its challenges, but these moments are the absolute sweetest.

12/07/2026

This week we are thinking about pre-schoolers!

10/07/2026

A new study connects infant and school-entry screen time to weaker working memory and lower academic scores.

10/07/2026

09/07/2026

Messy Play Matters and How You Can Share with Families🎨💚

Messy play can sometimes look like paint-covered hands, muddy clothes, or sand on the floor but behind every splash, scoop, and squish is meaningful play-based learning.

Our "Why Messy Play Matters" Letter for Families is a free printable designed to help parents and caregivers understand the incredible learning happening during messy play. It's the perfect resource for building strong home-school partnerships and celebrating the value of hands-on exploration. 👏

Because messy play isn't just about getting messy it's about discovering, exploring, and growing through play. 🌈 Download your free printable and help families see the magic behind the mess here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8zavz5

24/06/2026

Researchers say the findings could bring us one step closer to developing a microbe-based "stress vaccine". *Updated*

20/06/2026

SECOND OPPORTUNITY - this week, to compliment our newly released A Bitesize Guide to Breaking the Cycle, we reshared this post.

Screens are one of the biggest parenting challenges of our time. Most children (and adults!) know the feeling of wanting “just five more minutes” — but few understand what is actually happening inside the brain when it becomes difficult to switch off.

As conversations around healthy screen habits grow, and with the proposed social media ban bringing renewed attention to children’s online lives, many parents are looking for ways to talk about screens without shame, fear, or endless arguments. Understanding the science can help us move beyond “because I said so” and towards meaningful conversations about balance.

Our latest Curious Conversations visual, The Screen-Dopamine Cycle, helps children understand why screens can feel so rewarding, why stopping can sometimes feel frustrating, and why boundaries are not about punishment but about helping the brain find balance. It is designed to open discussions about screen dependence, self-awareness, and healthy habits in an age-appropriate way.

This visual also complements our latest Bitesize Guide, Breaking the Cycle, which explores practical strategies for reducing screen battles, setting boundaries that work, and supporting children to build healthier relationships with technology.

For a printer-friendly copy of this visual to support conversations with your child, please follow the instructions on the image. FREE DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE UNTIL 30 JUNE 2026.

20/06/2026

Our friends from our Inclusion Dance share their take on growing an “Inclusion Garden”.

20/06/2026

Your play piece for today is…

If you’re new to play here’s another top tip!

What can you do first?

The first thing you need to do is create your spaces for play. Spaces is the word we refer to as your play areas.

This means kicking out those tables and chairs that take up so much room. Not easy, I know 😜

Once you’ve created your spaces, this is known as your core provision. Core provision for play is the everyday, high-quality resources that are always available for children to use in a classroom.

These spaces and resources are constantly available, children can access them every single day.

These spaces are predictable, items stay in the same place so children build independence.

These spaces are open-ended: Resources can be used in many different ways.

Most importantly these spaces are continuous, they form the backbone of the learning environment the whole year through.

I have my firm favourites, can you guess what they are? Pop them in the comments.

20/06/2026

You can't skip the foundation and expect the structure to stand.

Play, movement, relationships, and exploration aren't distractions from learning. They're the experiences that build the brain, body, and skills that make later learning (including academics) possible.

That sequence is not optional. It's not outdated. And it's not negotiable.

Please trust the process (and beauty) of development.