Julie's Childcare

27/02/2026

February has been an incredibly busy month filled with adventures, learning and lots of joyful play. The children have explored so many new places, textures, stories and skills - all through hands on, meaningful experiences.

Outings and Big Adventures
The Ice Cream Farm. Soft play for climbing, balancing and jumping to build confidence and gross motor skills.
Chester Zoo - a visit to the reptile house to learn about different animals and their habitats.
Blue Planet Aquarium - exploring the Pirates and Mermaids theme with plenty to discover and enjoy.
Ashton Park - time on the swings and slide, plus a spring walk spotting snowdrops, daffodils and daisies.
The Boat Museum - a lovely day exploring the exhibits and learning about boats, waterways and being safe by the water.
St Lawrence Tots Group- singing, story time and shared play with friends.

Creative Play and Early Skills
Block play - colour sorting, balancing, building and imaginative play.
Play dough - strengthening hands and fingers for future mark making.
Glitter paint mark making- mixing colours, exploring textures and expressing creativity.
Pancake Day- Mr Wolf's Pancake story, a sensory table with bowls and utensils, making real pancakes for snack (lemon and sugar, of course!) and creating funny face pancake crafts.

Celebrations and Culture Learning
Valentine's Day - a red sensory table with dyed chickpeas, heart shapes, kindness stories and sticking/gluing crafts.
Chinese New Year- a sensory table with red an gold textures, learning about the Year of the Horse, exploring Chinese symbols, and opening red envelopes with our names written in Chinese alongside a fortune cookie treat.

Growing and Exploring
Garden project started!
We've sown and planted carrots, strawberries, sunflowers and potatoes. The children loved filling pots, patting soil, watering and talking about how things grow.

A Lovely End to the Month
A very happy mum shared a beautiful bunch of flowers after her little one's settling in sessions went so well. Her 9 month old has settled beautifully - a wonderful way finish February. ♥️

02/02/2026

We've had a wonderfully busy and adventurous January, packed with sensory exploration, outdoor learning, imaginative play, and real world experiences that brought the children's curiosity to life.

Arctic animals sensory play. The children explored our Arctic themed sensory table filled with soft snow, pom poms snowballs, and ice cubes with frozen animals inside. Using paint brushes, they investigated melting ice and learnt key vocabulary such as cold, wet, melting and inside.

Chester Zoo Adventures & playgroup Fun.
Our outing to the zoo sparked huge excitement - especially seeing the Komodo dragon and tortoises close up. We also enjoyed time at playgroup, building friendships and practicing turn-taking.

Learning colours through play. This week's focus colour was blue, explored through toys, books, and creative activities.

Play dough creations. The children strengthening their hands and imagination with lots of play dough fun - rolling, squashing, cutting and shaping.

Building Ramps for Cars. We designed and tested ramps to see how cars rolled down, encouraging problem solving and imaginative play.

Shape sorter maths. Children explored shapes through hands on sorting and matching activities.

Delamere Forest - Forestry England. We wrapped up warm in coats and wellies for a brilliant day a Delamere Forest. The children loved jumping in muddy puddles, spotting winter wildlife, and following the a Grufallo trail. We talked about keeping warm in winter while coloring pictures of hats, gloves and coats.
A special moment was meeting a pet bearded dragon in the cafe. The children were gentle, curious and brave as they looked at and felt the reptile's textured skin.

A visit to Frodsham library and rhyme time. Lots of different books and stories read.

The children enjoyed a visit to the aquarium and a play on the slide in the play area.

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

Our First Week of 2026 - What a start!

We've had such a lovely first week back at Julie's Childcare. The children settled beautifully and enjoyed plenty of free play with all their favourite toys - building, imagining, creating and reconnecting with friends.

Chester Zoo Adventures
Even the cold and snowy weather didn't stop us. We wrapped up warm and headed to Chester Zoo, where the children were fascinated by the sun bear paw prints dotted across the snow. We spotted ice forming on the river boat and watched the Tapirs snuggled up cosy in their hay beds.

Afternoon at the Aquarium
Later in the week, we enjoyed a peaceful visit to the aquarium. The children loved watching the colourful fish glide by and exploring the calming underwater world.

It's been a week full of curiosity, fresh air and happy moments.

05/01/2026

Welcome Back & Happy New Year!
As we begin our first week back after the Christmas and New Year holidays, I know the children have had a wonderfully busy time visiting family, celebrating, and being out of their usual rhythm. With that in mind, this week in my setting will be all about easing back into a gentle routine.

We’ll be focusing on:
- Re-orienting themselves to the space — rediscovering familiar toys, cosy corners, and the flow of our day
- Reconnecting with routines in a calm, unhurried way
- Finding familiarity and comfort after lots of excitement and change
- Supporting focus and engagement without any pressure or feeling overwhelmed

Welcoming Our New Starter
I'm also excited to welcome a new little friend — a lovely 2‑year‑old joining us this term. These early days will be all about helping them:
- Settle in gently
- Explore the space at their own pace
- Build confidence through warm, responsive interactions
- Begin making new friends and feeling part of our little community

The children will naturally be curious and supportive, and we’ll guide those early friendships with kindness and reassurance.

A Soft Start to the Term
This whole week is designed to help every child — returning or new — feel grounded again. We’ll keep things familiar, predictable, and calm, offering plenty of time for:
- Free play
- Comforting routines
- Reconnecting with each other
- Quiet moments if needed
- Opportunities to rebuild attention and focus without overwhelm

I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again and welcoming the children back into a space that feels safe, familiar, and full of warmth.

29/12/2025

Play group is back on the 9th January

18/12/2025

🎄Wrapping up 2025 with festive fun!🎄

What a wonderful December we've had together:

A magical Christmas party at Helsby Methodist Church tots group, complete with a beautiful Nativity trail with a visit and present from Father Christmas.

Sharing the Dear Santa story and diving into joyful Christmas crafts - from air dry clay ornaments to decorating our very own felt Christmas trees.

An exciting visit to the zoo and Hollies Farm shop.

And of course, plenty of free play - puzzles galore and some very imaginative play dough monsters.

As the year comes to a close, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all my families for your kindest, support and the lovely gifts.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a bright, happy New Year 2026 🥂🌟

04/12/2025

Festive Fun at Julie's Childcare
The past few weeks have been full of joy, creativity, and seasonal sparkle here with the children

Chester Zoo Adventures
We enjoyed crisp, sunny days exploring the zoo, spotting animals and talking about their habitats. These outings build curiosity, language, and the love of nature.

Cheshire Oaks Christmas Tree and Winter Wonderland
The children were amazed by the towering Christmas tree, twinkling lights, and magical displays. Experiences like this spark awe and wonder, encouraging expressive language and shared excitement.

Tots Group - crafts Angels
Through angel making crafts, the children explore creativity while developing fine motor skills and social emotional learning by working together and sharing ideas.

Backford Christmas Tree Farm
We visited to see trees of all shapes and sizes and even meet the reindeers! This supported understanding of the world and gave children real life experiences to talk about.

Sensory Table - Red and Green Rice
Scooping, filling, and emptying with sparkly ribbons and shapes linked beautifully to the EYFS:
Physical Development: strengthening hand eye coordination
Maths: exploring capacity, size and shapes
Expressive Arts and Design: engaging with colours and textures.

Junk Modeling Nativity Scene
The children worked together to create a nativity scene for our Christmas story, developing imagination, problem solving, and teamwork.

Decorating Our Christmas Tree
Stars, hearts, and miniature wooden toys were carefully placed by little hands, encouraging fine motor skills and giving children pride in their environment.

Story time - Dear Santa
Cosy story sessions, building listening skills, and early literacy, and the love of books.

It's been a magical start to December, full of learning through play, creativity, and shared experiences.

01/12/2025

🌟Space Available - January 2026 Start🌟

I have a rare space opening from January 2026 for a little one to join my nurturing flexible childcare setting in Frodsham.

If you are considering funded childcare, please ensure your application is submitted before January 2026 to avoid missing out.

I warmly invite interested families to arrange a visit before the Christmas holidays - a chance to explore my enriching environment, ask questions, and see how I support children's development with care and creativity.

Message to book a visit or chat about funding options. I'm here to help!

07807902933
[email protected]

13/11/2025

We've been out and about enjoying the sights of Liverpool today we had lovely weather!
We paid our respects on Armistice Day at Chester Cathedral on Tuesday, the Blue Planet and a tots group and tumble tots Frodsham. Our sensory table has been Bonfire night and crafts, then we swapped over to poppies with black and red sensory items. (Super busy, I'm ready for the weekend) ❤️

29/10/2025

Halloween 🎃 sensory table has kept the children engaged this week, with lots of crafts and storytelling and a lovely long autumn walk around Delamere Forest - Forestry England lake.