Donna McLachlan Registered Childcare Provider

With hot weather warnings in place across parts of the UK this week,☀️ it's important to take extra precautions when children are using outdoor spaces.

From checking the temperature of playground equipment and surfacing to encouraging regular water breaks and recognising the signs of heat exhaustion, small actions can make a big difference to keeping children safe and comfortable outdoors.

Ways in helping …:Safe Hands,dealing with big feelings , safety and strong relationships x

🦖 Our Dino Land all set up . The children just love playing with the dinosaurs so we put together a small world Dino land activity , using items we have collected and also added water too 🦖🦕

The children love visiting our secret Forrest . This is where they can climb , hop , walk and use their imagination …. They just love being in the great outdoors

Some Pizza 🍕 making fun . The children enjoy the opportunities to make their own snacks so we had a discussion on what toppings they liked and also which new toppings they wanted to try … have to say this went down a treat they loved them .

Playdough is a powerful tool for early childhood development, promoting fine motor skill growth, strengthening hand muscles for writing, and acting as a calming, sensory-driven therapeutic activity. It fosters creativity, encourages language development, and teaches social skills like sharing and collaboration . And we make our own in every colour ❤️🥰

💥 After School Enquiries please dm me 💥
Collecting from Caledonia/Garrowhill /St Bridget’s Primaries .
After School Care : I also care for children after school . The children take part in lots of activities whilst in my care . Lots of arts and crafts , seasonal activities , board games , Lego , bracelet making, magnetic tiles, lots of outdoor activities including visits to parks , picnics, taking small risks like climbing trees , den building and garden fun , sunflower planting , library visits . 📚 They also have the opportunity in making their own snacks . And when chill times are needed they like to have a wee movie 🎥, they also like to take part in Zumba, yoga and interactive games .
After school the children are offered a wide range of healthy snacks and drinks which fruits and yoghurt are also included with the snacks . I act on each child’s nutritional needs likes and dislikes.
All the children are loved and cared for to an extremely high level and they are in a home where they feel safe , comfortable, nurtured and warm 🥰

We often talk about small children drowning. But any child can drown - even strong swimmers.And unfortunately with the news reports of 6 children and an adult drowning in lakes/rivers I thought it was best to highlight a post ❤️
They may overestimate how strong a swimmer they are or underestimate risks in the sea or open water, like lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Please talk to your older children about water safety:

💧Teach them to choose safe places to swim like public pools and beaches with lifeguards

💧Explain the risk of swimming in open water. Even on a very warm day, open water can be cold enough to cause cold water shock. This physical reaction makes it hard to control breathing or to swim, causing swimmers to panic.

💧Talk to them about what to do if this ever happens. And teach them how to float.

Find out more https://capt.org.uk/drowning/

2026 is cominng soon - Monday 1st to Sunday 7th June - Follow them for top tips to keep your family safe

Today we practised using the scissors ✂️ and learnt how to use them safely and appropriately.

Our scissors are available for access on our arts and crafts shelf for the children to continue developing their skills independently(while being supervised ) ✂️

We used our finger and hand muscles to squeeze the scissors and carefully snip the paper. Donna taught us to remember:
“Close, open, close, open, close, open! “and also how to use the scissors safely ✂️

Using scissors helps to strengthen our fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and concentration, supporting early writing development.

✂️ Physical Development – Fine Motor Skills,
✂️ Expressive Arts and Design – Creating with Materials
✂️ Communication and Language – Listening and Attention.

🐝 We are celebrating World Bee Day 🐝

We firstly planted new plants in our garden to encourage new wildlife .
Then took part in of crafts . The children made their honeycombs by using bubble wrap prints then their thumbprints for their buzzy bees 🐝