Little lambs childminding

30 days wild in June and look how big the children’s sunflowers are 👀🌻 some are already taller than the children!

We’ve also spotted some ginormous beans growing on our group beanstalks 🫛🫘

P is for pine cone and p is for pirates! Lots of “Arrrgg” sounds, Walking the plank, hunting for crocodiles and even spotting the barrels for the bottles of rum on the way home 🏴‍☠️

The children have enjoyed reading Somebody Swallowed Stanley this week. With the story being all about a kind boy on the beach who saves Stanley the plastic bag. He rescues a choking sea turtle by pulling Stanley from its throat, and then repurposes the bag into a safe.

To enhance the children’s understanding of reusing and recycling following the story Somebody Swallowed Stanley, we visited a local charity shop. Prior to the visit, the children were encouraged to donate one of their old toys, helping them to understand the importance of giving unwanted items a new purpose rather than throwing them away.

During our visit, the children explored the shop and looked at the variety of items that had been donated by members of the community. This provided valuable opportunities to discuss how objects can be reused and enjoyed by others, helping to reduce waste and care for the environment. The children showed curiosity and enthusiasm as they searched for resources that could be reused within our setting, recognising that many items still had value and could be given a second life.

The experience supported the children’s understanding of sustainability, recycling, and reusing materials, while also encouraging a sense of responsibility towards the environment and their local community.

Following the visit, the children made their own jellyfish using recycled yoghurt pots and left over paper 🪼

Does your child love these squishy dumplings? They’re the latest craze – with unboxing videos gaining millions of views.

But their popularity and high demand mean lots of fakes are now available to buy. And the counterfeit versions may contain harmful levels of dangerous chemicals.

✓ Buy from trusted retailers if you can – fakes may not meet our safety standards
✓ Check for proper labelling – missing safety information is a sign it’s fake
✓ If the toy is damaged, leaking or smells unusual, stop using it
✓ Avoid buying for under 3s - they’re most at risk from dangerous toys.

More tips on buying safe toys: https://capt.org.uk/buy-safe-toys/

30 Days Wild in June is a month-long nature challenge organised by the The Wildlife Trusts, encouraging children to do one nature-based activity each day throughout June, such as listening to birdsong, planting seeds, hunting for minibeasts, or creating nature art and we are taking part again this year!

This strongly connects to the Early Years curriculum looking at Understanding the World, as children explore, making sense of the natural environment through first-hand experiences. 30 Days Wild encourages observation, curiosity, questioning and environmental awareness, all key aspects of Early years learning.

Today’s adventures:

The children discovered a princess cave, complete with little homes tucked inside. Who could they be for, we wondered?

A little further along, we stumbled upon an egg. After some very thorough investigation, the children noticed a crack in the shell and quickly concluded that it had already hatched. Naturally, it could only be a dinosaur egg — and so our hunt began!

Past the pond and down the hill, we came across a mystical, magical waterfall. The children were completely mesmerised, spending quite some time exploring and admiring its beauty before deciding that the dinosaur must surely live nearby. Perhaps it was hiding in the long grass behind us, just waiting to be discovered.

Despite the rain pouring down around us, it was a truly magical morning with our little band of adventurers — proving once again that a little imagination can turn an ordinary walk into an extraordinary adventure.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” — Frances Hodgson Burnett

Holiday Day 2 - Farm visit